| President's Letter Dear BHH Volunteers, past, present, and future,
Warm greetings! I am so proud of all our organization has accomplished in its short existence. You should be proud of the role you've played as a volunteer. We have literally saved lives and given peace of mind to hundreds of people, with no profit motive involved. As we all know, the Covid epidemic greatly interfered with almost every aspect of daily life. In terms of our operations, for almost three years we were unable to provide in-home hospice care, a core element of our mission. In-person meetings, trainings, and fundraising and social events were also curtailed or completely abandoned by necessity.
Now we are back in the business of providing in-home hospice and health support care, and we have resumed in-person meetings, trainings, and social events (including the very popular annual appreciation luncheon for our dedicated volunteers!).
But along the way, we lost some of you. You remain on our mailing list, but you may not have been actively volunteering on any of our teams for quite some time. As a result, many of our teams are now short-staffed and the volunteers who remain are overworked.
I am asking you to please consider recommitting to actively volunteering for BHH in whatever capacity suits your interests, skills, and available time. We have many positions currently unfilled. We will find a role that uses your talents and gives you that extremely satisfying feeling of having helped others.
Studies have shown that volunteering imparts many benefits. It can give you a sense of purpose, help you make friends and feel part of a community, and increase your self-esteem. Volunteering improves your mental health and may even improve your physical health. Plus, you will learn things and have fun, which will lead to greater contentment.
Please reach out to us and let us know if you would like to come back and take on an active role again. Let's start a discussion of how we might help each other and provide a great service to our community at the same time.
As part of our efforts to reach out to our volunteers, we ask that you update your profile with us regarding the teams you're on and the interests you have. If you haven't already, you will soon be receiving a request from our Database Manager asking you to update your profile. Please click the link that will be provided and update your details as soon as you get a chance.
And if you are not currently a volunteer but would like to be one, please click here to complete our New Volunteer Application. Once you do, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you to discuss your interests.
I appreciate your reading this letter and hope to hear back from many of you. Thank you for your past contributions and thank you for considering returning to a more active role.
Sincerely,
Roderic Gottula, MD | | |
August General Meeting
Dra. Shannon Tuer and Rick Hayes present "Health Care America (HCA): Helping the U.S. Veteran Community in Panamá"
| | | Join us Wednesday, August 9, from 10-11am at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete.
Preregistration is not required and this event is free, though donations to support our work are gratefully accepted. | | | | Attention U.S. Veterans and Retirees in Panamá!
For those living outside their passport country, healthcare concerns in a foreign country can be daunting. But here's good news! | | | Attend this informative presentation by Rick Hayes, Veteran Service Outreach, and Dra. Shannon Tuer of Health Care America (HCA) to learn about the assistance offer and how to navigate healthcare options, insurance, paperwork, and more. Even if you have TriCare, valuable insights will be provided.
HCA, Rick, and Dra. Shannon work very closely with Boquete Health & Hospice when we have a patient in common. Learn how both organizations coordinate health services, medical equipment, and resources together to ensure patients receive the best possible care. And if you're not a veteran, this valuable information will enable you to help veterans you know get the care they need.
Following the presentation there will be time to meet with Rick and Dra. Shannon to ask questions. Don't miss this must-attend event for U.S. veterans or armed forces retirees and those who would like to help them get the care they need. | | | Help Us Say Farewell to Craig Gatrel and John Ferguson and Meet and Mingle with BHH Volunteers
Join us at the farewell party to honor Craig Gatrel and John Ferguson on August 20 and show our appreciation for their tremendous contributions to BHH. | | | | And if you haven't worked with them or are new to BHH, this is a chance to meet other volunteers and learn about the accomplishments of two people who exemplify the best of BHH.
Please RSVP as soon as possible using the link below. | | | A huge thank you to the super-talented local artist Sarah Zink for these beautiful quilts she donated to Boquete Health & Hospice. Sarah is a master quilter who generously supports local charities and organizations around Boquete with her gorgeous fabric art. | |  | |
Book Now for October CPR Training
Learn to save a life and help a family member, friend, or neighbor in an emergency by attending BHH CPR training. Our July class was so popular we had to start a wait-list, so book early for our next training on October 11. | | Our amazing instructors—Bob and Kelly Honyak (shown above), Michael and Lynette Polacek, and Donna Robinson—teach participants hands-on CPR chest compressions (no mouth-to-mouth) and the Heimlich maneuver for airway obstruction.
This is a non-certified course. Preregistration is required and class size is limited to 16, so please register for the October 11 workshop by clicking the button below. The suggested donation for participating in this workshop is $5 per person. | |  | | Bob Honyak demonstrates chest compressions at July CPR training. | | | Thanks to Our July Guest Speakers
Thank you to our July guest speakers from The Farmacia and Rodny Direct. They made excellent presentations and shared useful information to a full house. | | | Chris Young, part owner of The Farmacia, introduced resident pharmacist Larissa Castillo and supervisor and pharmacist assistant Christina Parada, who explained the Panamanian laws governing pharmacies, including those regarding prescription drugs and opioids. They answered many questions from the audience and emphasized that The Farmacia will go the extra mile to help people who require special medication. | | | | Larissa Castillo and Christina Parada of The Farmacia and Rodny Moreno of Rodny Direct. | | | Mark Heyer introduced speaker Rodny Moreno and recalled that his company, Rodny Direct, evolved from Alto Crimen. Rodny, who is fully bi-lingual, shared his story and described how he bridged his disabilities to run a successful business and explained the services offered to the community. During Q&A one audience member said, "Everyone has a Rodny story," and several people shared how much Rodny had helped them in a difficult situation.
You can learn more about the Rodny Direct website-based subscription service here. An annual fee provides 24/7/365 assistance for help in medical emergencies, roadside assistance, reporting power outages and brush fires, and translation when communicating with police and emergency service personnel.
| | | Support BHH at Trivia Night on August 8!
All Proceeds Support the Repair and Replacement of Much-Needed Portable Oxygen Concentrators | | | We're delighted to be the charitable recipient for Tuesday Night Trivia Time at Tap Out on August 8. All proceeds will support BHH's repair and replacement of portable oxygen concentrators, crucial for patients returning home from the hospital or other critical excursions.
Trivia Night is held bi-weekly at Tap Out. The doors open at 4 pm, play begins at 5 pm, and the suggested donation is $5. Thanks to Brandy Minori, the MC, and all trivia players for their support! Earlier proceeds from Trivia Night have gone towards the purchase of two wheelchairs for BHH. More details on oxygen concentrators follow below. | | | Oxygen Concentrators—Donations Needed!
We need your help to continue providing portable oxygen concentrators to those in need. Currently, we have two units that are old and failing. Repairing won't be enough soon, and replacements are expensive.
These portable units are vital for the wellbeing of our patients. Portable units are in short supply, and their cost is high, so people often rely on BHH when they need one. However, due to their scarcity, we can only lend them for one day. Once a patient is home, we can provide a much larger continuous flow unit, which is the workhorse of our concentrator equipment.
Please help us by donating generously. Your support will make a huge difference in our community, as many rely on us for these essential devices. Thank you for making a positive impact on the lives of our neighbors. And thank you to the volunteers on the Respiratory team for their crucial role in ensuring patients receive the care they need. | | | How Our Equipment Team Can Help You
Wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen concentrators, and much, much more | | | | Sometimes, Boquete Health & Hospice gets reduced to just the "hospice" part of our mission. In fact, BHH does a lot more than provide hospice services. Among other things, we organize blood drives, we deliver meals, and we provide educational programming for the community.
BHH also owns an extensive inventory of medical equipment that we loan out to Boquete area residents. Most patients may need the equipment, such as a hospital bed or a wheelchair, for only a short period of time, making such a large purchase wasteful. Other patients may require the equipment for a longer period of time, but simply cannot afford to buy it themselves.
BHH Vice President for Operations Kat McKay, who used to co-lead the Equipment team along with current team leader Sally Zigmond, says, "The need for our equipment services is tremendous, mostly because of the cost of this equipment. Retired expats and Panamanians alike may be living off limited incomes, making it difficult for them to afford to buy equipment needed for their recovery. We are proud to provide this service to our community as a way to better everyone's lives. And we get so many heartfelt thank yous. I have been approached on the streets of Boquete by individuals who remember how kind we were to help their family members. Our community truly appreciates what we provide for them."
While BHH does not have a physical office, we do lease four large lockers for our equipment at a convenient location in Alto Boquete. And once it's been determined that we can assist a patient with a piece of medical equipment, arrangements are made for the patient (or their representative) to meet a member of our Equipment team at the lockers. There is one exception to the pick-up rule: hospital beds can be delivered and set up for the patient.
Right now we have more than 100 items to loan out—not only wheelchairs and hospital beds but crutches, bedside commodes, walkers, canes, toilet seat risers, shower chairs, and oxygen concentrators. Patients or their representatives are always instructed by a volunteer about the use of any equipment they need, and given printed instructions if required.
Most items are used for three months or less by patients with short-term issues such as fractures, strains, falls, and recent surgeries. However, Sally says, it is possible to extend the loans when necessary, and some items are used by hospice patients and patients being treated for serious diseases that may take months to heal. "And while we are unable to give equipment to people who can't afford it, we do sometimes also sell equipment at a reduced price."
The equipment in our lockers is regularly cleaned and checked for functionality and safety by our trained volunteers. Any equipment that is damaged is repaired when possible and replaced when necessary.
So, can anyone call BHH and reserve some free medical equipment for their personal use? Well, not exactly. Our Patient Care Coordinators (PCCs), who are reachable via WhatsApp at +507-6781-9250, are the ones who determine if patients are eligible to borrow equipment, based first on their geographic location. We cover quite a large area in and around Boquete, including Caldera, Palmira, and even parts of Potrerillos. The PCCs also determine the patient's equipment needs—and some equipment requires a doctor's order.
BHH buys its medical equipment with funds donated by our supporters. Some of this equipment is not easy to find in Panama. If this is a service you can see yourself needing some day and would like to support our efforts, we would welcome your donations earmarked for equipment purchases. We also budget an amount every year for repairing and replacing equipment which must be raised from donations. Thank you for supporting BHH!
–Deb Hornstra | | | Watch BHH on the Weekend Kickoff Radio Show August 4
Radio Chiriqui 103.3
Friday, August 4 at 12 noon. | | | | Deb Hornstra and Natalie Kelly join the Weekend Kickoff Radio Show on Radio Chiriqui 103.3, Friday, August 4 at 12 noon. They'll discuss the importance of social media in promoting BHH and the amazing impact it had on the June Blood Drive—102 pints donated, which is almost double the amount of previous blood drives. They'll also discuss the role of BHH in the community, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events. The show will also be live-steamed on Facebook and YouTube. Deb is the BHH Communications Team Leader and social media meister and Natalie is the VP of Community Outreach and newsletter editor. | | | Community Outreach Team News
The Community Outreach team has been busy. | | | | New brochures and business cards (in both English and Spanish with our services listed on the back) have been delivered to ten doctors' offices/clinics, physical therapists, and laboratories in the Bajo Boquete and Alto Boquete area. New brochures and business cards are also available at the BHH table at the Tuesday Market.
The first two weeks of July our team members visited Dra. Tuer/Dr. Gomez, Dra. Diaz, Dra. Boya, HCA (veterans' clinic), Fenix clinic, Dacosta clinic, Clinica Valle Boquete, Rene Estribi – physical therapist, Jessica Bell and Belkys Atencio – physical therapists, and Hemolab.
If (or when) you visit a doctor in Boquete, Alto Boquete, Palmira, Jaramillo, Los Naranjos, or Caldera, please ask them if they are aware of Boquete Health & Hospice and if they are familiar with our services. If the answer is no, please ask them to contact the Community Outreach team at 6984-7404 (preferably by WhatsApp) so we can schedule a visit with them to introduce our organization.
In other team news, visits with the representantes are continuing, and community meetings are being set up. Information is also being gathered with respect to setting up a scholarship program for university students in the area who will be studying for a degree in the health services area. | | | Join Us and Attend New Volunteer Training
Looking to give back to the Boquete community? Volunteering with BHH is a rewarding way to make a difference. Choose from various positions and decide the time you can dedicate each month.
Our next volunteer training is on August 29-30, streamlined to one-and-a-half days at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete. Register now and be prepared for volunteering.
The training covers detailed organization info and opportunities to meet team leaders. We need volunteers to help provide hospice and home care, equipment loans, blood donation drives, community education such as "Being Prepared" and CPR training, organizational support, and more. Volunteers with diverse skills are needed in administration, fundraising, marketing, translation, outreach, healthcare and other areas. Spanish-English fluency is beneficial but not required, and healthcare experience is not necessary for most roles.
BHH relies on its amazing volunteers and donations from the community to support its efforts. The rewards of volunteering are many, and you can be proud to be part of an outstanding organization known for its service to the community for over 17 years.
Join one of our dedicated teams and be part of this compassionate organization.
| | | How to Apply for a Volunteer Role
Complete and submit a membership application, which can be found here. We will contact you within a few days to discuss your interests and how we can work together. | | |
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