[News Boquete] Announcements - Boquete Health & Hospice - September 2023

Don't miss Dr Sunny Roe's talk on Caring for Caregivers.  The ultimate caregiver situation is caring for one's self. Plus lots more. View this email in your browser

BHH Announcements – September 2023 Calendar of Events   September 6 – Council Meeting, 10am (Big Daddy's and via Zoom)  September 13 – General Meeting, 10am (Animales Event Center, Alto Boquete) – Dr. Sunny Roe Presents "Caring for Caregivers: What to Do When Overwhelm Takes Over" October 4 – Council Meeting, 10am (Big Daddy's and via Zoom) October 11 – General Meeting, 10am (Animales Event Center, Alto Boquete) – Chris McCall Presents "What to Do When the Lights Go Out: Don't be Left in the Dark" (this will cover the surprising number of medical concerns to consider as well) October 11 – CPR Training, noon (Animales Event Center, Alto Boquete) – wait list only October 21 – Blood Drive, 7am-noon (Animales Event Center, Alto Boquete) – Preregistration is recommended Late October – New Volunteer Orientation (Animales Event Center, Alto Boquete) – Preregistration is required   PLEASE NOTE: General meetings are held in person for the rest of the year at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete. Council meetings are held at Big Daddy's and via Zoom.

BHH Newsletter Now Published Every Other Month, Alternating with Announcements We are excited to announce that our newsletter will now be published every other month and will alternate with brief announcements, starting with announcements this issue. We are moving more of our content to social media, which will enable us to publish as things happen. This will also allow us to more easily translate important news into Spanish for our Panamanian readers. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram, and we continue to make inroads on YouTube. Sign up for future newsletters and announcements here. Dr. Sunny Roe Presents "Caring for Caregivers: What to Do When Overwhelm Takes Over" September General Meeting Join us Wednesday, September 13, from 10-11am at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete for Dr. Sunny's presentation at our September general meeting. She'll share best practices on caring for yourself so you can truly be available to care for others. Preregistration is not required and this event is free, though donations to support our work are gratefully accepted.  Dr. Sunny spent 40 years in holistic healthcare and has been a caregiver for her children, her mother, and her grandmother. She will share actionable strategies to help relieve the stress of caregiving and provide referrals for further support based on her 13 years in Boquete. Everyone can benefit from this presentation. If you are not currently in a caregiving role, you might find yourself in one someday. Dr. Sunny will offer practical tips to equip you for that experience. These tips will also help you remain poised and prepared to handle the daily stress of life!   No one is immune from feelings of concern when a loved one is going through challenging times. When caregivers are less stressed about these situations, those they care for can live their lives in a less stressed fashion, as well.   The ultimate caregiver situation is caring for one's self. It's why you are instructed to "put your own mask on before assisting others" during the safety briefing as an airplane takes off.

ACT NOW AND BE A HERO! If you're interested in participating in the Blood Drive and/or contributing to the Matching Fund, please click the links below to sign up. For more information, contact blood@boquetehealth.org or send a WhatsApp text to the BHH blood line at 6590-2000.   Sign Up for the Blood Drive – English Sign Up for the Blood Drive – Spanish Sign Up for the Matching Fund October 21 Blood Drive BHH Celebrates these BLOOD DONOR HEROES! Why They Donated Blood at Our Last 8 Blood Drives   Mark the date! Our next Blood Drive will be held on Saturday, October 21 from 7am to noon at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete. We will be trying to beat the record we set in June, when we collected 102 pints of blood, an all-time high for any blood drive in Panama! Preregistration is recommended. Click the link above. THANK YOU for giving the gift of life. As we lead up to the event, we're featuring individuals who have donated blood multiple times. In this issue, we'll share the stories of Giovanelli Cianca and Debbie Wilson.  "I feel a great satisfaction every time I sign up for the blood drives and I'm very passionate when I talk about the importance of educating and encouraging people to donate..."  ~Giovanelli Cianca   Hi everyone! My name's Giovanelli Cianca, I'm 32 years old and I've been a blood donor since 2018. My interest in donating blood and the significance of doing it voluntarily in order to help others started back in 2009 when an aunt was hospitalized, I couldn't donate to her because I was underage but I promised to myself that if I ever donated it would be voluntarily. Then in 2018 a colleague at my former job told me a client had their daughter with leukemia at the Jose Domingo de Obaldia hospital and they were looking for people that could donate blood for her treatment. I realized it was the perfect time to fulfill my promise so I volunteered. Sadly the girl passed away, but in her honor I signed up for the first blood drive with Boquete Health and Hospice and the rest is history! Counting my first donation at the Obaldia hospital and up to the last drive back in June, I've donated 8 times. I feel a great satisfaction every time I sign up for the blood drives and I'm very passionate when I talk about the importance of educating and encouraging people to donate, I know some won't do it because of fear and/or misinformation, but I'm always glad to clarify and talk from my own experiences. "I have been donating blood since I was in 18.  Having type AB+ blood, the blood bank was always mentioning how rare my type was (~3% of population) and how much they needed it." ~Debbie Wilson "My church and employers often held on-site drives so it was very convenient. I am grateful for BHH's efforts for a blood bank here in Panamá and willing to help when I can.  I can't do much but I can donate blood!" Watch this video about the upcoming Blood Drive on October 21 – English version. Watch this video about the upcoming Blood Drive on October 21 – Spanish version. Tree of Life    Boquete Health and Hospice gratefully recognizes the names of our extremely dedicated and very generous donors on our website. Their kindness keeps our Tree of Life growing and strong. A huge thank you to all of our contributors! NOTE: We are working to get accounts set up so we can accept credit card donations. Until then, follow the directions above to make a donation, and check our website for updates. Please Donate Council Business To bring topics to the attention of the Council for discussion, please send an email to Lorraine Handler, who will add it to the next monthly agenda. The Council will consider, discuss, and vote (if needed) on the topic and inform the membership as appropriate. Voting members of the Council are: President – Dr. Rod Gottula VP, Community Engagement – Natalie Kelly VP, Operations – Kat McKay Secretary – Lorraine Handler Treasurer – Bill Hinrichsen Patient Care Coordinator – Bev Tyler Patient Care Coordinator – Denise Daniels Patient Care Coordinator – Liz Baze Past President – John Earle Council minutes are now on the BHH website at BHH minutes. All future minutes will also be posted there.  The policies of the organization are posted on our website and are updated as needed at BHH policies. We Respect Patient Confidentiality    All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. When names are used in testimonials or other marketing materials, we have obtained permission from those mentioned.  Contact Us Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm  Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 1pm Hospice/Health: +507 6781-9250          Blood Donor Program: WhatsApp +507 6590-2000 or call +507 6781-9250 Email: info@boquetehealth.org Website: boquetehealth.org Check us out and like us at: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!    Newsletter team: Natalie Kelly – Editor, Meg Wilson – Newsletter Coordinator, Carol Jones – Proofreader, Deb Hornstra – Features/Writer, and Fran Hogan Creative – Image Editor. Thanks to everyone who contributed their time and talent to this issue!  Subscribe here to receive our monthly newsletter and send submissions to BHH newsletter. Freely send this to anyone or use any part. Our mailing address is: info@boquetehealth.org

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