La Grange – Adventist
La Grange Memorial
Hospital donated nearly
$5,500 worth of medicine to an organization dedicated to helping Guatemalan
families break the cycle of poverty through education, health care, housing and
family development. A medical mission team from St. Paul, Minn.,-based Common
Hope recently delivered the medications, vitamins, antacids,
and other valued supplies to Guatemala, where
clinic physicians gave thanks for the kindness of strangers.
“Part of our calling is to promote wellness,” said David Tsang, Adventist La Grange
Memorial Hospital’s
pharmacy director. “We try to provide quality health
care wherever we can, especially if it is to a needy country. Guatemalans lack
the resources, but we have the means to help, so it works out well for
everyone.”
This is the fourth consecutive year the hospital
partnered with Common Hope. The clinic near Antigua, Guatemala,
serves 80 patients a day from more than 15 villages. Doctors, nurses,
pharmacists and dentists, along with many medical volunteers, emphasize
education and the need for follow-up care.
Among the medicine donated by the hospital: antibiotics, children’s chewable vitamins, anti-lice
lotion, and medications for epilepsy, strep throat, hypertension, high
cholesterol, peptic ulcer and diabetes. Prevalent diseases in the area include
chronic conditions such as high cholesterol and diabetes that can be treated
with medication and education. Lice infestations also are common because of
poor sanitation and crowded living conditions.
“We are honored to be
able to play a small part in this very worthwhile project,” said Conni Ainslie,
pharmacy buyer at Adventist
La Grange Memorial
Hospital.