On every Rotaplast mission, there are certain to be challenges despite planning and years of experience. Volunteers are always reminded to be flexible and go with the flow of the controlled chaos of pre-clinic. This year’s pre-clinic was no exception as the Rotaplast team was met with many obstacles, namely lack of space.
Still, this won’t stop the team from changing the lives of nearly 100 children and teenagers who will be treated, including the infant pictured above.
Not yet in the city for even 12 hours, the Rotaplast team gets on the bus to head over to Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza.
Upon the team’s arrival, families were already in line waiting to be evaluated by the Rotaplast medical team.
The first stop for patients was the registration desk. Interpreter Marcella Ramos obtains contact information for the boy’s medical records.
As part of the assessment, patients have their vitals checked, including blood oxygen levels and temperature. A young girl takes great interest as nurse Tami Schindler takes her blood pressure.
The Rotaplast medical team consists of surgeons and orthodontists. Orthodontist Paul Helpard examines a mold of a patient’s teeth during an evaluation of her bite.
Anesthesiologist Arun Rama and pediatrician Nan Madden assess the basic health history of a patient.
Lead pediatrician Paula Rand examines a young patient, who was selected to have surgery the next day.
The lack of available space required creative solutions. Surgeon Brandon Reynolds and Rotaplast co-founder Angelo Capozzi take a closer at a patient’s palette while standing in the hallway.
With space limited, dental technician Dong Lee sets up his mold-making lab outside the building.
Keeping track of all the patients and their medical records is quite a task. As the day winds down, Medical Recordskeeper Sangita Seshadri and Mission Director Evelyn Abad ensure nothing is missed.
The Rotaplast team continued to work late into the evening, seeing patients and determining which were the best candidates for surgery.