Elective Site - Santa Clotilde, Peru
Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde (CSSC) is a health center along the Napo River in the Peruvian Amazon region of Loreto. The health center is associated with the Ministry of Health (MINSA) Peru and PANGO, a civil association dedicated to helping the region. It functions as an outpatient clinic, a referral hospital, and a regional health center coordinating care for numerous communities spanning a large and remote geographical region along the Napo River.
Contra Costa Family Medicine Residency supports the work at this health center through clinical partnership and local capacity building. Many residents and staff physicians at CCRMC have spent time at this site, providing clinical care and assisting ongoing public health programs. Health challenges in the region stem from tropical and infectious diseases (malaria, TB, HIV, parasites, dengue), difficulty accessing care (many villages are days by boat to the nearest health center), trauma/injuries, nutrition limitations, and managing chronic diseases with finite resources.
Elective: Residents fluent in Spanish may apply to spend 4 or 6 week rotations at this site. Clinical work and responsibilities depend on the needs of the site at the time, but typically include:
- Daily rounding and inpatient care for Pediatrics, Surgery, Medicine, and OB/Gyn patients
- Daily staffing of the outpatient walk-in clinic
- Taking call overnight for after-hours patient care and Emergency/Trauma care as needed
- Surgical assist where appropriate and with supervision
- Outreach campaigns to communities along the river
- Supporting PANGO's various public health projects
Learn more about Santa Clotilde:
- Visit the Pango Peru Facebook page for up to date photos and program information
- Pango, Peru
- Excellent website from UBC Global Health on their partnership with Santa Clotilde
- The legacy of Dr. Kerry Telford and UBC working in Santa Clotilde
- Blog from two American Doctors working in Santa Clotilde through Mission Doctors Association