By Ruthann Marquis
Portland, OR

Our first day in action with PINCC sped by! Severe traffic delayed our start which added to the frenzy. We worked at a Pro Vida clinic in Nejapa, where women had already been screened for the services offered today. There was an entire courtyard of women waiting when we arrived! Work stations were established, rooms were stocked, paperwork was stacked and patients were seen.

The role of PINCC on this trip is to monitor the nurses and doctors that are serving as teachers to the students who are learning the procedures and guide them in assuming their full roles as educators. That means that many sets of eyes are looking at that patient while in a most delicate position. Yet always the needs of the patients are prioritized. There is someone ever-ready to hold someone’s hand. There is both uncertainty and fear in the eyes of many of the women awaiting treatment and all efforts are made to help them relax and know that those procedures are taking care of an issue that could otherwise turn into a more serious condition.

In all 54 women were seen today and thankfully that means 54 women have a chance at a better and healthier life. PINCC in action!