Nogales, Arizona

They are true companeros, this Santa Ana, Sonora foursome that comes on the donated DIF bus with patients from Imuris and Magdalena.

Great jokers, they also sweat all morning over the outdoor grill so volunteers may fuel themselves midday with delicioso beef and chicken corn tacos. Eduardo has volunteered for six years and the others for two, all serving with DIF, Desarollo Integral de la Familia, a social agency. (translator was Anabel Felix, Rio Rico, on her first assignment.)

“We just like to help people,” the team agreed.”

The Vision area is where Lynne, of Tucson, heads on clinic day. Four years ago, after spotting blind children on a video at an Episcopalian convention, she toured the clinic.

Lynne schedules volunteers including doctors and nurses, keeps the patient database, orders materials and consults about referrals. But the real payoff is educating families and seeing children do well.

“This is probably the most exciting thing I've ever done.
The families are dedicated, and so grateful for what we do.”

Near the swirl of physical and occupational therapy, Cheyenne calms crying and clenching youngsters through the ancient practice of Reiki (“ray-key”).

To relax them for therapy workouts, she and aides use ELF (extremely low frequency) energy in their hands and fingers to absorb their patients’ tension.

Cheyenne, of Bisbee, toured the clinic in January 2004 and found herself calming crying children. She began her volunteer service the very next month.

“I enjoy helping the kids relax during their visits. I just love coming here.”

They’re in the explanation business. Andru, who began volunteering four years ago, directs the Pharmacy area near the exit. Owner of the San Andres Pharmacy in Nogales, Sonora, he saves the clinic thousands of dollars by getting lower prices and free samples.

Carol, Green Valley, has brought family practice expertise to the clinic for over three years. She maintains records, banishes old medicines, checks that prescriptions are appropriate, even keeps a Red Box for clinic day emergencies. Very important, the team ensures that Mexican prescriptions match their U.S. counterparts.

“We’re a ‘gate’ in the waiting room,
a good spot where we can educate families about their medicines,” said Dr. McGahey.

On clinic day, the smiling staff in the Cleft Palate/Hearing Loss/Speech Delay & Language area makes a difference for anxious children.

Spanish-speaking Tucsonans Gina, a clinic veteran of two and a half years, Clare, with a year of service, and Clary, with 6 months, also show the families how to take therapy techniques home. They work closely with clinic areas such as Pediatrics and Nutrition to develop treatment and family education plans. For surgeries, they assemble patient information and later offer post-surgery therapy with, again, the accent on family involvement.

Currently, they are learning a simplified sign language to better communicate with hearing-loss patients. All are with St. Mary¹s Hospital in Tucson, but Gina is based at Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales, Arizona.