Health Promotion and Special Campaigns

In Chijnaya basic preventive and primary health care is provided by the nurse assigned to the community’s Health Post by Peru’s Ministry of Health (MOH). More complex medical problems are referred to the Health Center in Pucara, some 6 kilometers away, staffed by a physician, midwife, nurse, and, occasionally, a dentist.

Further referral can be made from the Health Center to the Regional Hospital in Ayaviri, about 40 kilometers away. Many services, including transportation for patients, lab work, radiology, optometry, dentistry, and other specialties, are not available at Health Posts and Centers.

In response to needs identified by the community, the Chijnaya Foundation sponsors periodic health promotion campaigns to supplement the services provided by Chijnaya’s Health Post and the Health Center in Pucara. These campaigns are carried out in collaboration with other groups, such the Health Committee formed by residents of Chijnaya, personnel from the Health Center in Pucara, the Puno Lions Club, and the Global Health Department of Loma Linda University. Community residents who attend the special clinics contribute small fees ($1 or less) for the services provided. Our health promotion campaigns have included the following:

In 2007, four students from the Global Health Department of Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health, along with their professor, Ann Stromberg, offered a campaign focused on eye care. With special funding from a U.S. family foundation, we:

  • Provided education on eye care and prevention of eye problems, using small group discussions and an evening of community theater, music, and dance. Community members collaborated with the Loma Linda students in writing the script for scenes addressing aspects of eye care and did all of the acting as well as performances of dance, poetry, and song.
  • Screened all school children in Chijnaya and a neighboring community for problems with vision.
  • Hired a Quehua-speaking ophthalmologist and assistant from Cusco, for a six-day clinic, to examine the eyes and vision of children, youth, and adults. Some 430 residents received eye examinations.
  • Worked with the Puno Lions Club volunteers to provide corrective lenses for persons needing glasses.
  • Assessed contributing factors to eye problems, e.g., high altitude (13,000’) combined with outdoor work that increases exposure to UV rays; frequent exposure to wind and dirt; indoor smoke and particulate matter from cooking fires in unventilated kitchens
  • Promoted the wearing of hats and sunglasses to protect residents’ eyes from such risk factors and to prevent the early onset of cataracts and pterygium.
  • Provided funding for two people to have surgery for pterigium and cataract surgery for a small number of seniors from Chijnaya. Further follow-up for cataract surgery is still needed.
  • Provided two well-attended presentations on nutrition, by Peruvian nutritionist Neda Pomé , a member of the Loma Linda team.

Simultaneously with the 2007 eye care campaigns, several physicians offered their services as well as medications in a four-day clinic. Dr. Michael Rensink, a Chijnaya Foundation Board member, provided general medical care as well as services in his specialty, otolaryngology, to 100 patients. Physician members of the Puno Lions Club also participated in the clinic, offering general medical care as well as expertise in obstetrics-gynecology, to some 160 patients.

In 2008, four Global Health Department students from Loma Linda, along with Dr, Stromberg , collaborated with the Foundation in a health promotion campaign focused on oral health care and prevention of disease. The students:

  • Partnered with the elementary school principal and teachers to offer oral health education in all classrooms. Puppetry, posters, and role-playing were used to teach toothbrushing and the importance of diet for good dental health. All students practiced good brushing technique with the new toothbrushes that were provided.
  • Offered fluoridation to all children in K through 6 who had parental permission
  • Worked with community members to develop and present an evening of community theater, music, and dance, with theater scenes focusing on oral health.
  • Provided toothbrushes to adult members of the community and training to the Health Post nurse so that she can follow-up with regular fluoridation of children’s teeth
  • Provided a presentation by Loma Linda team member and nutritionist, Neda Pomé, on nutrition for dental health using locally available foods.
  • Assessed the extensive need for treatment of caries and other dental problems. As a result, in collaboration with the Peruvian American Dental Association, the Chijnaya Foundation subsequently developed an an Oral Health Program in Chijnaya in 2010.

The Chijnaya Foundation looks forward to collaborating in additional health promotion campaigns in Chijnaya and other communities. We welcome inquiries from health care providers who might wish to work with us in the future.

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