Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to accompany a Barretos Cancer Hospital mobile clinic out to Monte Azul Paulista, a city with a population just under 20,000. After hearing so much about the clinics, I was extremely excited to finally see one in action. The mobile unit I was with specialized in mammography and pap smears. The day started off bright and early when I met up with the nurses that would be working the clinic at 6:30 am. We all piled into a car and drove for about an hour until we got to Monte Azul Paulista. There, we met up with the clinic which was a massive trailer the size of a semi-truck. The trailer clinic was moved to a local Saude de Mulheres, Women’s Health Clinic where set up began.
After setting up the truck, tables and mammography equipment, the nurses were ready to go. We already had a line of women waiting and we began checking patients in right away. At first I got the chance to watch and shadow the nurse performing the mammography. What is really extremely amazing is that the mobile units are equipped with full mammography units. If you were to walk in, you would have no idea if you were in a hospital or out in the Amazon. The units also include tv screens that display soothing images such as coalas (koalas), flores (flowers), and pinguins (penguins) with coordinated lights in corresponding colors.
After watching a few mammograms, I returned to the front to watch the check in process. Here I learned what info is necessary to know about the patients when conducting and analyzing mammograms. I also got to talk to some of the patients and practice my Portuguese.
Getting the chance to travel with mobile clinic was an awesome experience to see the reach Barretos Cancer Hospital has as well as the lack of resources in surrounding areas. Even though we only traveled an hour outside Barretos, we encountered a city that didn’t have the resources or enough resources to perform mammograms or pap smears on their own. Furthermore, the clinic provided insight into the inability for patients to travel to have these procedures done. It was an invaluable experience to get to see how these clinics work, and I can’t wait to travel out with them again!
However, today, back at the hospital, is proving to be exciting also. With the arrival of Ben Grant, who works in Dr. Richards-Kortum’s lab, I finally got the chance to meet the HRME. Because Pablo and I brought forceps that integrate the HRME and biopsies, it was great to finally see how the HRME works!
Lastly, because I worked in some Portuguese to the post, and because Sunday was Father’s Day back in the states I thought I’d add some fun facts about Brazilian holidays. Unlike the US, Father’s Day for Brazil (Dia dos Pais) is August 9. Also, Brazilian Valentine’s Day, or Dia dos Namorados, was on June 12. Which meant two Valentine’s days for us Americans!
Well, that’s all for now! Tchau!