Obyon BeachThese are photos from the beach where we began our first SCUBA adventure. Love this beach. Great snorkeling. The best place we have found so far for finding shells. Nice amenities. However, it can be busy as it is well known as an interesting dive site because of the variety of fish, the abundence of garden eels, and it is the designated sea turtle nesting site. I would have tried to upload photos of the boys at this beach but they are in the water the instant we arrive! Also, Kaden loves to dig for "Ghost Crabs" and look for these giant hermit crabs on the beach. If I can catch the boys next time I will add a photo of them at this beach.
The Darker Side: Medical Care
Work here is fascinating, and exciting and depressing as it is probably in any third world country (although this is technically not as it is a U.S. territory). There is extreme poverty here and many people on government assistance of one kind or another. People here do SO much with so few resources. I assisted in screening many, many Headstart and school age kids one day with my colleague. The majority with hearing loss have holes in their ear drums that have never been and will likely not be corrected as there is no ear surgeon on the island. The other reason for hearing loss? Cerumen (ear wax)! Can you believe it? Daily we see kids who have ongoing bilateral hearing loss that has been there for months because they have impacted wax and nobody will do anything about it! We have been brainstorming to see if there is something we can do as the Audiologists but parents can't afford to come to the hospital to get it taken care of, can't or won't take the kids to see a Dr. in the clinics, there are very few school nurses to provide ear drops, and with such a huge case load we can't get back to see these kids frequently enough to apply treatment ourselves. Of the kids with permanent hearing loss, they are well taken care of audiologically. Hearing aids are provided for them at no cost. However, there are no teachers for the deaf and very few people who know American Sign Language, but they really do the best they can for these kids. That is really the theme, "Do the best you can with what you have got." One of the reasons I love it here is that everyone has PASSION for what they do. You could not stay here and function very well without it. I visited a baby in the NICU that was born with many craniofacial anomalies, including ears that were so low set they were affixed to the baby's neck and had canals that seemed to enter directly into his throat. And who is taking care of this baby? NOT a neonatologist (none on the island), NOT an Ear Nose and Throat doctor (none on the island), but a first year resident pediatrician (working here as a loan repayment project) and the most dedicated nurse I have ever met. She is the one taking care of this baby. She should be paid the salary of 4 neonatologists in my opinion but is surely not. Anyway, the baby is thriving somehow under her care and she is working to get the baby transferred off island for care. This however is also a major challenge because it has to pass through a referral board and then they have to find a hospital that is willing to take the patient as the family likely cannot pay for any of the medical bills. Doctors in general are incredibly scarce on the island. When local people find out what I do, they are sooooooooooooo gracious and thank me over and over for coming to Saipan. People understand that the healthcare system leaves much to be improved upon. Also interesting is that because of the mix of cultures, there are many Asian practitioners of acupuncture and other eastern medicines. However, I have seen only one chiropractic office. Anyway, more than you probably wanted to know but it makes me so very thankful for the quality of our (admittedly flawed) healthcare system.
Work here is fascinating, and exciting and depressing as it is probably in any third world country (although this is technically not as it is a U.S. territory). There is extreme poverty here and many people on government assistance of one kind or another. People here do SO much with so few resources. I assisted in screening many, many Headstart and school age kids one day with my colleague. The majority with hearing loss have holes in their ear drums that have never been and will likely not be corrected as there is no ear surgeon on the island. The other reason for hearing loss? Cerumen (ear wax)! Can you believe it? Daily we see kids who have ongoing bilateral hearing loss that has been there for months because they have impacted wax and nobody will do anything about it! We have been brainstorming to see if there is something we can do as the Audiologists but parents can't afford to come to the hospital to get it taken care of, can't or won't take the kids to see a Dr. in the clinics, there are very few school nurses to provide ear drops, and with such a huge case load we can't get back to see these kids frequently enough to apply treatment ourselves. Of the kids with permanent hearing loss, they are well taken care of audiologically. Hearing aids are provided for them at no cost. However, there are no teachers for the deaf and very few people who know American Sign Language, but they really do the best they can for these kids. That is really the theme, "Do the best you can with what you have got." One of the reasons I love it here is that everyone has PASSION for what they do. You could not stay here and function very well without it. I visited a baby in the NICU that was born with many craniofacial anomalies, including ears that were so low set they were affixed to the baby's neck and had canals that seemed to enter directly into his throat. And who is taking care of this baby? NOT a neonatologist (none on the island), NOT an Ear Nose and Throat doctor (none on the island), but a first year resident pediatrician (working here as a loan repayment project) and the most dedicated nurse I have ever met. She is the one taking care of this baby. She should be paid the salary of 4 neonatologists in my opinion but is surely not. Anyway, the baby is thriving somehow under her care and she is working to get the baby transferred off island for care. This however is also a major challenge because it has to pass through a referral board and then they have to find a hospital that is willing to take the patient as the family likely cannot pay for any of the medical bills. Doctors in general are incredibly scarce on the island. When local people find out what I do, they are sooooooooooooo gracious and thank me over and over for coming to Saipan. People understand that the healthcare system leaves much to be improved upon. Also interesting is that because of the mix of cultures, there are many Asian practitioners of acupuncture and other eastern medicines. However, I have seen only one chiropractic office. Anyway, more than you probably wanted to know but it makes me so very thankful for the quality of our (admittedly flawed) healthcare system.
Oh Dear, I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how we can help with the ear wax problem when we come there. Not something I ever thought I'd want to try to fix on a large scale basis, but there's got to be a solution - any ideas / suggestions are welcome!
ReplyDeleteGrandma Alice