St Andrew's Children's Clinic, Nogales, AZ

For 42 years, St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic has provided free, specialized medical care to children living in Mexico who cannot get the care or afford the care they need in their home country. The Clinic is held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Nogales, Arizona.

 

St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic, a non-denominational, non-profit organization, with a volunteer professional health care staff. The staff sees approximately 225-250 children the first Thursday of each month except July. Every October, in cooperation with Children's Surgery International and CIMA Hospital, approximately 40-45 children have cleft palate/cleft lip surgery in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. This special mission involves volunteers on both sides of the US-Mexico border who work with the medical team to give patients smiles and a much better life.

http://www.standrewsclinic.org/

We had hoped to volunteer and tour the clinic March 3rd but had to cancel due to my own little  surgery. The volunteers help with snacks and making lunch for the children and families along with working in the clinic. We were disappointed to miss this day.

Clinic Day begins at the Border between Mexico and the U.S. All patients and families cross legally. Immigration officials donate their own time to come early to process our patients, and they greatly appreciate this. Patients and families without visas are given a one-day pass to visit The Clinic.

 

 Lines start forming at the Church around 7:00 a.m. Some patients come by private auto, but most come to the Border by bus. They are picked up at the Border by a van or school bus rented by The Clinic. Doctors start seeing patients around 9:00 a.m.

 

Because many families have been waiting a long time without food or drink, The Clinic volunteers serve a break of snacks and coffee, lemonade, or hot cocoa around 9:00 a.m.

 

 

We will be here a few more weeks so the doctor can finish her handy work with a skin graft. Then we can be on our way. We have had to stay put a bit longer than we like but sometimes a person has to do the right thing.

Red hook Cactus fruit. I haven't tried it but hear it is eatable. That has nothing to do with the rest of my stories. I just thought they looked kind of cool.