Tena, Ecuador
In cooperation with the local government in Napo, Timmy organizes and sends medical service team to ten rural communities near Tena, Ecuador.
Our Partners
Timmy’s programming in Napo Province (in the Amazon Basin) relies on collaboration with three partner organizations: Stadler Richter Hospital in Archidona, Tierra Nueva in Quito, and the local government of Napo Province. Access to quality healthcare in the Amazon Basin is extremely low. Timmy is working to increase access to care in our adopted communities through recurring primary care medical clinics and behind the scenes health programs that connect patients to healthcare partners.
The public hospital in Tena, operated and funded by the Ecuadorian government, is consistently understaffed and over-capacity. The only private hospital in the immediate area is in Archidona, a small city 15 minutes from Tena. The Stadler Richter Hospital in Archidona is known for its quality care and outreach to the poor. It offers all basic care and imaging services with some, but not all, specialty care. The remaining gaps in healthcare service are fulfilled by small, private clinics scattered throughout the province.
The Communities We Serve
In cooperation with the local government in Napo, Timmy organizes and sends medical service team to ten rural communities near Tena, Ecuador. These communities are selected based on accessibility of healthcare services, overall poverty level, community leadership, and previous experience working with outside groups.
The Napo Province is located five hours east of Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. With a population of about 20,000, Tena is Napo Province’s capital and largest city. The total provincial population is around 80,000, largely living in rural areas and/or small communities. The area is in the heart of the Amazon basin, an incredibly vast system of rivers and tributaries that eventually find their way to the Amazon River. The Napo River is one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon and flows through the entire province.
Traditionally, the Amazon and coastal regions of Ecuador are considered some of the most impoverished. The Amazon basin differentiates itself from other poorer regions of Ecuador because of its disproportionately low access to healthcare (more so than other regions), non-existent transportation infrastructure to and from many communities, and poor educational resources. The majority of the population lives in rural areas and small communities along the Napo River and its tributaries, maintaining subsistence farms of yucca, banana, cacao, and other fruits and vegetables native to the area.
Outreach, Projects, and Solutions
Timmy’s medical service teams provide primary care clinics throughout their 1-2 week service trips, but a number of patients need specialty or advanced care that can’t be provided through this service. Through our local partnerships, Timmy is able to refer these patients to the Stadler Richter Hospital in nearby Archidona. Working closely with the local government in Napo, Timmy is able to provide patients with transportation to and from Stadler Richter, as well as follow-up for referred patients in each Timmy community. Additionally, any patient that requires care beyond the capacity of Stadler Richter Hospital can be transferred for further care at Timmy’s partner in Quito, Tierra Nueva. Any patients unable to receive treatment through our partner services have access to outside logistical support from Timmy’s staff on the ground, who help to navigate the bureaucracy of Ecuador’s public health system.
In January 2011 alone, 60 patients were referred to Archidona. Of those 60, approximately 40 patients complied with their referrals, and 6 were sent to Quito (with the assistance of the local Napo government) to receive specialized, more advanced care. As Timmy’s outreach in Napo grows, so do opportunities to have an even greater impact on the overall health outcomes in Timmy’s adopted communities. Programs focused on malnutrition, clean water, and improved attention to chronic care are in the works, and Timmy’s first surgical team will be traveling to the region to perform multiple hernia surgeries in late November, 2012.
