Triage
A mother and her two children, both suffering from chicken pox, await their turn to be triaged by the Mammoth Medical Missions physicians on day 1 of the team's visit to San Andres de Larrainzar Hospital in Chiapas, Mexico. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Triage
A young girl looks on as her mother provides information regarding her daughter's medical condition to the triage nurse. ©MammothMedicalMissions
First Patient
Mammoth Medical Missons' first surgical patient of the trip, an 11 month old boy about to undergo an inguinal hernia repair, is given a toy kangaroo while awaiting transfer to the operating room. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Waiting
After being evaluated by a Mammoth Medical Missions anesthesiologist, patients who are next up for surgery are placed in the hallway outside of the operating rooms until the surgical team turns the room over and escorts them inside. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Hysterectomy
Mammoth Medical Missions gynecologist Martha Kim, with an assist from the team's orthopedist Tim Crall, removes a large fibroid uterus from a patient who had been suffering for years from severe pelvic pain and dysfunctional bleeding. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Headlamps
The surgeons must use their own headlamps to illuminate the surgical field, as the hospital's electrical system is unreliable and frequently shuts off without warning multiple times a day. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Post-op Instructions
Dr. Kim Escudero translates for Dr. Tim Crall as he explains to a patient and her friend the use of a post-operative splint created by Dr. Crall and orthopedic PA Bart White to enhance the patient's post-operative range of motion. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Taking Stock
Anesthesiologist Paul Chu of Mammoth Medical Missions takes stock of his remaining supplies on operative day 3 of the team's 4 day mission. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Base Camp
Mammoth Medical Missions team paramedic and jack of all trades Brent Peterson airs out the tents provided by Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd prior to packing out. The team camped out on a cement slab on the south side of the San Andres Larrainzar hospital, and were subjected to driving winds and rain for the duration of their visit. ©MammothMedicalMissions
The Dome
In the hospital's courtyard, the Mammoth Medical Missions' Black Diamond tent flies are dried out after a week of drenching rains next to an ancient shamanic dome still used for indigenous healing ceremonies. ©MammothMedicalMissions
Room with a View
A vacant shack sits for sale, overlooking the valley of San Andres de Larrainzar in Chiapas, Mexico.
Mammoth Medical Missions
Mammoth Medical Missions, a 501c3 organization specializing in the delivery of medical care to underserved populations, sent a team of 7 physicians along with supporting medical personnel to the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico where they provided much-needed medical and surgical services to a remote mountain community in the village of San Andres de Larrainzar. On subsequent trips, the team instituted an intensive training program to benefit local nurse midwives, known as "traditionales", as well as newly minted medical school graduates on rotation in remote rural areas.