Working together towards integral health.

Alejandro is an 8-year-old boy who was treated during one of the medical and dental care activities performed by physicians from the Colorado University at the facilities of the AgroAmerica Human Development Center. The economic situation of Alejandro`s family did not allow them to attend to the child´s medical needs, putting his life at risk. “Just a day or two after we extracted his teeth, Alejandro was doing much better. His infection and swelling quickly resolved, and he was able to smile without pain. This positive outcome was made possible by the concerted efforts of the dental students and the Guatemalan team of researchers and Doctors,“ said Dr. Elizabeth Shick, DDS, MPH, (Momentum magazine 2019, p. 14). Shick is an associated professor at the Colorado University School of Dental Medicine, who has leaded cohorts of students from the School to Guatemala to serve at dental care activities held at the Medical Clinic of the Human Development Center.

The Medical Clinic of Agroamerica Human Development Center:

It was inaugurated in 2014 to provide medical service to the workers, their
families, and the communities that live in the surroundings of the operations
located in the Southwestern Trifinio in Guatemala; area known as the
geographical point where the Departments of Quetzaltenango, San Marcos,
and Retalhuleu converge and has an estimated population of 60,000
inhabitants in more than 30 communities.

To make this project possible, an MOU was signed with the University of
Colorado of the United States that provides technical assistance and resident
doctors for patient care, alongside Guatemalan doctors and nurses. Learn
more here.

“We aim to provide access to affordable high-quality health care, in order to promote the development of people and communities in the areas influenced by our operations” said Fernando Bolaños, CEO Agroamerica. The anecdote lived by the doctors from Colorado University represents the reality of many families living in the Southwestern Trifinio, which like Alejandro’s family do not have access to specialized medical treatments or cannot pay the full price for the service, but they have benefited from the work carried out at the Human Development Center for more than 5 years. Read the full article published by the University of Colorado in the 2019 edition of Momentum magazine: Celebrating the impact of philanthropy in CU Anschutz, on pages 14 and 15.