Portoviejo, Ecuador Development Project

Portoviejo, Ecuador
Aug. 26 – 29, 2009


Background

Portoviejo is the capital of Manabí province, located approximately four hours north of Guayaquil by car, and 30km west of the Pacific Ocean. Officially named San Gregorio de Portoviejo, this city of about 250,000 citizens is known for its traditional Manabí cuisine, including a wide range of fish and beef plates, with fishing, cattle and coffee dominating their exports.

Trek Medics International became involved with Portoviejo through the efforts of George Contreras of The GWC Group who has been involved in developing Portoviejo’s emergency medical response capabilities since 2004. In early 2009, Contreras was able to deliver a fully-functioning ambulance to La Fundación 9-1-1 of Portoviejo, thanks to the generous donation of New York Downtown Hospital in New York City.

(To read more about this partnership, click here)


Basic Emergency Medical Response Symposium

The symposium took place over four days and was attended by 40 people, representing members of various first responder organizations, including:

  • La Fundación 9-1-1 (The 9-1-1 Foundation of Portoviejo)
  • La Cruz Roja Portoviejo (Portoviejo Red Cross)
  • Cuerpo de Bomberos de Portoviejo (Portoviejo Fire Department)
  • Cuerpo de Bomberos de Manta (Manta Fire Department)
  • La Defensa Civil (Civil Defense)
  • Doctors and nurses from La Cárcel del Rodeo (El Rodeo Prison)
  • Current Students in 3-yr Paramedic Program at the Technical University of Manabi. (The program is part of the Health Sciences program. At the time of this symposium, the students were completing their first year of the program.)

The first three days were dedicated to classroom lecture and skills stations. A number of highly prevalent topics were covered, including: Airway Management and CPR; Bleeding Control, Splinting and Spinal Stabilization; Environmental and HAZMAT Emergencies; among several others. Students were provided with an abbreviated Emergency Medical Response text, courtesy of La Fundación Escuela Argentina de Soccorrismo y Primeros Auxilios (EASPA – The Argentine Foundation School for Rescue and First Aid). The 30-hour symposium was validated and credentialed by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health.


For complete photo gallery of this event, click here.


Mass Casualty Incident Drill

On the final day of the symposium, the group met at the Technical University of Manabi to participate in a Mass Casualty Incident drill. Designed to reenact the types of emergencies that Portoviejo First Responders regularly encounter, the drill consisted of 12 patients involved in a traffic collision with two automobiles and one motorcycle. Using the various skills they had practiced throughout the week, as well as learning how to implement the principles of Scene Survey and START Triage, the drill provided an opportunity for all of the students to work together as a team in a more realistic setting. For most of the group the drill was the first time they had been exposed to the foundational principles of Scene Survey and START Triage, allowing them to experience first-hand how basic guidelines and minimal organization can greatly improve their performance, and, more importantly, improve patient outcomes.



For complete photo gallery of this event click here.


Interagency Cooperation Agreement

In an effort to enhance and streamline interagency relations and operations, a new agreement was signed between la Cruz Roja de Manabí and La Fundación 9-1-1 on August 27, 2009. As part of this agreement, La Cruz Roja will provide La Fundación 9-1-1 with a headquarters for their emergency responders as well as a location to park the aforementioned ambulance. Furthermore, by joining forces, the members of La Fundación 9-1-1 and La Cruz Roja will have the benefit of training together as well as improving relationships due to their shared facilities

Likewise, La Fundación 9-1-1 received a LifePak10 cardiac monitor which will be used by properly trained physicians during interfacility transports from Portoviejo to Guayaquil. Additionally, an AED was donated to La Fundación 9-1-1 and a second AED was donated to La Cruz Roja. Members from both organizations received training on AED use.



For complete photo gallery of this event, click here.


Community Outreach

As part of our community outreach efforts, 12 staff members from a local hotel, El Hotel Ejecutivo, also received first aid and CPR/AED training. A third AED and CPR kit was donated at the hotel for medical emergencies. The hotel routinely hosts several special events and receives international tourists throughout the year. It also has a large restaurant which is frequented by its guests as well as many community residents. The owner of the hotel was very supportive of the EMS Development Portoviejo Project during this trip.


Next Steps

Trek Medics International and The GWC Group plan to continue this EMS Development Project by becoming more involved in the already established Paramedic Program at the University. Specific courses such as AHA BCLS, ACLS, PALS, and other courses such as PHTLS and HAZMAT/WMD awareness will be incorporated into the already established program. Courses such as BCLS and PHTLS can be targeted toward various fire departments in the province who own an ambulance but lack properly trained staff and the appropriate resources/ equipment. For example, although there are several vehicles clearly labeled as “ambulance”, none of them carry an AED or other basic life-saving equipment. Additional training efforts will also look at how disaster and emergency management competencies can be shared with the Ministry of Public Health and their newly created Division of Disaster and Risk Management.

Additional areas of training and equipment donations will be researched to see how future trainings can reach as many agencies as possible. The goal is to incorporate the hospitals into the continuum of care as part of the Emergency Medical Services in an effort to provide the best care possible with their limited resources.

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