Thank you to Dr. Yolande Pengetnze and the team from UTSW for shining a spotlight on one of the full-time nurses, Zoila Gonzalez, in the Refuge International clinic in Sarstún and her community outreach efforts in the region. Dr. Pengetnze’s article, “From Cultural Competency to Cultural Immersion: Lessons From a Community Advocate in Guatemala,” recently published in The Permanente Journal, presents the concept of cultural immersion to promote sustainable community impact. Dr. Pengetnze has traveled to Sarstún with medical groups from UT Southwestern School of Health Professions as part of their annual global health medical mission trips.
Refuge International is grateful for Zoila’s long-standing dedication to the Sarstún communities and for the continued collaboration with Dr. Pengetnze, Patti Pagels and the UTSW student groups.
While the Covid-19 pandemic currently prevents mission teams from serving in Sarstún, Zoila and other local team members are working hard to provide continued care for our patients there, including medication refills for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
