JANUARY  2012

TRIP NOTES
The weather for the January trip was great southbound on Friday. There was light wind on the Pacific side but stronger winds on the Mulege side. Sunday’s return had tailwinds or no wind most of the way, with some scattered showers in northern Baja and southern California. Four planes flew from Santa Barbara, one from San Diego, and one from Mulege.

MEDICAL CLINIC
After not being at the clinic in December, there were many medical patients to be seen. Triage went smoothly, with Scott and Brad getting a good history and sending them, in order, to the vital sign station. Margo, CJ, and Nancy got all the vital statistics needed for the clinicians. Ignacio (Nacho) Zepeda, MD, and Myra Howard-Cochran, NP, examined and treated. Brad Chmelka translated and did patient education for Myra. The final stop for many was the pharmacy, efficiently managed by Patsi Hodges, RN, with help from Betsy Green. Many patients were asked to come back next month for follow up.  Thanks to the great staff, everything ran smoothly.

DENTAL CLINIC 
The dental clinic was staffed by three dentists. There were  root canals and fillings for Stu and Roni MacPherson, and mostly extractions with a few fillings for John Grube, and Tim Morton, assisted by Larry Cochran. Marilyn did the triage and kept things moving, while Karyn and Megan did the sterilization of instruments and kept the units supplied with what ever was needed. Hygienst/vet Lexi Rugg and asssitant Karima Phillips cleaned teeth in the morning and then had a small animal vet clinic in the afternoon.

Notes from Visiting Veterinarians (Lexi and Karima)
We drove to the hangar early Friday morning, somewhat anxious about what this adventure would bring us.  We were greeted in the crisp cold of the morning by Myra wearing a knit penguin hat.  Yep, we instantly felt at home. The flight down was inexplicably beautiful. At the clinic we initially started by cleaning human teeth.... an experience that made us both appreciate the fact that dentals on animals are performed under complete sedation. It was not long until word got around that there was veterinary care available and a line of dogs started to accumulate at the front door if the clinic. We soon moved back into our element, giving out the vaccines we had and de-worming as many pets as we could.  We are so enthusiastic about the support and appreciation we received for being there.

JANUARY VOLUNTEERS
Pilots: John Grube, Frank Heintz,  Stu MacPherson,  Ted Kenney, Larry Cochran, Terry Rahe   MD:  Nacho Zepeda  NP:  Myra Cochran  Dentists: John Grube, Stu MacPherson, Tim Morton  Dental Hygiene: Lexi Rugg  RNs: Nancy Cook, Patsi Hodges    EMT: CJ Boyer    Dental Assistants: Roni MacPherson, Larry Cochran, Karima Phillips    Hygienist: Lexi Rugg  Translators: Brad Chemelka, Marilyn Zellet, Scott Walther, Cheri King      Helpers: Karyn Yule,  Megan Beacham, Margo Kenney, Betsy Green, Rick Spann

February volunteers, call Karyn 805 895 6750.                 Feb. trip will be February 11th.

Potluck:  Wednesday, Feb 1, 6:30 p.m. Raul & Tonia Guerrero's home…  793 N. Ontare Road (just off Foothill) Directions on other side.  Please bring a dish to share.  Drinks will be provided.

Heads up on the March trip…  Please call now if interested.  It is usually a full trip!

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