Peten Health

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Peten Health Peten Health is a US-based non-profit founded to work in solidarity with volunteer Community Health Workers in Peten, Guatemala.

10/07/2026

Fantastic addition to La Casa de Salud, where temperatures are often in the 90s with 70%+ humidity. Why didn't we think of this sooner?

When water isn’t piped to homes, children—most often girls—are responsible for hauling it home for washing, cooking, and...
10/04/2026

When water isn’t piped to homes, children—most often girls—are responsible for hauling it home for washing, cooking, and drinking. These children are collecting water from a shallow hole near a muddy pond. The girl carrying the water jug up the hill on her head is seven years old.

When the course ended, we drove out to a nearby village to visit two water systems—one old and one new—each with a well,...
10/04/2026

When the course ended, we drove out to a nearby village to visit two water systems—one old and one new—each with a well, a solar-powered pump, and a storage tank. The wells are more than 100 meters deep and provide clean drinking water for a large village.
We were on a fact-finding mission. Some nearby villages still lack a reliable source of clean water, and we’d like to help. Seeing these systems firsthand helped us understand what might be possible.

In clinic, every case is a learning opportunity. The more CHWs practice at La Casa de Salud, the better prepared they ar...
10/04/2026

In clinic, every case is a learning opportunity. The more CHWs practice at La Casa de Salud, the better prepared they are to care for their neighbors back in their remote villages.

Yesterday, under the supervision of advanced CHWs with more than 20 years of experience, this second-year CHW student sutured a wound for one elder and removed sutures for another.

She told me this was her third time suturing a wound. Her first patient? A dog in her community who had gotten in the path of a swinging machete. That wasn’t in the curriculum, but her new skills had already come in handy for a four-legged neighbor.

Christine Chmielewski, all the advanced CHWs wear readers now! And also, I'll never get tired of that view out the clinic window.

Fun post, unrelated to Peten Health's work. A new kindergarten was inaugurated in town this week. The kids LOVED the pla...
10/04/2026

Fun post, unrelated to Peten Health's work. A new kindergarten was inaugurated in town this week. The kids LOVED the playground, made with repurposed materials. I particularly like the half-tire horsies!

I can’t thank Dr. Frances Gonzalez enough for all her help this week. She is a dynamic teacher, a flexible travel compan...
10/04/2026

I can’t thank Dr. Frances Gonzalez enough for all her help this week. She is a dynamic teacher, a flexible travel companion, and a darn-good baby-holder. As a bilingual, tri-cultural psychologist, she fit in seamlessly with the CHW team.

Her contribution to CHW learning became even more personal when she was hit with a bout of positional vertigo. (The video is a great example of nystagmus, if you're into that sort of thing.) She encouraged the CHWs to learn and practice the Epley maneuver on her—a technique used to treat it—knowing they’ll be able to use that knowledge to help others.

She really gets us! We hope she comes back soon.

10/04/2026

In the evenings during the week-long courses, we sometimes get treated to a sing along! The message in these two clips is the same and dear to the CHWs’ hearts – it’s all about love.

What would you say to someone who has just lost a family member? How do you respond to someone who is hearing voices? Ho...
10/04/2026

What would you say to someone who has just lost a family member? How do you respond to someone who is hearing voices? How do you help someone through a panic attack? We used skits to give the CHWs a chance to practice applying their new knowledge in clinical situations.

The students developed and performed clinical scenarios involving grief, psychosis, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. Through the skits, they practiced what they might actually say and do when faced with these situations in their communities.

In this week’s mental health workshop for the second-year CHW students, we taught several relaxation techniques. But lea...
10/04/2026

In this week’s mental health workshop for the second-year CHW students, we taught several relaxation techniques. But learning how to use the techniques themselves is only half the job—the CHWs also need to be able to teach these techniques to their patients.
We divided the class into two groups, and each group learned a different relaxation exercise. Then, rather than simply switching groups for more didactic learning, we paired up students from opposite groups and had them teach each other what they had just learned.
They practiced the technique, and they practiced teaching it. Two birds, one stone!

We call active listening “La Escucha Activa,” and it’s an important skill the Community Health Workers are learning duri...
10/02/2026

We call active listening “La Escucha Activa,” and it’s an important skill the Community Health Workers are learning during this mental health course. We practiced in small groups and one-on-one, taking turns listening and being listened to.
The CHW students experienced firsthand what it feels like when someone gives you their full attention and really tries to understand what you’re going through. (They also seemed a little relieved to learn that active listening doesn’t mean they have to come up with a solution to every patient’s problem.)
Life here can be very hard. The CHWs encounter families struggling with poverty, trauma, and circumstances that are beyond their power to change. Active listening gives them tools to help patients feel understood and supported, even when there is no easy solution.

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PO Box 45
Windsor, CA
95492

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