Barranco

This week, our nutrition group had the opportunity to help with one of the mobile clinics in the seaside town of Barranco. This primarily a Garifuna town, the primarily black, Caribbean group of people that is one of the many cultural groups of Belize. This was a busy clinic, and we had a great time with the friendly patient population. I saw mostly older women with chronic problems like hypertension and diabetes who needed check-ups and medication refills. I thought their knowledge of appropriate diet, foot care, and lifestyle changes necessary for those conditions was incredible. These women knew how to take care of themselves. I only wish our patient population in the US was more like them.

Barranco is also the original home of Andy Palacio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Palacio), a Belizean Punta musician who had achieved recognition throughout Belize prior to his unfortunate death at age 48, likely from a stroke. His family continues to come to the Hillside mobile clinics in Barranco.

This is Sara, the pharmacy student, counseling a relative of Andy Palacio.