Current Status/ Offers on the table

Time to check in with current status and facts!

1- HVQ: the Head of the Dysphagia Program at Vozandes (Dr. Vallejo) and the Head of Research in Medical Education (Dr. Erazo) are initiating a plan for a research program in the area of Dysphagia, that would involve several individual research projects, representing each of the specialty areas involved in the Dysphagia Team.

Pros: This project is right on line and exactly on time with a current govt. interest in certifying and qualifying professionals in many areas nationwide, and with their attempts to identify untouched areas of need and potential growth in the country.

Local benefit:
* with acceptance of this project, there would be support for program stability, growth, and quality
* those professionals who have now invested 6 years in the development of this team alongside of me would now have the opportunity to complete Master´s degrees, Ph.D.´s, or their thesis for graduation and university title --- and it opens the door for aspiring doctors and therapists to write their own thesis for graduation in the future.
* project involvement would be hospital-wide, and has the potential to unite on many, many different levels.

National benefit:
* this project meets a govt.-identified need on several levels (for those interested, please see the Govt. Plan para el Buen Vivir):
(1) it is a non-treated area,
(2) the zone of impact is nationwide
(3) the population impact is the whole lifespan
(4) it affects ability to receive adequate nutrition
(5) it falls in the category of disability
(6) it clearly affects quality of life
(7) it influences medical decisions, hospital-stay, and recurrence (morbidity)
(8) and (to boot) creates a new level of qualified professional service in the country
* this program is an excellent candidate for SENACYT´s "call for papers"; today they launched the concourse, which is open to receive project and program proposals until the 1st of December. You can go to www.senacyt.gob.ec for more detailed information.

Cons:
* Requires institutional and individual committment for 4-5 years - traditionally difficult to achieve in Ecuador.
* Requires a percentage of financial committment from the sponsoring institution for the length of the project - traditionally impossible to achieve.

2- Chile: I have been invited to Chile (on 2 different levels), the most pertinent here being that from the Director of the School of Phono-audiology at the University of Talca, to complete a "pasantía" for certification in Dysphagia, consider certification of our program in Quito, and initiate a collaboration in the area of research.

Pros:
* Academic and professional support for the work already completed
* Continued academic and professional support for continued (correct) growth and development in Ecuador
* Program Director in Chile has 24 years experience in Dysphagia and is interested in long-term collaboration
* Chile boasts an excellent international reputation in academics and medicine

Cons:
* ummmmmmmm,,,,, can´t come up with any just yet :) am waiting to receive the official offer in writing...

For those who just hear a bunch of professional goals, jargon, and rambling in this message, I´d like to share with you that, as a starting missionary in Mission: Ecuador, my understanding was that I should commit ALL I do unto the Lord, and He would make my plans succeed. What I did was to be in His name, not my own. Throughout this walk, I´ve been (often painfully) aware of the demands on my own person, on those who were being trained, but most of all, on each and every patient we treated. And I simply believe that the professionals who risked to be a part of this with me should be able to hold their heads up high, provide a good, sound rationale for their evaluations, treatment plans and decisions, and not be afraid that what they learned was misguided or sub-standard. I believe that God really cares that people can breathe and eat at the same time, and that the professionals who make decisions about using tube-feeds know how and when to do that, not for personal convenience, but for each patient´s benefit.

The potential impact of this program is incredible, and it was founded in God´s name, for His glory, and in service to the people of Ecuador. There is still the possibility that it end here, but even if it does, those who invested are forever-changed,,, and I wish you could see them hold their heads up high when they talk about it all.


Thank you for continuing to pray and wait with me as I seek to meet with Luis Mutre about the Street Kids, to give them also a very important follow-up and visible support system as they all face so many challenges and threats on the street.