Meet the Team Caring for Casa Bernabé
At the very top of the Casa Bernabé campus, where the road winds along the mountain, sits a small but very busy part of our ministry: the Casa Bernabé Clinic.
Its location is intentional. The clinic is separated from the rest of campus and has its own access from the highway. This allows Casa Bernabé to welcome people from the surrounding community who need medical care while also helping protect the children who call Casa Bernabé home.
The patients include the children who live at Casa Bernabé, our staff, the approximately 280 students who attend our school from off campus, their families, families from the surrounding community, and even visiting mission teams when a medical need arises during their time in Guatemala.
What happens inside our clinic is about much more than treating a scraped knee or handing out medicine. It is one more way Casa Bernabé gets to care for the whole person and to extend this care beyond our campus gates.
Leading the clinic is Dr. Tabita, Casa Bernabé's medical doctor and head of the health team. She is joined by a dedicated team of caregivers.
Alejandra Par serves as the clinic's secretary and nurse in addition to being the house mom of Casa Nueva Esperanza. She works part-time in the clinic in the mornings and covers every other weekend.
Arabella Rodriguez, serves as our nutritionist and works with our kids on campus, as well as kids who have been reunited with their families through Families United.
Cristina, a dental student in her final year, is completing her practicum at Casa Bernabé and provides dental cleanings for our campus community. She is assisted by Carina, one of our older girls, who is gaining valuable hands-on experience by working alongside Cristina.
And Lala, another one of our older girls, now works in the clinic helping with cleaning. It may sound like a small role, but keeping a medical clinic exceptionally clean is an important responsibility and a big job.
Together, this team helps make the clinic a place where kids, staff, students, and community members can receive thoughtful, consistent care.
Over the past year, the clinic has been able to expand the medical care available to the children and students at Casa Bernabé. Two pediatric health days were organized with the support of the nearby Juan Pablo II Hospital, along with a medical outreach event earlier in the year. These events allowed more kids to receive medical evaluations, helped identify health concerns early, and provided guidance and follow-up when additional care was needed.
The clinic has also partnered with the Fraijanes Health Center to review and update vaccination records and schedules. Sometimes the most important medical care is the care that prevents a problem before it begins. Many of our kids arrive with no history of vaccinations or medical exams, and we prioritize catching them up, including strengthening protection against diseases such as measles.
Good health doesn't begin in the doctor's office. Our nutritionist, Arabella, works alongside the clinic to monitor the children's growth and nutritional health through regular assessments. When a child needs additional support, she can provide specific monitoring and intervention. Arabella also works with the kitchen to help develop nutritious meals for the campus and provides education about healthy habits.
Our care doesn't end when a child leaves Casa Bernabé. Through our Families United program, the nutrition team continues to monitor children who have transitioned back into their families so Casa Bernabé can continue supporting healthy habits and nutritional needs even after a child is no longer living on campus.
Dental care has also grown significantly. Throughout the year, the dental clinic has provided preventative cleanings and necessary treatments for our kids on campus. One of the most exciting developments was the completion of a comprehensive dental clinic with the help of Dr. Garrett Taylor's team.
During their visit, the team even brought a 3D printer that made it possible to fabricate and place multiple dental crowns. It was an incredible example of how the generosity and expertise of visiting professionals can provide care that would otherwise be difficult for our children to access.
Ten of our kids are receiving comprehensive orthodontic treatment thanks to Dr. Pecorelli, who has generously donated his time and resources to care for our teenagers. Having access to orthodontic care allows our kids to build confidence and care for the smiles they'll have for the rest of their lives.
A clinic that serves this many people requires a steady supply of everyday necessities. Dr. Tabita and her team put together a list of supplies that would help the clinic run at its full capacity. If you're visiting Casa Bernabé soon and want to bring something helpful, we're sharing their list here.
Medical needs:
Gloves S and M
Gauze
Band-Aids
Sunscreen
Antibiotic wound cream/ointment
Cream for burns
Masks
Ibuprofen tablets and syrup
Acetaminophen tablets and syrup
Zinc tablets and syrup
Multivitamins for adults and children
Lice treatment
Glucometer
Sphygmomanometer for children and adults
0.9% saline solution for nebulization
Monocryl suture threads 3-0, 4-0
Micropore tape
Adult wrist immobilizers
Dental Needs
Dental floss
Nitrile gloves S and M
Masks
Lysol disinfectant spray
Disinfectant wipes
Nutritional Needs
Vitamins for children and adults
Zinc 50mg tablets
Food models for training
Measuring tape
Portable stadiometer for Families United field assessments
Digital scale
Dr. Tabita asked us to pass along her gratitude for every organization, medical professional, institution, and individual who has helped strengthen the health team at Casa Bernabé. Your generosity has made it possible to provide quality medical, nutritional, and dental care to children, teens, staff, students, and families in the surrounding community.
And we are grateful too. Because every vaccine, every dental cleaning, every nutritious meal, every medical evaluation, and every treatment is another tangible way of telling a child: You are worth caring for. Your health matters. You are not forgotten.
Thank you so much for making this care possible!