From Snyder, with love

In the United States, hospitals and medical clinics are readily accessible in most places. With numerous modes of transportation and multiple hospitals and clinics nearby, the convenience of modern medicine makes it almost effortless to have your health needs treated. 

However, in some parts of the world, it isn’t always so easy.

In Honduras, patients often travel — sometimes up to four days by foot — to the village of Sula to receive medical treatment at Hospital Centro Socorro De Lo Alto (translated: Hospital Center Help From On High or Above). The small community of about 3,000 people is located in the municipality of Macuelizo, department of Santa Barbara, in northwestern Honduras.

The hospital was founded in 2003 and serves the community as a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week health care facility. It operates on both financial and material donations, as well as volunteered services.

Snyder’s Hayden Hayes, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), has visited the hospital in Sula five times and will make his sixth visit July 23-30. He has been a CRNA for six years, working for Cogdell Memorial Hospital (CMH) during that time.

“What made me decide to become a CRNA was mission work,” Hayes said. “I was in the Navy and then went into surgical sales after. One of the doctors was in missions and told me that I won’t be able to do mission work with surgical sales, so he told me to look into becoming a CRNA. I looked into it, and everything fell together within a few months.” 

Hayes travels to the hospital in Sula every February to volunteer anesthetic services and refers to Honduras as his “favorite place to do anesthesia.” 

“The last trip made a huge impact,” Hayes said. “We did 65 surgeries in four days.”

Although Hayes enjoys helping with surgeries there, it can also be a challenge for him at times due to limited supplies and equipment.

“Sometimes, we have to get creative with what we’re doing because we don’t have enough supplies or drugs,” Hayes said. “Down there, there’s not just a whole lot of people you can rely on. It’s just you and what you know.”

One of Hayes’ favorite parts about doing mission work in Honduras is the heart of the people.

“The people are so appreciative,” Hayes said. “Sixty percent of Hondurans live in poverty and, in rural areas, the people live on $1.50 to $2.50 per day.”

Because of extreme poverty in rural Honduras and lack of updated medical equipment and supplies, the Sula hospital is constantly in need of financial help. 

To support the cause, Hayes partnered with vocalist Shelly Bradberry to host a benefit concert Thursday night at Colonial Hill Baptist Church.

“Shelly had the idea to put the recital on, so it all originated with her,” Hayes said.

Bradberry came up with the idea after hearing Hayes speak in church about the need in Honduras.

“I heard Hayden’s testimony in church and said, ‘I know what I’m gonna do to help them,’” Bradberry said. “‘I’m going to put on a benefit concert.’”

Not only was the concert an opportunity for the community to donate, Colonial Hill has also established an ongoing Honduras mission fund that receives donations at any time. Donations are tax-deductible, and checks may be made out to Colonial Hill Baptist Church (memo, Honduras Mission). 

Funds donated to the Honduras mission will go toward the purchase of two used anesthesia machines from Cogdell Memorial Hospital.

“The anesthesia equipment (in Sula) is old, there’s no backup battery for it, and the machine is rusty,” Hayes said. “It can be a serious problem.”

Fortunately, CMH officials have backed Hayes’ efforts.

“People at the (Cogdell) hospital are so supportive,” Hayes said. “There’s a letter that Cogdell has committed the machines to Honduras if I raise $14,000 by Aug. 1. We have $10,300 as of this last Monday.”

The reason they decided to buy Cogdell’s anesthesia machines is that GE Healthcare will continue to manufacture parts for those machines.

“That means that when these go to Honduras, we’ll be able to send them parts instead of them having to patch the machine up,” Hayes said.

In addition to having old hospital equipment, the Sula hospital also has to sterilize and reuse certain equipment.

“Part of why they’re so dependent on donations is because they can’t afford new equipment for every patient,” Hayes said. “Even endotracheal tubes are sterilized and reused.” 

Another issue at the hospital is having the proper medical team in the operating room.

“One problem is not having enough anesthesia providers for the surgeons,” Hayes said. “Usually, you want to have two anesthesia providers for one surgeon, so if there’s two surgeons, you want four anesthesia providers.” 

Donations are also put towards scholarships for Hondurans to provide education in different areas of medicine. It’s used to help the people become more independent and to broaden medical knowledge in Honduras.

“The idea is that if you can educate them, they can provide for themselves rather than relying on North Americans,” Hayes said.

Many of the scholarship program participants are also more than willing to help out once they finish their education.

“A lot of people in that scholarship program come back and help support the hospital,” Hayes said. “There’s no rule, but they tell people who are part of the scholarship program to please consider serving at the hospital when they’re done with school.”

Medical services in the areas of anesthesia, nursing, and surgical technology are often provided to the hospital by volunteers like Hayes. The hospital receives multiple short-term medical teams every year who offer different services. The hospital also accepts volunteers with different types of skill sets.

“If you are capable to work, then you can go to serve,” Hayes said.

Volunteering is also a good opportunity for students going into the medical field.

“When I was growing up, there wasn’t an opportunity for hands-on experience,” Hayes said. “High school and college students seeking a career in the medical field can come to Honduras and gain that hands-on experience.” 

With all of the donations and volunteers, Hayes said that he has been able to see how the hospital has benefitted.

“It’s pretty awesome just in five years how much has changed,” Hayes said.