This program was inspired by a baby girl (Angela) seen by the Community Health Workers. Her family did not have the resources to bring her to a hospital and by the time Global Brigades was able to find the resources to transport her, her condition had worsened significantly and the doctors at Hospital Escuela (in Tegucigalpa, about 2 hours away) were unable to help her.

We propose a solution aiming to empower community members to help make medical care more accessible. This transportation program aims to equip Global Brigades with an emergency vehicle that can be used for patients identified by the Community Health Workers (CHWs), the Patient Referral System, and Global Medical Brigades as requiring immediate secondary care at a hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras or nearby.

Global Brigades' Community Health Workers program was created in 2009 to empower local community leaders to perpetuate a consistent level of healthcare and improve the access to medical services within rural communities. The program partners with communities in Honduras to provide intensive training to selected volunteers. These Community Health Workers (CHWs) ensure that patients receive adequate follow-up between medical brigades and help to prevent potential health complications in the communities. However, in cases of emergencies, urgent care situations, or medical conditions requiring treatment only available outside their community, patients are often unable to afford transportation to a nearby clinic or hospital.

This program will help solve this issue and ensure more patients have the chance to receive the medical attention they need. The Angeles del Transporte Patient Transportation Program will empower communities to access secondary care as a Global Brigades Member will be able to utilize this designated vehicle to transport patients to get appropriate care. The recurring hindrance of transport for a referral patient appointment can be addressed through implementation of this program. Once able to reach a hospital such as Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, these patients can live out the healthy lives each of us is entitled to. This program can be sustained by Global Brigades in a cost-effective manner and will create a reality where future generations of community members have better quality and more reliable access to healthcare.

Angela and patients like her have been the inspiration for The Angeles del Transporte Program. There are countless stories such as Angela’s that have touched the hearts of many Global Brigades' students.