Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It’s the first time I haven’t been home for Halloween in years! I miss it, but I’m excited to see the little kids trick-or-treat here, although they cheat and drive around in their cars…  This morning we woke up a little later and went back to Kali, where we reviewed the results of the 100 or so PPD’s we placed on Monday morning. Then went back to the apartment and hung around until returning to school at 1:00 for a school-wide Halloween costume parade. Even the babies were dressed up. SO ADORABLE! They had prizes for 3, 2, and 1 place in each grade. The kids were really creative with their costumes! After the parade we saw patients in the clinic all afternoon for immunizations; I even got to lead my own appointment! There were some kids who were okay with getting shots and one who was definitely NOT okay getting shots…imagine what you like! There were also more charting disasters and failed attempts to get ahold of people in the community. How frustrating! I suppose the difficulties are never really solved because the small villages can’t get access to the Anchorage Medical Center records or the Barrow records, which are computerized and organized. Not to mention that a different PHN usually returns to the village each time, and they complete records differently. Sometimes kids just slip through the sidelines and they are considered compliant to go to school even though their records don’t show it. Tomorrow morning we plan to read the last PPD results from those we placed Tuesday, and then get back to the apartment to pack up before the flight to Barrow leaves at 12:30. Overall it’s been an up and down visit! I learned a lot more about PHN and what it entails in a tiny village like Point Lay. I enjoyed working with the people, who were very kind and welcoming. I sensed how close they were as a community and came to recognize the children at the school through their family ties. Life is hard in the village, no doubt; even harder than in Barrow, and in Barrow life is hard as well. For the most part I’ve seen the people be very proactive about their health despite the disparities they face throughout the state. I am humbled by those in the PHN profession who care about the people and sacrifice their time and resources to make the village visits. I’m so glad I got to be a part of one!