Mexico Honors Sister Maria Guadalupe Cerisola Salcido

On Tuesday, October 31st 2006, a beautiful ceremony unveiling a bronze bust of our Sister Maria Guadalupe Cerisola Salcido was celebrated in Mexico City at the Offices of the Secretary of Health. The actual unveiling was completed by Mrs. Martha Sahagun de Fox, the wife of Mexico President Vicente Fox.

Mrs. Fox was accompanied by Srs. Helena Monahan and Dolores Maria Di Costanzo, official representatives of the Congregation. Many Sisters from the Provincial House in Mexico, other ministries in the city, as well as the entire community of Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia were present for this historical event.

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Our Story

in Mexico

Healthcare


Many underserved populations in CHRISTUS Health communities have great difficulty accessing basic primary and preventative care. CHRISTUS Health plays a leading role in the communities we serve through support of community health clinics. The goal of these clinics is to provide essential health and social services while looking at ways to respond to increasing community needs.

Sisters standing at the entrance to Hospital Muguerza in Monterrey, Nuevo LeonCHRISTUS Muguerza is working with the city of Monterrey, Mexico, and the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to deliver health care to individuals who lack private insurance. Servicios Comunitarios Adelaida Lafón clinics have five locations that, in total, see nearly 500,000 visits each year.

The Adelaida Lafón clinics provide primary and emergency medical care, educational programs, nutrition, mental health services, and dental services, as well as social work, physical rehabilitation, speech therapy, and day care services for children and seniors. The Adelaida Lafón clinics continue to collaborate with the state to open and operate clinics in the San Luis Potosí region, including Tampamolon and Huichihuayan.

Women visiting one of the Adelaida Lafón clinics in MexicoIdentifying an important problem in Mexico, CHRISTUS Muguerza formed medical and surgical brigades to travel to rural areas that lack physician specialists. Working through the Adelaida Lafón clinics, the brigades include general surgery, pediatrics, gynecology and ophthalmology. The dentistry brigade travels to rural locations every four months and remains there for more than 30 days to improve the oral health of the region’s residents. A woman who had received treatment said, “I like to smile a lot, but I was ashamed because of my teeth. Now I can smile, and I even look pretty, which makes me feel better.”

Realizing that the health of the community goes far beyond medical care, the Servicios Comunitarios Adelaida Lafón organizes activities to help growth and strengthen the community. From education to sports activities, legal counseling, and spiritual development, the programs allow the clinics to reach out to all types of community members.

A young boy shows off his surgical scarDuring 2005, Servicios Comunitarios Adelaida Lafón developed a comprehensive telemedicine program to provide patients and staff at the rural clinics with immediate access to specialty physicians. The telemedicine program allows for prompt diagnosis and education and alleviates the burden of travel to Monterrey. In these rural and remote clinic locations, the program has had direct benefits for the individual patients and has strengthened the public health infrastructure.