ThembaCare Grabouw hit the ground running
at the start of 2015 – all the departments were quite busy from the start of
the New Year. The first quarter of every year is always busy, and TCG is
bracing itself for a busy quarter in all projects!
We began the New Year at ThembaCare by
waving an emotional goodbye to Tim and Maz, who had been the project managers
at the Village of Hope for the last several years. We will miss the great
impact they have made on the Grabouw community! We also shared the pleasure of
meeting all the staff and volunteers of Thembalitsha at the interactive 2015
Staff Kick-Off at Paul Cluver Wine Estates.
Back in our unit, we have been making more
improvements by revamping the in-patient sluice room and completing the kitchen
used by our Home-Based Carers. Our staff also devoted some of their time to
attending the Department of Health’s Compulsory 2015/2016 Funding &
Briefing Meeting.
In-Patient
Unit
Bed occupancy was 98% full during December
2014 and January 2015, which is unusual around this time as most patients
normally migrate to the Eastern Cape to spend the Christmas and New Year with
their families. Even with so much going on, we are delighted to report that we
have successfully rehabilitated two patients during this holiday season!
Home
Based Care:
Our dedicated team of caregivers supported a
total of 357 patients who are living with HIV or TB during December and
January. 16 of our carers were able to brush up their skills by attending the M
Learning Child Health training facilitated by the Elgin Learning Foundation.
The carers also participated in the
Department of Health’s Diarrhoea Campaign in the community – a collaboration
between several non-profit organizations in Grabouw aimed at decreasing the
deaths caused from diarrhoea-related dehydration which is particularluy
prominent in the summer months due to the heat. By providing guidance,
education, and practical solutions to stay hydrated, the campaign saw immediate
results: whereas there had been several deaths caused by diarrheoa before
Christmas in 2013, there had been zero deaths at the meeting just before
Christmas in 2014. The campaign has been a victory for all the healthcare
providers in our community so far.
HIV
Counselling & Testing Unit:
The HCTU was able to mobilize the Caravan
for assisting the Department of Health’s Vitamin A Campaign in the community.
Our counsellors were on hand to provide guidance and smart nutrition tips for
keeping healthy. The Mobile Unit also reached 187 clients with HIV testing and
counselling in the past two months, and screened 182 clients for TB in the
community. From this, 13 clients were referred to the Grabouw Day Hospital to commence
TB treatment.
