OUR IMPACT
Medical Trips & Chronic Care
As a result of returning to Jagna every year since 2004, Philos Health is able to follow up with patients and manage care over time. To ensure the maintenance of chronic medical conditions, Philos employs a local nurse to monitor patients with diabetes and hypertension, provide education, and with the patient’s doctor to manage their medications.
Surgery Program
In 2010, Philos Health and the District Hospital in Jagna conducted its first surgical mission to provide gynecological and general surgeries to patients in need.
Each year Philos Health surgeons together with local operating room nurses, and anesthesiologists have provided 400 successful, life-saving, procedures without charge.
Manna Pack Supplemental
Feeding Program
Philos Health, with the support of the Municipal Government of Jagna, created the Manna Pack Supplemental Feeding Program Every year since 2010, Philos Health has delivered Manna Packs, rice soy-based meals that contain essential vitamins and minerals, to each barangay in Jagna. Parents daily cook and serve 3,100 hot nutritious meals to children in group settings.
In 2010, Philos and local partners conducted a survey of 1100 kids and found that using World Health Organization (WHO) standards, 30% were moderate to severely malnourished. In 2017, a follow-up survey found that less than 5% of kids were malnourished.
Philos Health recently expanded its feeding program to support seniors and pregnant women
Since its inception, 3.5 million meals have been provided and our main goal is to eliminate malnutrition in Jagna.
The Molineaux
Children’s Dental Clinic
In June 2015, Philos Health, in collaboration with the Bohol Department of Education, I CHECK, a local NGO, and Susan and Christopher Molineaux established the first school-based free dental clinic in the Philippines. A full-service dental clinic is housed in space provided by the Department of Education.
An assessment of preschool kids prior to opening the Clinic found that 97% had cavities with the average child having 6+caries. Since the opening of the Clinic, 2500 students have been treated. The clinic provides cleanings, fillings, sealants, fluoride treatments, extractions, x-rays, and oral exams.
Additionally, Philos Health has taken steps to establish preventative health measures for oral hygiene. These steps include toothbrushes and paste for in-home brushing and for daily classroom brushing supervised by teachers. Every child is cavity-free when they complete 6th grade!
The Clinic has one full-time assistant and one dental assistant. During the year, volunteer dentists from the Philippines and the US supplement the services provided. Since opening, the Molineaux Children’s Dental Clinic has provided 28,000 treatments valued at $3.4 million.
Radio Station
The goal of creating a local community radio station is to provide health information, education, and empowerment to the people of Jagna. In 2007, funded by John A. Kent of New York City, the FM station began daily broadcasting through the province of Bohol to 1.2 million people.
Operated by volunteers and overseen by a local media council, DYPJ’s programming includes music, Philippine government news, city council news, town announcements, live church services, health education, and much more With its presence steadily increased throughout the years, DYPJ has become a vital source of news and education.
Pandemic and Typhoon Response
The pandemic has taken an horrific toll on the economy of the Philippines and on many of those people we have been serving for the past 17 years. Pandemic unemployment is rampant with as many as 40% of the people in Jagna out of work. There is minimal government support. Having enough food to feed their families has been a daily struggle. The risk of malnutrition among children is enormous. Schools have remained closed for the past two years and the youngest kids are not learning to read or write.
To compound the misery, Super Typhoon Odette hit the Province of Bohol on December 16th resulting in further devastation. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged. Water and electricity was nonexistent for weeks and food supplies were scarce as farms were destroyed and roads to deliver supplies became impassable. Shortages caused a spike in food prices further exacerbating people’s ability to feed their families.
Philos Health, while unable to travel to the Philippines due to pandemic closures, responded to the urgent plea for help.
In partnership with the Local Government of Jagna and the Rotary Club of Central Jagna, Philos has delivered 30 tons of food to 1600 families.
The Boctol Rotary
Children’s Dental Clinic
Rotary Club of Central Jagna, a new children’s dental clinic was established at Boctol Elementary School in Jagna. The new clinic provides a full range of dental treatments to the 450 kids at the elementary school and nearby schools. In the first two years of operation, 2700 children received treatments.
The Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club (MSBR) is the international sponsor for a Rotary global grant. In 2020, Rotary International awarded a second grant to enable the Clinic to focus on treating pregnant women and their babies. The Clinic found that by the time children started kindergarten many already had a mouthful of cavities along with infections, abscesses, and missing teeth. A focus of the new grant is to prevent cavities among 5-year-olds by starting education and treatment at an earlier age.
Supporting the Clinic also are Rotary Clubs from San Bruno, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Irvine, Burlingame,
and Rotary Club of Central Jagna.
“Our financial support to start the new dental clinic in an elementary school in Boctol allows us to invest in a better future for the community. Our continuation of support provides even more help to those who need it the most. We are delighted to work with Philos on this important project”.
​
~ Jill D. Fabricant, Ph.D., Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club International Program Chair