Cruz Roja Chapala celebrated completion of the overhaul of its Ajijic substation at a well-attended ceremony held Tuesday, September 22.
The facility has been fully remodeled to turn a bare bones ambulance station into a spick-and-span First Contact Medical Unit, complete with two separate consulting rooms equipped to carry out most basic physical examinations, health evaluations and first aid treatments, a large reception and waiting area and ample storage space.
The working staff is made up of a team of EMT paramedics standing duty 24/7, a full-time nurse working from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Dr. Jaime Ortega Rodriguez, assigned to act as attending physician Monday through Friday, from 4-8 p.m.
Chapala Red Cross executive council president Oscar España Ramos presided at the grand opening, welcoming among his honored guests Cruz Roja Jalisco officers Jaime Rivas Brambilia, Manuel Gauna Gonzalez and Maria Elena Echeveste, and Alfonso Alvarez del Castillo, representative of Fidetur, the tourism industry surtax trust fund organization that coughed up the lion’s share of funding for the five-month renovation project.
España made a special point of mentioning that 95 percent of the contributions in cash and kind came from the Mexican community, including the local medical and business sectors, private donors from lakeside and Guadalajara and Cruz Roja Jalisco. He also gave a tip of the hat to Salvador Arreguin and wife Dolores, the proprietors of Fondo Doña Lola who own the clinic property leased out to the Red Cross practically cost free.
España calculated the investment value of renovation work, construction materials, furnishings and medical equipment at approximately 500,000 pesos. He estimates that operating costs will run from 7,000 to 10,000 pesos per month, which will essentially be covered by payments received from patients.
Cruz Roja attends all persons in need of care, regardless of their ability to pay, but suggests cuotas de recuperacion (recovery fees) based on the real value of services rendered and medical supplies employed in each particular case.
The ceremony kicked off with the trooping of the colors and intonation of the Mexican and Red Cross anthems. España delivered an emotionally charged speech to express his gratitude to all foreign and national Chapala Red Cross supporters, as well as to family, friends and the Almighty for lending him strength in his pursuits.
Then switching to a lighter note, he called council vice president Norm Pifer up to the podium to collect on a tongue-in-cheek bet they had made when the project was still in the planning stages. Acknowledging his initial skepticism that the job could be done, Pifer said, “I told him if he pulled this off I’d kiss his butt.” The crowd roared as he bent down and playfully faked planting a wet one España’s rear end.
Guests then gathered at the gateway to watch as España and Brambilia cut a bright red ribbon to formally inaugurate the facility. Afterwards everyone crowded inside to enjoy refreshments and have a look around at the installations.