UNICAR - Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala May 2018: Heart to Heart site assessment team members tour UNICAR and learn about their highly regarded pediatric cardiac program – a Latin American gem.
Heart to Heart in Guatemala City: Heart to Heart meets with Guatemalan cardiac thought leaders to discuss collaborating to advance and expand care. Left to right: Joaquin Barnoya, MD; David Teitel, MD; Gonzalo Calvimontes, MD; Heart to Heart Founder & Medical Director, Nilas Young, MD; Raul Cruz, MD; Heart to Heart Program Manager Albina Popova; and Heart to Heart Executive Director, Josie Everett.
A Gem in Central America
Guatemala is at the heart of the Mayan world. Located in Central America, it is bordered by El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, and Belize, and is roughly the size of Pennsylvania. Home to more than 17 million people, Spanish is predominantly spoken, but the nation also has nearly two dozen formally recognized Mayan languages.
For our Going Global Campaign, Heart to Heart has been working to gain a deeper understanding of the cardiac landscape of Latin America – with the aim of determining where our teaching and training could make a difference, particularly now, during our Campaign’s initial phase. We have been searching for partners equally dedicated to expanding cardiac care throughout the region. Between 2015-2019, we traveled to five countries in Latin America, conducting research and exploratory surgical-educational missions, and exchanging ideas with cardiac thought leaders.
In May 2018, Heart to Heart leaders were honored to meet with cardiac specialists at UNICAR in Guatemala, leaders in the field in Central America. Each year more than 4,000 children are born with CHD in the country. UNICAR developed the first organized surgical unit in Central America to treat children with congenital heart defects. Founded in 1997 by Dr. Aldo Castañeda, the “father of neonatal corrective surgery,” UNICAR’s pediatric unit is known throughout the region as the most established cardiac team, capable of operating on babies and children of all ages, including newborns.
Unfortunately, Guatemala is a very poor nation. Despite the advanced expertise and skills of UNICAR specialists, the institution does not have sufficient material resources to enable them to meet the needs of all heart patients, many go untreated. Heart to Heart is thankful to count UNICAR specialists as our colleagues: we are confident that it is only a matter of time before we can collaborate with these talented specialists to help advance cardiac care in the region.