An MdC Medical Fair: Behind-the-Scenes

In this issue:

The Fast Facts

How It Works

By The Numbers

Teen Reflections

What Happens Next

The Fast Facts

Our first Medical Fair was held in May 2021, and in April 2026 we celebrated our 10th Medical Fair!

Over 2½ days:

180 patients were seen
79 adults received care
101 children received care
60 patients participated for the first time:
32 adults
28 children (including 16 new students, with the remaining children being siblings)

This massive event is made possible by our incredible team of medical, dental, and vision professionals, and other dedicated volunteers (pictured above). The team was made up of 30 volunteers, including 18 adults and 12 youth, all filling essential roles:

Dentists, pediatric dentists, and dental hygienists
Medical and vision practitioners
Support roles: med equipment sterilization, waiting room coordination and patient support

Each volunteer is critical to the success of the event. The majority of this year's team served at several of the last 10 fairs - we are so incredibly grateful.

How It Works

This year, the medical fair ran at the same time as school! Instituto Esperanza (our school) students were in their exam prep week, so they could not afford to lose school days. This was a new challenge for us.

Families were given an appointment time, and upon arrival, the entire family enters the waiting room. Students remain in their classrooms until their appointed time.

Each family has a medical record with their years of history, which their “runner” manages and hands over to the appropriate "scribe" as they move through the different stations: prescreen, medical, dental, vision, and pain management.

It is difficult to manage the exact timing of each station, so while they are waiting for any particular area, families have the opportunity to work on art projects and fun activities in the waiting room.

As families complete each station, their chart receives a sticker so the runner can keep track and make sure they don't miss a station. All data is entered and tracked so we can understand trends and impact. Each year, new students and their families from the upcoming school year are invited to participate.

This year the medical fair stations included:

Waiting Room, Prescreen, Medical, Dental, Vision, and Injury/Pain Management

By the Numbers

Waiting Room

This year, MdC Board Chair Ray Young and his wife Evande ran the waiting room. Ray cleaned 200 oyster shells donated from Legal Sea Foods and taught families how to do decoupage on the shells. They also painted rocks and decorated canisters while they waited.
Ray and Evande noted that they really appreciated connecting with so many of the men who attended!

Prescreen

This is where patients are: weighed, measured, BMI calculated, they also get their BP, heart/lung sounds, sugar levels and other tests.

Medical station

Two practitioners evaluate each patient.
Babies and students pass milestone check-ups.
Adults are given a “safety screening” and asked about any concerns.
Past medical history is discussed and the doctor's listen and educate each adult as they address their concerns.
Relationships have been building over the years, so patients are very open and honest with their concerns.

Medical Station Reflections from Doctors:

In general, existing families smile more easily and are more comfortable. Families have higher health literacy and seem more hopeful.
We saw many more dads this year, which was very encouraging. They too are seeing the value in addressing their health needs. Our physicians were very encouraged.
Kids seemed to have fewer dehydration associated issues, which is a huge win over previous years. Many more children and parents are arriving and walking around with water bottles, which solves many of the medical complaints that families have (headaches, constipation, fatigue).
Children took more stickers than in years past. We saw this as a good sign that they feel more comfortable doing so. Before, they would ask and would only take one and sheepishly ask for another for a sibling, whereas now they were much more comfortable.

Dental Station

Instituto Esperanza Student Dental Hygiene:

In 2026, 5% of students had poor dental hygiene
In 2025, 18% of students had poor dental hygiene
In 2024, 16% of students had poor dental hygiene

Student hygiene has improved significantly, while parents have largely stayed the same. This may be attributed to the fact that our students brush their teeth at school 2x per day. We are working on solutions to improve parental dental hygiene.

Parent Dental Hygiene:

In 2026, 15% of primary parents had poor dental hygiene
In 2025, 15% of primary parents had poor dental hygiene
In 2024, 29% of primary parents had poor dental hygiene

Vision Station

20 pairs of glasses and 7 readers provided by OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation.
If a patient needs glasses, they select their personal preference from our samples and their prescription and order is sent to the US, where it is fulfilled by OneSight and brought back to Mexico.
Our patients really appreciate selecting their own frames and then receiving their exact prescription.
Over the years, the foundation has provided our MdC community with hundreds of pairs of glasses.

Doctor Observations

I noticed that at past fairs many older children did not know their letters well enough to read the eye chart. But now, even the preschoolers know their letters!

Injury and Pain Medicine

This year we had a new station, Injury and Pain Medicine, staffed by David Kim, a Pain Management Specialist from Seattle, Washington.

22 patients received support from this station.
They were shown exercises and given materials to take home.
Many were wrist injuries, likely linked to making tortillas by hand.
Many patients complained of chronic pain, some suffering for as long as 10-12 years.

Doctor Observations:

I saw a lot of neck and lower back pain, along with elbow pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Most were typical of overuse injuries, best managed by stretching and strengthening before and after work. I also stressed the importance of frequent rest breaks to stretch. I taught some basic exercises and encouraged patients to do them regularly, even if their symptoms improve or they don’t experience immediate pain relief. It’s important to be consistent with stretching and strengthening regardless of the presence or absence of pain/symptoms.

Teen Reflections

Reflections from Seji: (pictured with Talia)

Seji graduated from high school this past spring with plans to attend MIT this fall. He has been serving at MdC Medical Fairs with his family for the past four years.

“Through serving with MdC, I grew up with the community and had a transformative experience. Watching kids grow at MdC has shaped who I have become, and I am grateful to be a small part of the kids’ lives [in Mexico] and vice versa. MdC has helped give my life the direction it did not have. I was not sure about what I wanted to do in the future, but by serving, I have gained such an appreciation and a passion for coming back and continuing to serve. In the future, I want to combine engineering and science with helping people."

Reflections from Talia:

Talia is a rising college freshman who was served with the MdC Medical Fair team for the past two years without her family.

"The first time I came to Mexico, I was nervous. It was the first time traveling internationally without my family. I did not speak the language and felt out of place. When I was at the med fair, I met a little boy, and it was his first med fair, and he was scared. Although we could not speak the same language, I shared stickers with him, and we communicated in other ways. He ended up going through the med fair with no problem. Mexico has taught me to have courage and to interact outside of my comfort zone. I have learned a lot coming to Mexico; how hard families work and how important a strong community is."

Reflections from Josie:

Josie is a rising college freshman attending Cornell University. She has served at MdC medical fairs for the past three years.

"It has been a transformative experience. I am blown away by the poor living conditions and the poor health of the community, yet when I see the kids at the med fair waiting room, they are joyful and running around. I have learned that joy is something that I can choose. I can choose to appreciate what I have, be grateful, and use my gifts to serve people."

What Happens Next

At the end of the fair, each patient received a dental kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. Children received an additional gift: stickers, little toys, etc.

Medical record information for each person/family is entered, tracked, and over time we use it to see trends, impact, and areas to continue to improve/develop.

Future needs:

Better ergonomic chairs for dental, as the current system is hard on the back of the dental team.
An official database to better store medical data.

We continue to seek ways to track chronic problems for continued care:

Hbp, diabetes, heart issues, constipation/headaches, chronic pain, hypertension, ongoing medical issues, neurological, mental health, and obesity

Thank you to our Mexico staff, medical team volunteers, and all the donors that support the well being of our community!

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