Hospitalito Atitlan's Indiegogo Campaign to Raise $7,000 for Ambulance Will Save Lives in Guatemala

NEW YORK, NY, October 07, 2012 (Press-News.org) Hospitalito Atitlan (HA) a small, private nonprofit hospital in the highlands of Guatemala has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $7,000 for an ambulance that will allow it to save lives -- bringing patients to the hospital for treatment and/or transporting them to intensive care. HA serves 43,000 Maya in the Lake Atitlan area. The campaign (http://www.indiegogo.com/hospitalitoambulance) runs through October 15, 2012.

"We are proud of our 24/7 medical services," said Juan Manuel Chuc, Ajanel, MD, Hospitalito Atitlan Medical Director. "However, too often, we cannot help patients, because we have no way to transport them to our facility or, if needed, to intensive care, which is three hours away."

The total cost of the ambulance, a new Mitsubishi 300 van, is $17,000. Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater MN has already raised $8,000 and is providing the vehicle's lights, siren, carts, decals, as well as three anesthesia machines. The value of the items, including shipping, equals $11,000. A team from the church will be coming to the Hospitalito in November to retrofit the van.

Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money through online fundraising campaigns for a wide range of projects spanning from films to entrepreneurial ventures to nonprofits. Hospitalito Atitlan hopes to reach Indiegogo "investors" throughout the world who are passionate about healthcare equity for all.

"Many of the people we serve struggle daily to put food on the table, which is why they often ignore medical problems until they become life threatening," said Dr. Chuc. "In emergencies, the ambulance will allow the Hospitalito to save lives that might otherwise be lost."

Hospitalito Atitlan is a small private nonprofit hospital serving 75,000 Maya living on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan highlands. The hospital provides a full-range of preventive and clinical health services with an emphasis on women and children and has the only 24/7 emergency and surgical obstetrical care within a two-hour radius. Its dedicated staff is made up of local physicians, nurses and administrators who work hand-in-hand with international volunteer medical professionals to bring quality care to the community.

In its 40-year history, Hospitalito Atitlan has worked to bring affordable, quality healthcare to the people of the Santiago Atitlan area, which has been marred by civil war, violence and natural disaster.

For more information on Hospitalito Atitlan, visit www.hospitalitoatitilan.org and/or go to their fundraising site http://www.indiegogo.com/hospitalitoambulance.