Update: COVID in SMA and Vaccinations [] BeWellSanMiguel Patient Advocacy Services

Published January 5, 2021

Please be aware that Covid is spreading among the expatriate community and is deeply entrenched within the Mexican community. Beds in adequate private hospitals have been at a near saturation point since December 26^th. Public and even private hospitals are triaging and sending many high risk patients home to die. The case fatality rate for Covid in Mexico is under reported, but even for those cases that get reported it is 50% higher than any other heavily impacted country.

There are no nursing teams in SMA at this point willing to do Covid care at home. Thanks to support from the fund to provide protective gear to health workers there are now a small number of well- trained respiratory therapists willing and able to do home care.

If you would like to contribute to the effort to get our health care workers protective gear you can donate at the following site:

However, while there are respiratory therapists available oxygen supplies are limited and several discharged hospitalized patients (ex-pats and nationals alike) have not been able to secure oxygen anywhere from SMA to Celaya, Queretaro or Dolores Hidalgo to support them at home. Some have died as a result.

Be Well has been managing expatriate Covid clients who have a high risk for a poor outcome due to cardiac, lung or other underlying diseases with a mixture of telephone calls, telemedicine, back door lobbying and foot work searching for beds  in adequate care sites anywhere in the vicinity.

Covid care in a good private hospital rendering adequate specialist oversight and nursing care requires anywhere from 25 to 50K dollar U.S deposit if you are fortunate enough to get a bed in one of those hospitals.  It seems we have arrived at the tough part that we all have been dreading since the beginning of Covid.

Finally, regarding vaccine availability here in Mexico:  there is not yet enough information to recommend that north American expatriates able to get to the states or Canada remain in Mexico for vaccination. The speed and efficiency of the vaccine roll out in the US is slow but picking up speed albeit extremely state dependent. Watch main stream journals such as the Washington Post, New York Times and the CDC site for information on the county or city roll out in the area you would most likely go to receive the vaccine.  In most cases right now you do not have to be a resident of the state or county you get vaccinated in.

Deborah Bickel PA MPH for Be Well San Miguel

Sue Leonard FNP

Helping you get the best medical care available Be Well San Miguel Patient Advocacy Services is growing. Deborah Bickel PA  is now joined by Sue Leonard NP as well as Juan Soria RN. As health Advocates we can and do:

* Create and manage professional teams for your home care

* Identify appropriate care providers and assist you in setting appointments

* Help you proactively manage your medical and health needs

* Accompany you to office visits and procedures

* Create, organize and translate your medical records

* Help you prepare for future health emergencies

* Provide education concerning your medication and wellness plans

* Assist in creating your advance directives and other end of life decisions

* Manage end of life care as directed by yourself, your family or loved ones.

Should you be hospitalized in Mexico we are able to:

* Remain at your bedside and communicate on your behalf with medical staff during hospitalization

* Coordinate and assist with post hospitalization and home care

* Oversee the accuracy and fairness of hospital and insurance billing

New services:

* Manage a medical alert system called Be Safe that provides its wearer with 24/7 medical intervention via an electronic pendent or key chain and wireless phone system

* Place vital medical information on an external drive to be worn as a necklace, key chain or bracelet

Deborah Bickel is an international health worker and founder and principal of Be Well San Miguel patient advocacy services. Deborah graduated from the Stanford University Physician Assistant program and earned a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught medicine at Stanford, managed and worked as a primary care at a private clinic in the San Francisco Bay area, Deborah has lived and worked in health care in many parts of the world including Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, and Africa. She is a fluent Spanish speaker.

Sue Leonard is a Nurse Practitioner and a long-term resident of San Miguel who has functioned both formally and informally as a Patient Advocate for more than a year guiding expatriates through health care crises in a variety of ways, including providing support and instruction to home care providers, identifying the best health care practitioners and making referrals. Previously she delivered direct primary health care for 6 years and then was the Director that non-profit in the US.  She also has 25 years of leadership experience in the US, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Central Asia and Africa largely in the health field.  In addition, she was a psychiatric nurse in a hospital setting as well as in a community clinic and taught nursing skills to nurse aids

Juan Soria Mr. Soria a certified nurse, native to San Miguel de Allende He completed his nursing training 10 years ago in Irapuato, Guanajuato at SIDAD. As part of his training he completed courses at the military hospital as well as working full time in management of cardiac patients. He is dedicated to high quality health care in the home as well as the hospital. His services are in demand among expatriate patients because he is both highly skilled and English speaking. He works closely with many local physicians as well as a growing number in Celaya and Querétero.

Please phone or email to set up an appointment : Deborah Bickel Deborah@bewellsanmiguel.com (+52) 415-115-7815 BeWellSanMiguel Patient Advocacy Services by Deborah Bickel PA MPH