The lecture hall at the University of Austral.
Me with a view of the University of Austral campus.
Another Monday in Argentina means another bright and early morning. We had to be in the lobby ready to go at 8am, so getting up this morning was a little harder than our 10:30am start yesterday. I enjoyed another great breakfast at the hotel with my usual spread of delicious treats and arrived with 30 seconds to spare in the lobby. I was lucky enough to have my own section on the bus, so I got to get really comfortable during our ride to the Universidad Austral. I curled up and continued my slumber for a little over an hour until we reached the hospital.
Makayla and I <3.
We met in a very beautiful conference room and heard from Dr. Marcelo Pellizzari , the chairman for the quality and safety department and a board member at the Hospital Austral. He told us some information about the hospital and all that it has to offer. The hospital began in 2000 with little patients and not a large surrounding population. However, as the pandemic progressed, there was a spike in population and high demand for the hospital. It is a private hospital, so a patient either pays for the insurance plan through Austral Health or is a part of an Obras Sociales that partners with the hospital. Dr. Marcelo Pellizzari stated that his five focuses are people centered care, patient centered care, quality and safety, value, and innovation.
Doors on the pediatric floor of Austral Hospital.
Guzmán, a NICU nurse, gave us a tour of Austral Hospital. Although this is a private owned hospital like Swiss Medical, there are many similarities and differences. Both are HMOs, which sell private insurance that partner with their specific facilities such as hospitals and ambulatory clinics. They both seem to provide high levels of care, yet Swiss Medical seems to have shorter wait times. There are factors that could cause this, but Swiss Medical group is in Buenos Aires, a large city, yet a more steady population with various facilities. Swiss Medical also does a great job at flowing patients in and out of the hospital for treatment and Austral Hospital seems to be a little slower. One of the people we spoke to from Austral Hospital said that even though her insurance covered the hospital bill, she would not go there because it would take all day to get her treatment. On the other hand, the location where Austral Hospital resides in has a rapidly growing population. They are battling this growing number with the cost of the insurance. They still need to figure out how to increase the cost of their insurance and reduce quantity. The biggest player for Austral Hospital is OSDE, an Obras Sociales for executives, while Swiss Medical seems to be their own private insurance. Overall, both seem like successful hospitals in Argentina.
Our study abroad group with students from Austral University.
After touring Austral Hospital, we went to UCIA, a palliative care location on the university’s campus. This was a really great experience for me as palliative care is something that people do not speak a lot about. Eduardo, a doctor, spoke to us about the importance of “increasing the life within their days, not the days of their life.” The families are able to come any time of the day and many times final wishes are granted. One of the patients loved the soccer team Bocas Juniors, so they threw him a watch party with some friends. Another woman loved horses, so during some of her final days, they brought her horse outside the building and she was able to see and feel the horse directly. People spend on average about 15 days, but the time greatly differs from one patient to another. The building was very quiet and peaceful, so we tried to be as respectful as possible.
Adriana, Belen, Luchi, Me (L-R).
We ended our trip to Austral with a lunch and mixer with students from the university. Talking to students our age was honestly my favorite part of the trip. Hearing their experiences and perspectives of the United States was both engaging and comical. It is so interesting that countries with very similar beginnings grew to become so different. Adriana and I ate with Luchi, a nursing student, and Belen, an international business student. Belen was even nice enough to give us a little tour and she bought the delicious treat below. It is a brownie with dulce de leche and meringue on top. One of the best things I have tried since I have gotten to Argentina. We returned home on the bus and sat with Lynnea, our super cool travel planner from the School of Nursing. I look forward to learning more over the next few days!
Me with the delicious treat from Belen!!