What 35 Years Can Build

Yesterday was a special day around here. It marked 35 years since David and Brenda Mensah packed up their three young children and moved permanently to Ghana to begin their life’s work.

Brenda often recalls the tears she shed during those early years, watching people die needlessly for lack of access to basic health care. So you can imagine what must have been going through her mind on this anniversary as she walked the hallways of the mighty Leyaata Hospital.

Dr. Sue and I have been working alongside the physicians and physician assistants in every area of the hospital. Each day at 4:00 p.m., we gather the team for a teaching session. My first was a simulation workshop on managing the unconscious patient. Dr. Garrett and Dr. Neil—whose dental clinic wrapped up early—earned “Academy Awards” for their performances. They are really great at being unconscious.

And wouldn’t you know, the very next day a group of men carried an unconscious young man into the ER. The team was calm, coordinated, and ready. Training met reality—and life was preserved.

Dr. Sue has been teaching on primary mental health, including depression, anxiety, and tonight’s topic, “Caring for the Caregiver.” Isn’t it remarkable that, even at this early stage, Leyaata is prioritizing mental health—both for patients and staff?

Our two ER nurses, Jannine and Brooklyn, are thriving. Watching them in action—full of enthusiasm, compassion, knowledge, and skill—is pure joy. Whether caring for patients, teaching, or learning, they embody what it means to be true global health partners.

The eye clinic is also in full swing. Patients first meet Dan for auto-refraction and eye pressure checks, then see Dr. Nicole and Dr. Rich for full assessments before heading to the eyeglass dispensary run by Prosper and team. Dr. Martin and Julie are busy with the incredibly sophisticated OCT, while Dr. Josh literally focuses on the laser and Marion provides expert pre- and post-procedure care. Dr. Agyemang’s list of cataract patients is growing quickly.

The dental clinic hums with the same energy, with Dr. Garrett and Dr. Neil working tirelessly alongside their Ghanaian colleague, Dr. McAnthony.

Tracey has been busy in the lab, joyfully popping in and out of the ER to teach phlebotomy (drawing blood) to the nursing staff.

Sherry, our pharmacist, is in one of the busiest departments in the hospital, dispensing medication to both inpatients and outpatients. She also came to the rescue when one team member went “DWD” (down with diarrhea)—that team member has since recovered quickly!

And then there’s Dr. Tiffany—our chiropractor cross-trained as a paramedic. Even though she’s stationed in the rehab unit with Leyaata’s two physiotherapy technicians, she somehow seems to appear in the ER just as a critical patient arrives. Her paramedicine skills have been invaluable, and for the first time, Leyaata’s ambulance attendant has a partner to work alongside.

Our first week came to a close with a party at the Mensah home—complete with David’s freshly made lemonade, Brenda’s muffins and cookies, groundnuts, and fresh papaya and pineapple. On the center of the table, Brenda placed a basket of delicate white and yellow frangipani blossoms, their soft, citrus-sweet scent drifted through the room as we gathered.

We spent a couple of hours listening to David’s stories and hearing about the other sectors of NEA’s sustainable development work, such as peace and conflict resolution. We had so much fun reminiscing about the eleven Ghana Health Team missions, recalling moments that shaped us all. We have done a lot of life together since 2007.

The team presented the Mensahs with an anniversary gift—a box full of letters expressing what these two remarkable individuals mean to us all.

As I wrap up this blog, the power has just gone out on the NEA compound—such a fitting reminder of days gone by. And yet, somehow, those days—those tears, those prayers, those makeshift clinics and flashlight surgeries—have culminated in this moment, this week, this hospital.

What 35 years can build, when God is in it, is nothing short of astonishing.

We thank God for David and Brenda’s faithful “yes,” and on behalf of all of us who were invited along for the ride, we are deeply, humbly grateful.

Simulation training.

Tiffany teaching us how to safely transfer a patient from the floor to a stretcher.

Dr. Sue is bringing primary mental health care training to Leyaata.

My favourite quote from today: “Any scorpion needs to be killed.” Dr. David Mensah.

ER Team

First-time team member, Brooklyn.

Jannine’s third partnership visit in two years.

Tracey teaching phlebotomy in the ER.

Our presence at the residence has disturbed this remarkable colony of ants, so they are moving their eggs (right outside Dr. Martin’s room).

Sunset over Leyaata.

Celebrating the end of week 1 at the Mensah home.

DR. JENNIFER WILSON
MD, CCFP (EM), FCFP, DIM&PH, MPH (FCM) CSGH
Director of International Partnerships Canadian Consultant for Family & Emergency Medicine
Leyaata Hospital, Carpenter, Ghana

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