Fire destroyed an island hospital. Months later, a Honduran free clinic is still bridging the gap.

By Olivia Lewis

It was 1:30 a.m., but Clinica Esperanza staff were already at work, packing up their medical supplies.

The previous evening, on April 19, a fire had destroyed the only public hospital on the island of Roatán in Honduras, reducing its mostly wooden structure to ash and rubble.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the consequences were devastating. According to the International Federation of the Red Cross, over 55,000 people were dependent on public hospital care.

The early morning preparations at Clinica Esperanza, a local free clinic, were part of an immediate, community-wide response. Patients and hospital staff were directed to local doctor’s offices for emergency care, and staff said they couldn’t imagine having to turn anyone away.

“I can’t stand the thought that people can die because they have no other choice,” said Kallie Vallecillo, executive director of Clinica Esperanza, who has worked in the community for 22 years.

Before the fire, the clinic treated around 150 patients a day. In the month after the fire, that number more than quadrupled to about 650. Even though the situation has calmed down since the first, urgent surge in need, staff are still caring for about 50 additional patients each day who once relied on the hospital to seek alternative care. Two other hospitals are still open in Roatan, but they are private facilities and many local patients cannot afford the costs.

Clinica Esperanza, which relies on medical students and volunteers to operate, has expanded its daily hours to meet increased demand.

Construction of a new hospital structure is expected to take 18 months, Vallecillo told Direct Relief. This is devastating news for patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, many of whom received daily medication from the hospital pharmacy. Medical staff across the island have fewer supplies for procedures and operations.

“We are a nonprofit organization and we have limitations, but we know that there are so many people who love the island of Roatan and love the people. They’ve been so supportive of our initiatives that we’re just taking them day by day,” Vallecillo said.

While the last few months have required more money, time and materials, Clinica Esperanza staff say they are ready to do whatever it takes to help everyone who needs care. It’s costly, but they continue to share medicine and supplies with partners across the island and treat as many people as possible.

“I think it would just be inhumane,” Vallecillo said of turning away patients or saying no to partners who need supplies.

Vallecillo, who has a background in nursing administration, became the clinic’s CEO just two years ago. She was the leader of a Honduran nonprofit organization that procured medical supplies for the community. Through her work, she had developed a relationship with Peggy Stranges, who founded Clinica Esperanza more than two decades ago.

“Mrs. Peggy has always been a giver,” Vallecillo said. “Our mission is to love people. And we love people to the best of our ability.”

Clinica Esperanza, whose name means “Hope Clinic” in English, was founded on faith.

Stranges, an American expat and nurse, moved to Honduras after working at Ohio State University. In her two decades in Roatan, Stranges became known locally as the person to go to for medical help, a role she describes as an “honor and obligation.”

When she arrived in Honduras, Stranges said she wanted to do “God’s work,” but wasn’t sure what that meant at the time. She did missionary work on the mainland before settling in Roatan. When people heard that she had trained to be a nurse, they encouraged neighbors and friends to visit her and ask for help.

Initially, she treated about ten patients a day, most of them women and children, who needed basic care. As their reputation grew, so did the requests—and the high cost of medical care.

“I prayed to God on the way to church,” Stranges recalled. She remembered saying, “If you want me to do this, you better open the floodgates, you know, show me how to do it.”

Shortly after, she was approached by a group of doctors on a medical mission and offered her additional supplies. Other healthcare workers began donating their time. Outside funding helped Stranges move the clinic from her kitchen table, first to a small apartment beneath her house and then to an old hotel down the street.

Today, Clinica Esperanza has two dozen employees and a large number of dedicated volunteers. Plans for the coming year include an expanded birthing center with four beds instead of two, and an in-school program to provide dental care for local children.

The financial strain that followed the hospital fire is taking its toll six months later. It is unclear what funding will be available for future programs. However, Vallecillo and Stranges say Clinica Esperanza is committed to doing everything it can to help people, regardless of the cost of the clinic.

“Things that are out of my control don’t worry me,” Stranges said. “God will provide, and He always has.”

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Direct Relief has provided Clinica Esperanza with over $600,000 in requested medications and medical supplies this year.