The schedule is:
7:00 breakfast when it opens
7:30 Van to Church/Clinic
8:00 Setup
9:00 Opening Ceremony
9:30 Session 1 of the Clinic
Noon Lunch
1:00 Session 2 of the Clinic
4:00 Clean-up, and return to hotel
I arrived at the breakfast buffet area around 6:45 and notice a huge group of people milling around. Turns out there will be a mad rush for breakfast as soon as it opens at 7:00. Having to wait in lines makes us have to eat a little faster.
All is well, and we make it to the clinic in time. Weather forecast: 93 degrees, sunny, chance of afternoon thunderstorms (humid).
There was a typical Opening Ceremony, but since we couldn't understand most of it, I will skip the description. Setup of the clinic is as follows:
Registration: Open air outside tent that can seat 100 people. People register and given a number (1-150). 150 is the number of people that are scheduled to be served during that 3 hour session. They are seated in rows, and move up as groups of 10 are called into the Clinic. Apparently movement helps the waiting, even if it is only little movements.
Station 1 - Automated Refactor: Inside the Church (not air-conditioned) there is a sitting area for 10 people. The machine quickly determines the persons prescription, and prints out the report. There is one seat at this station. Wendy was trained to perform the Refractor Exam so the Optometrist team members could take a break.
Station 2 - Fitting: The prescription is verified and fine tuned by looking through the actual lens for that power. Round lenses of the appropriate power are placed into a special frame. The patient tries on the new glasses, and the prescription is adjusted. The Examiner writes the lens power for the eye glasses on the report from Station 1. There are three seats at this station. Even with three seats, Station 1 can create a long que for Station 2. Many times during the session people are held outside until the que for Station 2 can be reduced.
Station 3 - Distribution: Greg, nicknamed Mr. P for Personality, worked the morning session with 2 of the Optometrist Team members to distribute glasses. He had enough Thai vocabulary to help patients select a frame and see if the new glasses were working for them. Sometimes there were short lines as patients took a long time determining if the glasses were working for them.
At the end of Station 3, the patient receives the glasses, along with a tote that contains tracts and mints.
Station 5 - Group Photos (10-20 patients) are taken.
The Optometrist team is quite efficient. They were able to serve 150 people in a little more than 2 hours. Note: Notice in the pictures that a lot of people wear black in mourning of the death of their King. He was well liked, and reigned for 70 years. The 1-year period of mourning ends in October, and which time he will be cremated and the prince will ascend to the Kingship.
Session 2 began in the heat of the day. The temperature was 90 degrees and the forecast was 94. We survived the morning session with minimal issues, and now for the real test. There was shorter ceremony at the beginning of the 2nd session (Each of the 6 Districts were assigned a session). The tent blocked the direct heat from the sun, but you could still feel the heat radiating off the roof of the tent. Inside the church it was a little warmer, but you could not feel the radiating heat off the roof. A few large floor fans helped to keep the room bearable. We did decide to use the van to provide an air conditioned place to give team members a break from the heat.
7:00 breakfast when it opens
7:30 Van to Church/Clinic
8:00 Setup
9:00 Opening Ceremony
9:30 Session 1 of the Clinic
Noon Lunch
1:00 Session 2 of the Clinic
4:00 Clean-up, and return to hotel
I arrived at the breakfast buffet area around 6:45 and notice a huge group of people milling around. Turns out there will be a mad rush for breakfast as soon as it opens at 7:00. Having to wait in lines makes us have to eat a little faster.
All is well, and we make it to the clinic in time. Weather forecast: 93 degrees, sunny, chance of afternoon thunderstorms (humid).
There was a typical Opening Ceremony, but since we couldn't understand most of it, I will skip the description. Setup of the clinic is as follows:
Registration: Open air outside tent that can seat 100 people. People register and given a number (1-150). 150 is the number of people that are scheduled to be served during that 3 hour session. They are seated in rows, and move up as groups of 10 are called into the Clinic. Apparently movement helps the waiting, even if it is only little movements.
Station 1 - Automated Refactor: Inside the Church (not air-conditioned) there is a sitting area for 10 people. The machine quickly determines the persons prescription, and prints out the report. There is one seat at this station. Wendy was trained to perform the Refractor Exam so the Optometrist team members could take a break.
Station 2 - Fitting: The prescription is verified and fine tuned by looking through the actual lens for that power. Round lenses of the appropriate power are placed into a special frame. The patient tries on the new glasses, and the prescription is adjusted. The Examiner writes the lens power for the eye glasses on the report from Station 1. There are three seats at this station. Even with three seats, Station 1 can create a long que for Station 2. Many times during the session people are held outside until the que for Station 2 can be reduced.
Station 3 - Distribution: Greg, nicknamed Mr. P for Personality, worked the morning session with 2 of the Optometrist Team members to distribute glasses. He had enough Thai vocabulary to help patients select a frame and see if the new glasses were working for them. Sometimes there were short lines as patients took a long time determining if the glasses were working for them.
At the end of Station 3, the patient receives the glasses, along with a tote that contains tracts and mints.
Station 5 - Group Photos (10-20 patients) are taken.
The Optometrist team is quite efficient. They were able to serve 150 people in a little more than 2 hours. Note: Notice in the pictures that a lot of people wear black in mourning of the death of their King. He was well liked, and reigned for 70 years. The 1-year period of mourning ends in October, and which time he will be cremated and the prince will ascend to the Kingship.
Session 2 began in the heat of the day. The temperature was 90 degrees and the forecast was 94. We survived the morning session with minimal issues, and now for the real test. There was shorter ceremony at the beginning of the 2nd session (Each of the 6 Districts were assigned a session). The tent blocked the direct heat from the sun, but you could still feel the heat radiating off the roof of the tent. Inside the church it was a little warmer, but you could not feel the radiating heat off the roof. A few large floor fans helped to keep the room bearable. We did decide to use the van to provide an air conditioned place to give team members a break from the heat.
No comments:
Post a Comment