Shifting healthcare with kindness and compassion isn’t a slogan—it’s how the clinic runs. When returning Program Managers and local promoters work side by side, clinic flow becomes muscle memory—in the best sense: practiced, calm, and attentive—and kindness and compassion become the operating system.
This October in Chichicastenango, three former Program Managers—Peter Caron (2013–2015), Greg Radicone (2015–2017), and Claudine “Claw” Rousseau (2018–2020)—returned to lead alongside our local team, treating 656 patients in just three-and-a-half days. It felt less like a pop-up clinic and more like a community coming home.
📸 Read the full story below.
Back to Quiché: Program Managers Reunite for a Seamless, High-Impact Jornada
There’s a certain familiar feeling when you step into Global Healthworks Foundation’s clinic space. It’s created, in part, by the welcoming choreography of the triage tent, treatment tables, chairs, and exercise area. But more than that, it’s a warmth generated between people—both North American and Guatemalan—who return year after year to treat the people of Quiché.
As GHF’s year-round staff, Program Managers run the Mobile Clinic, mentor local health promoters, and provide weekly care in Quiché. Peter, Greg, and Claw were three of four GHF Program Managers, joined by Alex Macias (2017–2018).
Why They Keep Coming Back
Peter Caron
“Part of why I keep coming back is the work here,” says Peter Caron. “And it’s also a lot of love for Dan [Wunderlich] and a desire to support what he’s doing in Guatemala. "It’s not about ticking boxes—we focus on shared purpose. Side by side with our local partners, we keep the ‘why’ of the work front and center, so service leads every decision.”
Greg Radicone on impact and continuity: “GHF has such a long-term presence here, so you see the same people over and over again. We can really see how our treatments are working.”
A Place That Feels Like Home
Claw Rousseau
“I can’t think of a location and a place and people that make me happier,” Claw Rousseau says. “I feel taken care of by the community and vice versa. It’s not just treating then leaving—you integrate into the community.”
Claw, who now lives in the south of France, served as Program Manager just prior to the pandemic and has returned for jornadas, mobile clinics, and two-week treatment trips. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” she says.
Alongside a deep bench of returning alumni volunteers—including Felipa López and Kristen Pawlick, each serving in more than a dozen jornadas over the past ten-plus years—the team treated 656 people over just three-and-a-half days during the October jornada.
“It’s a space that’s friendly for volunteers to come and work. Dan reinforces that we are practicing a powerful medicine—it gives us a real feeling of empowerment.” — Felipa López
Patients presented with a broad mix of health concerns—from gastrointestinal pain and post-stroke impairments to common musculoskeletal issues and stress-related symptoms.
“With so many people with multiple years of experience, the clinic flowed so smoothly,” Kristen says. “It feels like we got the band back together.”
Voices from the Community
Local team member Eva Carrillo—GHF’s first health promoter—returned as well: “Me encanta ayudar a la gente. Mi corazón siempre ha sido esto. Me encanta brindar ayuda humanitaria, y la jornada es la forma más directa de llegar a la gente.”
[“I love to help people. My heart has always been this way. I love humanitarian aid, and the jornada is more direct with the people.”]
Luciano’s View from the Ground
Luciano Laynez, Executive Director of the Barbara Ford Peacebuilding Center (El Centro) in Quiché and GHF’s local administrator since 2013, shares:
“Ver a Greg, Peter y Claw regresar a la clínica fue como escuchar a una orquesta bien afinada… Lo más valioso es que el conocimiento se queda aquí.”
[“Watching Greg, Peter, and Claw step back into the clinic was like seeing a well-tuned orchestra start to play… The most valuable part is that the knowledge stays here.”]
Luciano smiles as he adds:
“Dan sabe elegirlos. Es selectivo: elige personas con grandes habilidades, gran corazón y generosidad para enseñar—y se nota. Constantemente invita a nuevos voluntarios que se integran a la perfección y siempre aporta herramientas prácticas que nuestros promotores locales pueden usar.”
[“Dan knows how to pick them. He’s selective—people with great skills, great hearts, and a generous spirit for teaching—and it shows. He keeps inviting new volunteers who integrate seamlessly into the flow, and he’s always bringing practical new tools our local health promoters can use.”]
Culture: Shifting Healthcare with Kindness and Compassion
Our promise is simple and intentional: shifting healthcare with kindness and compassion. In practice, that means steady hands and open hearts—listening first; combining acupuncture, manual therapy, and rehabilitation strategies; teaching families simple at-home exercises; and working shoulder-to-shoulder with local partners who know the community best. It’s a model built to dignify each encounter and to last beyond our last day on site.
“Our team members share a philosophy of giving back,” Dan Wunderlich says, GHF Founder and Executive Director. “They’re here for the right reason.” Many return year after year, and our Program Managers devoted two full years to service, treating tens of thousands of patients, mostly indigenous. “After they see the impact of their treatments, they want to come back. This is why we do what we do.”
Every patient leaves with something practical — a safer way to move, an at-home exercise routine, strategies for managing flare-ups, and a sense that their health matters. It’s our Be Well. Know More. guiding principle—relief you can feel, knowledge you can use.
Dan Wunderlich
This Week’s Impact
Alongside six other practitioners, the three Program Managers helped treat 656 people during the recent October jornada—addressing gastritis; scar pain; post-stroke impairments; knee, hip, and back pain; cancer-related side effects; and chronic stress and anxiety. With so much cumulative experience in one room, clinic flow felt like muscle memory—in the best sense: practiced, calm, and attentive.
Closing Reflection
“One thing’s for sure,” Greg says. “To be part of an ongoing process over the years has been amazing professionally, spiritually, and energetically. I’ll definitely be back.”
Greg Radicone
Wow, what an awesome, awesome team!
Thank you to our local health promoters, translators, youth leaders, and the Barbara Ford Peacebuilding Center for making this jornada seamless and deeply human. We’ll be back.
🔶 🔶 🔶
Returning Program Managers stand with local health promoters at the recent GHF jornada de salud in Chichicastenango, smiling after a 3½-day clinic that cared for 656 patients.
