Dr. Reinhart Stedem and his staff at Project Alajuelita have taken the first step of refocusing clinic operations toward pediatric and preventative health care with establishing a schedule for well child visits.  Commonly referred to as checkups, well child visits begin within days following birth and continue throughout adolescence.  Health indicators such as height, weight, vision, and hearing, along with documentation of vaccinations and diagnosed illnesses all encompass the data tracked in an individual's file.  However, the educational component of well child visits ideally begins once a mother realizes she is pregnant and subsequently under the control of a medical professional.  FIMRC field staff in Costa Rica is designing educational material to be incorporated into the well child visits, a practice not frequently seen in marginalized communities.

FIMRC would like to highlight Dr. Stedem's dedication to establishing practices such as well child visits as a way to ensure that every single child receives adequate medical care to allow them to reach their full potential.