Social Programs: Health Care

Ascendant is dedicated to enhancing the living standards of community residents through improved healthcare. Healthcare in the vicinity of the Ascendant concessions prior to the company’s involvement has been virtually nonexistent.

In 2005, Ascendant established a roving medical team, which included a licensed physician with a PhD in Tropical Medicine and Communitarian Health from Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Espana, along with the company dentist. This team spends 4 days a week in the communities providing health and dental services. Over the past year, Ascendant’s physician and dentist have treated and helped over 700 families.

In August 2006, the company established a licensed clinic it the town of Chalguyacu Alto, which will be staffed by a registered nurse with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from Universidad Catolica de Ecuador. The clinic will be visited weekly by both our physician and dentist as needed.

Ascendant has very strong relationships with various U.S. medical groups that run missions to Ecuador toprovide orthopedic and cosmetic services for children with cleft lips or severe burns often caused by kerosene lamps. We can avail these services for children with these deformities if they can be corrected. In one case where correction was not possible, Ascendant provided a prosthesis.

Ascendant pledges to continue to work extremely diligently to provide more healthcare, dentistry, and orthopedic and cosmetic surgical care, thus offering community members a better and brighter future.