Pan American Health Service, Inc. was the brainchild of South Dakotan Stephen A. Youngberg 50 years ago. Youngberg became inspired to help others by family medical mission trips to India.
After serving as a captain in the U.S. Army, Youngberg moved to south Texas and owned successful medical practices. He worked to establish medical mission trips in southern Mexico.
In 1959, Youngberg co-founded Pan American Health Service, Inc. A year later, he moved his family to Honduras, following the sale of his medical practices.
PAHS's focus is on childhood malnutrition and education. A malnutrition center is located in Peña Blanca, Honduras.
Girls and boys homes for Honduran children who are unable to return to their families were established to further the children's medical and educational success. According to the Pan American website, parents have returned 15 and 20 years later to visit the children they brought to the malnutrition center.
Pan American treats two types of malnutrition: kwashiorkor, the most commonly seen form of malnutrition in the Honduran region that Pan-American serves, and marasmus. Kwashiorkor results from a lack of protein in a person's diet. Swollen appearance of the feet, legs and face occur. Marasmus results from a lack of food. People will often appear very thin and have a "skeletal" figure. Both types of malnutrition are life threatening.
Pan American partners with local private elementary schools to provide free education to 60 children in the Home. An English and Spanish bilingual school is also available. The organization donated land to the community to build a public high school, which serves more than 500 students.
Adult literacy education and technical vocational school education, which offers programs such as sewing, auto mechanics, wood working and ornate wood carving, are also available. The vocational school is funded by the U.S. Aid and International Department. It is a part of the network of schools affiliated with the Human Resource Consulting Center of Honduras.
For 41 years, "Papi" Youngberg served the Honduran people. He died in 2001 and is buried in the Pan American cemetery in Peña Blanca.
Youngberg's daughter Nellie Youngberg continues in the steps of her philanthropic family members and is Pan American Health Services' health program manager and volunteer coordinator. She dedicates her life to the organization her father started and resides in Honduras.
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| Nellie Youngberg carrying Alicia. Photo by Dagoberto Fernandez. |
