Month: October 2019

27 October 2019 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE:
This is the second Beach Area News this month, as we prepare for the winter season! Here’s the News for you:

  • Dia de Muertos Events
  • Security Update
  • Welcome Party SAVE THE DATE!

DIA DE MUERTOS EVENTS

The City of Progreso has planned a number of events for the weekend of Dia de Muertos. There are several attractions on the new International Malecon (west of the pier), along with a full schedule of activities for November 2 (scroll down).

EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2:

PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST
David Wright is organizing a pumpkin/Jack o’ Lantern carving contest for next week’s Day of the Dead/Hanal Pixan/Dia de Muertos event with the City of Progreso next weekend, Nov. 2. There will be some wonderful prizes from local restaurants and businesses! If you can’t find pumpkins, feel free to get creative: gourds, melons, papayas, whatever. The three categories will be Scariest, Cutest/Funniest and Best Overall. Contact David Wright directly at david@w3groupmarketing.com if you would like to enter.

SECURITY UPDATE
As we welcome the return of the snowbirds, this edition of Beach Area News will provide some common-sense security reminders of how to avoid being the victim of a crime and what to do if you are.

First, we have updated our Security Leaflet. We suggest you print and post it in your home, along with your street address in Spanish. (Write it out phonetically and practice it if you have to.) If you need to call for help, you must be able to say your address in Spanish.

The increase in snowbirds visiting our area can often bring an increase in home break-ins. The best advice we can give you us to get to know the neighbors on your block. If you are new, introduce yourself. Once you learn who is supposed to be on your block, it will be easier to tell who is not supposed to be there.

Over the last few weeks a number of individuals have begun posting on a new Facebook Group, Yucatan Community Watch, when they have seen people that may not belong in the area or who have looked like they could be on the verge of committing a crime. We thank all of you for being observant and alerting others. However, more important than posting on Facebook is to call 911 to report suspicious activity. Reporting suspicious activity to the Police gives them a record of activity so they can react immediately to that activity.

So we ask that every individual become more observant and if you see anything that does not look right, call 911. Do not be afraid to be “crying wolf;” the police here would much rather respond to 10 false alarms than not be alerted and then respond to a crime. They view this as doing their job.

After you call 911, it’s fine to post your observation on Facebook to alert others of the potential threat. But please remember: no thief was ever deterred, captured or punished by just posting on Facebook.

Finally, if you unfortunately are the victim of a break in or other crime, file a report at the Fiscalia. Details of how to do this are included in our Security Leaflet that you can DOWNLOAD HERE. This report gives the Detectives and Police the ability to respond and prosecute individuals caught. Without the report it is as if the crime never happened and no investigation or prosecution can take place. We know the reporting process is not always smooth, but issues are being addressed.

We will conduct a Security Update meeting in December when more snowbirds have settled in. With your help in being observant and reporting suspicious activity or crimes, we hope it will be a meeting celebrating success in crime prevention.

SAVE THE DATE!

NOVEMBER 21, 4:00 TO 7:00 PM at the Costa Club in Yucalpeten. Watch for much more information in our next Newsletter.

Wishing you a very happy Dia de Muertos holiday week!

The Beach Area News Team
Bob Rentz, Speranza Avram, Karen Cloutier, Dave Bloch, David Nevers

Copyright © 2019 Beach Area News, All rights reserved.

15 October 2019 Newsletter

Welcome Snowbirds and Residents to our first edition of the third year of Beach Area News.  As of this issue, our Email is going out to 522 subscribers!  If you know anyone who might benefit from this newsletter, please tell them to send a quick “Please add me” request to us at team@beachareanews.com.

Again this year, our E-newsletter and Website will focus on issues of security and safety for the expat community.  Your Beach Area News team continues to have excellent relationships with officials in local and state government agencies; we communicate your concerns to them and report back on changes in policies, people or resources. We also keep in contact with the US and Canadian consulates to pass on any important information to you.

Start the fall season with this fun event sponsored by the  Ayuntamiento of Progreso!  The contest begins at 7:00PM on Dia de Muertos (November 2) on the International Malecon, west of the Progreso pier.  For information, Email david@w3groupmarketing.com

WELCOME SNOWBIRDS & EXPATS! EVENT

The Yucatan Office of International Affairs will hold its second Welcome Showbirds & Expats! event on November 21 from 4:00 PM till 7:00 PM at the Convention Center of the Hotel Costa Club ISSTEY in Yucalpetén.  Those who got drenched in last year’s sudden downpour will be pleased to note that this is an indoor venue!  And if you have never visited this beautiful state-owned public beach resort, allow some time to explore the facilities.

The Costa Club is off the main Progreso-Chelem highway, across from the Naval Station.  Find it on Google Maps HERE: https://goo.gl/maps/QJrAwRab6RiTuCw27

GARBAGE!

Beach Area News team member Bob Rentz had a very productive meeting on Tuesday October 8 with the City of Progreso Public Services staff on everybody’s favorite subject, Basura. The focus for this meeting was Chelem and Chuburna, as this is an area that has steadily declined in service.  At the meeting both short- and long-term plans were established.  There will be requests for input from both expats and locals at various points in the plan.

Starting Monday, October 14th, there will be two daily pickups on Monday and Thursday, one in the AM and one in the PM.  We are not under any illusion that this will be an immediate fix for everyone.  We will ask for your feedback shortly.

For those that do not currently have a trash can, we ask that you seriously consider purchasing one. It does not take the dogs and birds long to tear through plastic bags and spread the contents through the streets.

As we progress through this process, we will provide greater detail on the plans.  Please bear with us as the process will certainly be fluid.  It took a while to get to this stage and will take a little time to get out of it.

Thanks to everyone for your support.

DEFENDING YOURSELF AT HOME OR IN PUBLIC

Our team recently met with representatives from the Yucatan Office of International Affairs, who updated us on some points of Mexican law.  We will preface this section with the bottom line that she gave us: if you are ever arrested, get a good attorney immediately!  Here are some other takeaways from that conversation:

  • Pepper spray is legal to have in your home or to carry on your person.  You can keep it in your pocket or purse, do not carry it visibly in a carrier on your belt.
  • If you are assaulted (or you fear an assault) and feel you can defend yourself, your response must be in proportion to the threat. “In proportion” may mean brandishing a similar weapon (a knife vs. a machete, for example) or threatening the assailant with pepper spray. If you inflict serious bodily harm, be ready to explain why it was necessary.  A surveillance camera in your home, with video being recorded, can help you.
  • That previous paragraph suggests that, if the assailant is really just after money or other property, just get out of the way.
  • “In proportion” also means that, if you truly feel the assailant means to attack you, you have the right to respond with greater force.

GETTING HELP IN AN EMERGENCY

As of last year, all of Mexico is covered by the “Dial 911” emergency call system.  A call to 911 connects you directly to the monitoring and dispatch center in Mérida, and they can send police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the state. You may ask for help in English, but it may not be available at the moment you need it, so take note of the tips below.

  • Please remember that in Mexico 911 is not just for Emergency situations.  If you see something that does not look right, dial 911. This may be individuals roaming the beach or neighborhood looking into homes, windows or doors. Your call gives police a record of these incidents and they can react accordingly. Posting on a social network notifies your neighbors, but does little to deter the thieves. Don’t fear the “crying wolf syndrome,” the Police welcome the involvement.
  • We cannot emphasize enough the importance of filing an official report at the Fiscalia if you are the victim of a break-in or personal attack. This report will get the detectives investigating and pursuing the offenders. It also gives the police information to schedule manpower in the case of multiple break-ins in the same area. Without the report it is as if the incident never happened. If you have any issues reporting at the Fiscalia, don’t hesitate to contact a member of the BeashAreaNews Team so we can contact the state authorities.

To get the best help from 911, there are things you can and should do NOW to ensure that you receive emergency help as soon as possible.

  1. KNOW YOUR ADDRESS IN SPANISH.  You may not be able to “speak Spanish,” but you can certainly type your address into Google Translate in English and copy the translation.  There is even a button on your screen that will say it out loud so you can practice it.
  2. KNOW A FEW CRITICAL SENTENCES like “I need the police” (“necesito la policia”) or “I need an ambulance” (“Necesito una ambulancia”).  We have a list of useful sentences in Spanish, along with a downloadable script of probable questions and responses on our Website; download and print it.
  3. PLAN FOR FAST MEDICAL RESPONSE.  A few minutes of faster response can have a life-saving impact on the situation. There are ambulances stationed here at the beach; you might get one faster by calling directly–Beach Area News is working to determine reliable numbers for doing this.  But do you have a neighbor with medical training or who knows CPR?  It is another good reason to
  4. GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS.  This may be the most important single thing you can do to enhance your safety and security, and you will be helping them as well.  Anyone bilingual is a very special resource who can help with emergency or other phone calls or helping you explain what’s happening to the responders who come to see you.

NEW HOSPITAL TO OPEN IN MERIDA

The long-awaited Hospital Faro del Mayab is set to open before the end of October!  This new facility is aimed at a high-end local and medical tourism market, so the facilities incorporate the latest in health care technology and services.  More than half of their staff will speak English.

Three members of your Beach Area News team attended a tour for extranjeros on Friday October 11. The Hospital Administrator gave an opening presentation and we got to meet most of the department heads, including the Chief Medical Director.  There was also a presentation by a representative from Amexcare, a US company that assists holders of US-issued health insurance policies in determining their Mexico coverage, and in filing for and receiving benefits at participating hospitals
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There is too much detail go go into here, but you can find out much more at these Websites:

Welcome to the fall and winter season at the beach!
Your Beach Area News Team
Speranza Avram, Dave Bloch, Karen Cloutier, David Nevers, Bob Rentz

Photos from 11 Oct 2019 Hospital Faro Tour

Beach Area News is not recommending the hospital nor the companies and organizations mentioned on this page.  This article is only a report on our visit.

The group gathered in the lobby waiting area

…and then heard a presentation by the Hospital Administrator, Medical Director and other key staff people.

There was also a presentation by Amexcare, a billing services provider that contracts with many hospitals in Mexico to assist patients whose insurance companies are in the USA with billing and payment issues.

Then we began our tour of the hospital. Some areas were closed off; they are in the final cleaning and sterilization processes prior to the hospital opening (hopefully in two weeks).  Here is the atrium.

 

 

 

 

 

In this room for the examination of newborns, the ear-shaped LED sign up above warns people that they are making too much noise.

We visited a standard room, called a “Junior Suite.”

This is a Master Suite.  The main patient’s room is through the door; this is a separate salon with sofas, chairs, TV and its own bathroom.

The hospital has all the latest imaging equipment including X-ray, tomography (CT Scan) and MRI.

This is a portion of the laboratory:

As you see on this sign,Hospital Faro is part of Christus Muguerza, which is a branch of Christus Health based in Texas and extending into Mexico, Chile and Colombia.