2026 marks 15 years of history, commitment, and transformation for Compañeros En Salud (CES). This organization was founded with a clear vision: health is a human right.
What began in 2010 as a dream led by Dr. Hugo Flores, Daniel Palazuelos, and Lindsay Palazuelos (with the support of global leaders such as Joia Mukherjee and Paul Farmer) to bring the Partners In Health model to Mexico, became an official reality in 2011.
Visita de Paul Farmer con el equipo comunitario de Compañeros En Salud
In early 2012, we renovated the first two rural clinics in the Sierra de Chiapas and welcomed our first class of interns. We understood that transforming healthcare did not simply mean opening clinics, but rather building a model of care that is accessible, community-based, and deeply human, strengthening community health from within.
That same year, we expanded our work to six clinics and launched the CHWs program (Acompañantes). This unique approach evolved from the traditional model of health promoters to integrate and empower primarily women from the communities themselves to support patients with chronic illnesses, strengthening treatment adherence and follow-up while contributing to a more equitable and sustainable system.
Since our inception, we have worked alongside communities to strengthen a healthcare system that provides a priority option for those who need it most.
Mariana Montaño, Valeria Macías y Hugo Flores brindando atención en la Sierra de Chiapas.
Between 2013 and 2017, we consolidated programs that addressed historical barriers to access in the region:
- Right to Health: The Right to Health program provides support for transportation, referrals, and specialized care, reducing economic and geographic barriers and ensuring dignified, accessible, and equitable healthcare for hundreds of people in the Chiapas Highlands.
- Mental Health: The program provides accessible and culturally appropriate care in rural communities by training local staff and offering specialized treatment.
- We organize brigades and conduct active door-to-door screenings to detect diseases in various communities.
- We inaugurated the first Casa Materna in Jaltenango to provide dignified, safe, and person-centered childbirth care, and we incorporated clinical training for nursing and obstetrics interns.
- We launched a surgical care project in collaboration with the Ángel Albino Corzo Basic Community Hospital, equipping the operating room to reduce the backlog of surgical procedures in the region.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we adapted our services to ensure safe care during one of the most challenging times for healthcare systems. We established a Respiratory Disease Center and redesigned community strategies to continue supporting patients even under adverse conditions.
In 2023, we took another important step with the inauguration of the Maternity Center in Siltepec, bringing respectful childbirth care closer to thousands of families in the Sierra Madre who previously had to travel long distances to access dignified maternal care.
Equipo de Atención Primaria, Equipo de Mantenimiento y Equipo de Acompañantes
Today, CES operates services and programs in close collaboration with public health institutions, health centers, maternal care centers, and a basic community hospital:
- Maternal Health
- Chronic Diseases
- Mental Health
- Surgery
- Community health workers
- Health education
The greatest impact of these 15 years cannot be summed up in infrastructure, programs, or statistics. It lies in the transformed lives, in patients who gained access to dignified care, in communities that were strengthened from the local level, and in generations of colleagues in the health sector.
Equipo de Casa Materna Jaltenango, Equipo de Programas en la comunidad Laguna del Cofre y Equipo de Logística
After a decade and a half of working alongside communities, we have begun a transition toward a working model that seeks to further strengthen public health. With a focus on community-driven innovation and close collaboration with the health sector to ensure sustainability and local capacity-building, we are committed to a future where health is a right for everyone.
All of this has been possible thanks to the people who have believed in us and walked alongside us: our team, communities, donors, interns, volunteers, and partners. Thank you for being part of these 15 years of believing that another healthcare system is possible—one that listens, walks alongside, and learns with people.
For the past 15 years, Compañeros en Salud has worked alongside communities in the Sierra Madre and Frailesca regions of Chiapas to bring healthcare where it’s needed most. Every donation helps us continue building a more equitable healthcare system in Jaltenango and Siltepec. Thank you for walking with us.