“When you offer people something they’ve never had before, their gratitude is overwhelming.”— Richard “Rick” MacKenzie, former Senior Vice Chair of Emergency MedicineALLENTOWN, PA, UNITED STATES, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — For over 20 years, the Manos Amigos Clinic in Honduras has delivered medical care to individuals who might otherwise lack affordable options. HNL Lab Medicine is pleased to assist this effort by donating laboratory equipment aimed at helping the clinic maintain its ongoing service to the community.
Manos Amigos traces its roots to Dr. Robert Sumner’s mission trip to La Entrada, Honduras, where he set out to assist those in need. During his time there, he observed the significant obstacles many local residents faced in obtaining medical care. By the end of the week, over 100 individuals had gathered outside a fence, many seeking treatment they ultimately could not receive.
That experience left a lasting impression on Dr. Sumner. Upon returning home, he described his vision for a permanent Honduran clinic that would offer quality medical care to all, regardless of financial circumstances. Thanks to contributions of money, supplies, equipment, time, and expertise, the Manos Amigos Clinic became a reality.
The clinic now serves patients throughout Honduras who have limited access to affordable healthcare. For many, just getting to the clinic presents a significant hurdle.
“A clinic serves a number of villages,” said Richard “Rick” MacKenzie, former Senior Vice Chair of Emergency Medicine and a board member of Serving at the Crossroads. “Those living in the villages often cannot make the journey. Since not everyone can reach the clinic, we’re working to bring care directly to them.”
Depending on the village, travel time to reach the clinic spans from 30 minutes up to an hour and a half. Bringing diagnostic equipment into these remote communities could allow healthcare workers to collect essential patient data without requiring every individual to make the trip.
To support this initiative, HNL Lab Medicine is contributing three handheld laboratory analyzers to Manos Amigos. These devices offer rapid blood testing and deliver key health metrics, such as sodium and potassium levels. The analyzers will provide clinicians with an additional resource to support patients both at the clinic and throughout the villages.
Rick visited Honduras in April and was asked to join the Serving at the Crossroads board in June. Through his work with the organization, he identified the need for point-of-care lab testing. Once he found that the organization lacked the budget to acquire an analyzer, he reached out to HNL Lab Medicine’s point-of-care testing team.
“Many patients are on dialysis and require regular sodium and potassium checks,” Rick explained. “Access to that kind of data is essential for proper patient management.”
The devices also prove useful for patients with conditions that require ongoing monitoring. For instance, someone with COPD living in a distant village might be unable to visit the clinic as frequently as their condition requires.
This donation represents a modest piece of a broader mission built on collaboration, volunteers, and donated resources from the very start. Serving at the Crossroads operates on the principle of “Aid. Inform. Empower.” The group provides resources while also helping local healthcare workers strengthen their ability to serve their own communities.
“People are incredibly grateful when you give them something they lack,” Rick said.
For HNL Lab Medicine, backing Manos Amigos offers a chance to bring both equipment and lab expertise to a healthcare team doing vital work locally. By making essential diagnostic tools more accessible, these analyzers may enable healthcare professionals to make better-informed treatment decisions both at the clinic and in the wider community.
HNL Lab Medicine is proud to stand behind the Manos Amigos Clinic and the healthcare workers committed to expanding access to quality care for the people they serve.
Find out more about the organization here: Serving at the Crossroads
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About HNL Lab Medicine
With more than 28 years of operation, HNL Lab Medicine is a prominent multi-regional, full-service medical laboratory offering testing and related services to physician practices, hospitals, long-term care facilities, employers, and industrial accounts across Pennsylvania. HNL Lab Medicine maintains over 50 patient service centers throughout Pennsylvania and operates 33 acute care laboratories within our partners' hospital locations. The HNL Lab Medicine workforce includes over 2,200 employees, among them more than 109 leading pathologists and scientific directors. Our diverse team of experts is dedicated to providing exceptional medical and technical diagnostic support so that patients can receive faster diagnoses and treatment. Learn more at HNL.com and connect with us on Facebook, TikTok, Vimeo and LinkedIn.
Angelina Schianodicola
HNL Lab Medicine
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