Please check out our blog at http://hhiblog.org for updates on our work in the Dominican Republic. Angi and I have been keeping this blog since we moved to Montellano in October. Thanks for reading!
Beyond Medicine
Submitted by lmcnulty08 on Sun, 04/26/2009 - 22:10
the problem:
In the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic, thousands of Dominicans and Haitians live in poverty without adequate access to primary health care. The burden of chronic disease is growing at an alarming rate, exacerbated by the long-standing prevalence of infectious disease and lack of basic public health services. The health system lacks the resources and personnel to meet the needs of the population. With only 5.9 physicians for every 10,000 residents, and many individuals restricted from health care services by economic, geographic, and social barriers, prevention and treatment are inaccessible to the most vulnerable and marginalized communities of the region.
Hundreds of volunteers from the US and abroad come to the DR each year on short-term medical service trips, but their impact on the health of the population is negligible; or worse, without follow-up or continuity of care, patients may be unintentionally harmed. The capacity of communities to address their own health concerns is not strengthened by short-term medical service trips that work outside of the local health system. International NGOs and people who are passionate about global health can make a difference, but only when their efforts are deeply and sustainably partnered with local communities and the existing health system.
vital stats:
people impacted:
1,500people involved:
60why it's important:
Medical service trips expose volunteers to a piece of our world’s great diversity, and also the connections this diversity allows. The families in remote Dominican villages, doctors who offer their time and knowledge, and student volunteers all come from unique backgrounds and are brought together to share their skills, resources, and visions. As wonderful as these opportunities are, they also highlight serious disparities and injustices that cannot be ignored. Being introduced to these realities through short-term medical service trips necessitates action on a deeper level.
Health is a means to social justice. Developing community health programs that embody true partnership, empowerment, and strengthening, is the essence of global health and effective international development. We believe the problem of primary health care access and community health improvement can be addressed through a long-term commitment to strengthening local health systems, and will result in alleviating the burden of poor health that disproportionately affects the poor.
the plan of action:
Health Horizons International is working to build a new vision of primary health care and community health in partnership with rural and batey communities on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. We support a comprehensive model of health promotion that focuses on addressing health issues in their social, economic, and cultural context. We organize primary care field clinics, staffed by local partners and international medical service trip volunteers, every four months to provide underserved patients with continuity of care and access to a network of sub-specialists. Integrated with the medical service trips is our unique Community Health Workers Program, which trains and manages local individuals in patient care management, community-wide health education, and leadership for community development. HHI is also committed to public health research and project development to effectively address the underlying determinants of health and illness.
Since our founding in 2009, we have provided over 2,500 patient consultations, trained 15 Community Health Workers, enrolled 80 patients in our chronic care management program, facilitated over 90 referrals to sub-specialty care, implemented three public health research projects, and involved over 80 international volunteers in our community-based work.
how you can get involved:
Please visit our website at www.hhidr.org and click on "Get Involved" for current volunteer and job opportunities, as well as recommended reading and resources. You can support our work by making a tax-deductible donation that will go toward our CHW program, medications, patient follow-up care, and research. You can also follow our blog, become a fan on facebook, and sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.
We also welcome feedback and advice about our model. We hope to learn from others' experiences in order to make our organization as effective as possible.
project updates:
12/17/2009
08/22/2009
The last few months have seen many positive developments for Health Horizons International, set in motion both by the Do Something Power In Numbers grant and by the encouragement and support of those dedicated to HHI’s cause.
International Project Development:
With the guidance of many generous individuals who have shared their expertise, knowledge, and advice, Angi and I have continued to develop our objectives and methods for our time in the Dominican Republic. As our overall goal is to improve community health through coordinating medical service trips with locally-based health initiatives, we will be taking a very collaborative approach to implementing our projects, and will engage in regular evaluation and re-assessment of our effectiveness. We plan to approach the goal of health promotion in several ways, including disease prevention initiatives, community health worker education programs, focus groups on the successes and challenges of medical service trips, partnership building with other health-oriented organizations, and infrastructure development to increase the capacity of local health care. Our proposal has been approved by Dr. Bob Amelingmeier, the medical director of Crossroads, and we hope to hit the ground running when we arrive in the Dominican Republic – we officially have one-way tickets for October 1st!
Board of Directors:
We have held two productive and motivating Board meetings to discuss Health Horizons International’s mission and vision, strategize about our long- and short-term plans, and set concrete tasks and goals for moving forward. Led by Dr. Craig Czarsty, HHI’s Board Chair, we have made progress towards becoming a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit, creating a website, establishing formal partnerships with Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant graduate program and the University of Connecticut’s Family Medicine Residency program, and preparing for at least three medical service trips in the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition to the Board meetings, we have been in constant communication through (quite literally) hundreds of emails to coordinate and accomplish the logistics of effectively starting this new organization.
Medical Service Trip Development:
We have also established a partnership with the Community Health Program at Tufts, and are designing an academic course that will culminate in HHI’s medical service trip in January 2010. We recently accepted eight exceptional students out of a competitive applicant pool to participate in this brand new program. Raquel is already hard at work developing a strong curriculum for the fall semester, in collaboration with Tufts CHP professors Edith Balbach, Kevin Irwin, and Linda Sprague-Martinez. Students will learn about methods of community health research and intervention, as well as the social, economic, historical, and cultural context of the Dominican Republic. Using current research on best practices in health promotion, in addition to the data that Angi and I will gather about the needs of the communities in Puerto Plata, they will develop a project to be implemented in conjunction with their participation on the January trip.
Looking forward, the rest of August and September will be focused on logistical preparations for Angi's and my move to the DR, getting the CHP course up and running, and engaging in fundraising efforts.
More updates to come!
04/26/2009
We were recently notified that, after two weeks of reaching out to friends, family, professors, and colleagues to encourage them to vote, our project was selected as one of five Do Something Power In Numbers grant recipients! This $10,000 award will enable us to get our ideas off the ground - and our work is certainly cut out for us. We were amazed and humbled by the incredible outpouring of support that everyone showed for our project, and we are extremely excited to continue sharing our plans and progress.
~Laura, Angi, and Raquel
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