USAID and the Dominican Republic

Stratagies from 2002-2007 from the office of USAID.

Sustained Improvement in the Health of Vulnerable Populations in the Dominican Republic -

"The strategy will target vulnerable population groups defined generally as those living under the poverty line, with a focus on children, adolescents and women of reproductive age. HIV/AIDS interventions will be focused on the population groups most vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS epidemic." (USAID, 2007)

-This is an excellent article highlighting the iniciatives that are being taken in the Dominican Republic. Though this is a government program, they suggest that this will not be accomplished only by USAID, it will take the collaboration of many organizations, NGOs included.

Click here for the link: http://www.usaid.gov/dr/health.htm

Poverty & Health Iniciatives from NGO's

An interesting and informative article, "Poverty and Health in Developing Countries: Key Actions" in November 2003 answers questions about the possibilities of meeting the Millinium Development Goals. It was a joint effort between WHO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Some key questions included are:

Can improved health reduce poverty?
What is a “pro-poor”health approach?
How can policies outside the healthsector help?
What are global public goods for health and why are they important?
How do trade agreements affect health in poor countries?
How much money is needed to improve health in developing countries?

Read the article from the source here: http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:dcvusxy4Mb0J:www.oecd.org/dataoecd/39/62/18514159.pdf+Poverty+and+Health:+Initiatives+from+NGOs&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us

Global News Updates - PROCOR

Find out how tobacco is affecting cardiovascular disease around the world. Check out ProCor's website to get the latest news and find past articles.

The ProCor Global Tobacco News Update is a bi-weekly feature summarizing news focusing on tobacco control and cardiovascular disease prevention in developing countries.

http://www.procor.org/section_news.asp?section=S1&SiteCode=procor&lang=L1&pn=1

Global burden of coronary heart disease

More than 60% of the
global burden of coronary
heart disease occurs in
developing countries.

This is incredible! I would have guessed that it would occur higher in wealthy countries. Click on this link to see an amazing graph and chart that displays this burden and the healthy years of life lost. http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/cvd_atlas_13_coronaryHD.pdf

The Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and WHO have combined efforts to create a resource for CVD - Cardiovascular and Cerebral Disease.

• The webpage gives this introduction... The atlas addresses the global epidemic of heart disease and stroke in a clear and accessible format. This highly valuable reference material has been designed for use by policy makers, national and international organizations, health professionals and the general public. This picturesque atlas is in six parts:
• Cardiovascular Disease - types
• Risk Factors
• The Burden
• Action
• The future and the past
• World Tables

Each section can be downloaded for reading and research. Follow the link...http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/resources/atlas/en/

A Look at America's Health...

The graphs below were taken from the WHO's Global InfoBase in search of health stats for the USA in the past few years. My blog this week is on Coronary Heart Disease, these graphs give some ideas to the current state of the USA's heart health.

2003 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

2004 HERITAGE Family Study

Body Mass Index takes your height and weight and calculates an index regarding safe health - America's BMI is in an unsafe catagory.

2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
As age rises in the USA, so does Blood Pressure.

Check out your countries stats by clicking on this link http://www.who.int/infobase/report.aspx

A look at Tuberculosis...

World TB incidence. Cases per 100,000; Red = >300, orange = 200-300; yellow = 100-200; green 50-100 and grey <50. Data from WHO, 2006

Tuberculosis

Check out Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for details on TB.

Tuberculosis

...Over one-third of the world's population has been exposed to the TB bacterium, and new infections occur at a rate of one per second.

Check out the disease progression and what and where it affects the body by clicking the link below.

.

Symptoms & Transmission

Wikipedia explains the symptoms of TB as well as the Transmission. Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, A Curable Disease

Tuberculosis and MDR-TB from Partners in Health (pih)
A curable disease that kills millions in the developing world...

• TB kills 5,000 people every day, nearly 2 million people per year.
• More than 2 billion people, almost one-third of the world’s population, are infected with the microbes that cause TB.

TB and HIV/AIDS Read in this section how the HIV/AIDs epidemic is causing a surge in TB deaths.
Drug-resistant TB A crisis that is creating it hard for health workers to get this under control, read more about it by clicking the link below.

MDR-TB can be treated and cured. Read how Multi Drug Resistant TB can happen at Partners in Health... http://www.pih.org/issues/tb.html .

Don't miss this weblink, this IS AIDs! Take the interactive test below.

Step Into Africa With the World Vision Experience: AIDS

Can you survive the journey of a child? The Experience is an interactive exhibit that will transport you to the heart of Africa ... and into the life of a child. Visit the Experience Web site and watch the trailer...

Take Our Online AIDS Test

Fact and fiction swirl around the AIDS crisis. What do you know? Test your knowledge about HIV and AIDS with this interactive quiz. Some answers are obvious — some are not. Take the test...

Experience the First-Ever Global Vigil

Every day, 6,000 children lose a parent to AIDS. Imagine living without Mom. Or Dad. For many children, it's both — all because of this killer called AIDS.World Vision is planning a 24-hour worldwide vigil in advance of World AIDS Day to read the names of 6,000 children who have lost a parent to AIDS.The Global Vigil begins in Toronto at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29. During the following 24 hours, it will roll west through several key U.S. cities, starting with New York, and then across the globe through international cities until the name of each child has been read. The event ends on Friday, Nov. 30, at 9 a.m. back in New York. More...

~~World Vision is a phenominal organization, their work is top quality. You will see this as you view their website, their projects, and their vision for people. Please take a moment to watch the link above and view the children's video trailers at the bottom of the web page when you finish.

A book every MPH student should read!

A young medical student who spends most of his medical training in Haiti practicing what he is learning. He spent years in a place where medicine did not reach the locals and built a thriving clinic that centered around public health needs.

I read this book a year and a half ago and am still inspired by Dr. Farmers experiences. He has broadened his practice to many other countries dealing with multi-drug resistant tb, Aids, hunger, etc...

View the website he founded: Partners in Health at I recommend that each student read this book, you may be able to find it at a local library!

A Women On A Mission...

Developing countries have many needs, where do you start? Check out this video about a women named Carrole Johnson who lives an "unimaginable" life for Christ in Ethiopia for the poorest of the poor...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mwyboQve8

~Anthony and I sponsor a child in Ethiopia, she lives about 450 kilometers to the south of Addis Ababa. We have learned how desperate their lives are there and are glad to hear of others who are meeting that need.

The Contribution of Primary Health Care to the Millennium Development Goals
- A speech from a conference in Argentina by Dr Margaret Chan Director-General of the WHO
..."Obviously, if we want better health to work as a poverty reduction strategy, we must reach the poor. And we must do so with appropriate, high-quality care. What role can primary health care play in this quest?"

Let us look at the reality: Dr. Chan talks about the the delivery system of antiretroviral drugs, the birth attendant crisis, preventable child deaths, gaps in health getting wider, and more.

One area that I found interesting is life expectancy, she stated that it can vary by as much as 40 years between rich and poor countries. I agreed with her statement, "A world that can put a man on the moon should be able to put more children under bednets."

Find out what Dr. Chan has to say about this subject by clicking the link below.

To read the speech in its entierty, please visit http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2007/20070816_argentina/en/index.html

Primary health care led NHS: learning from developing countries
BMJ 1995;311:891-892 (7 October)

Many lessons (webpage at the bottom)

Over the past 30 years a wide range of developing countries have successfully developed a model of primary health care promoted by the World Health Organization.

Read about the health initiatives in Africa, as well the "health for all" model suggested by Halfden Mahler, through primary care attainable for a few dollars a person, by clicking the link below.

Read more on this report at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/311/7010/891

Cultural Barriers...

While researching on the WHO website, I ran across this site I have never heard of. Is anyone else familiar with this organization? Info: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the quality of life of their peoples. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.

International Day of the World's Indigenous People Highlights Health Gaps

Washington, D.C., August 9, 2006 (PAHO)—On the International Day of the World's Indigenous People observed today, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) experts noted that 40 percent of indigenous people in the Americas still lack access to conventional health care services.

Read about how social and cultural barriers are preventing the gaps in health care at the link below.

For further information, please visit their website at http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr060808.htm

Parents Paid for Good Health Practices...

While researching the topic of Controversial Cultural Health Practices, I came upon this video on ABC News that tells about a program that pays parents for taking care of their children. Watch the video by clicking the link below, then read an excerpt the article about Mayor Bloomberg.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3594365&affil=wham

Mayor Bloomberg: Why Not Use Cash as Incentive?
As New York Starts Rewarding Low-Income Parents With Cash, Mayor Defends Plan New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched a $50 million initiative that would pay low-income families to take better care of their children and their health. (ABC News)

From World News with Charles Gibson Sept. 12, 2007
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg defends his new program — a new inititative launched today — to pay low-income families to take better care of their children and their health.
The social experiment, known as Opportunity NYC, modeled on plans designed to break the cycle of poverty in developing countries, was spearheaded by the billionaire mayor, who is using $50 million in private funding.
The program offers 5,000 low-income families payments if they get more involved in their kids' education and health care.
"Some people look at this and say, 'Whoa, you're paying people to do what they should be doing, anyway," ABC's Dan Harris told Bloomberg.
"Absolutely," he responded. "Now, what's the question? Your statement of fact is correct, but that doesn't make it wrong. What is clear is these people aren't doing what we'd like them to do. And so, if the only way you can get them to do it is by paying them, is that better or worse than not having them do it at all?"

By BOB JAMIESONMarch 31, 2007
Earn Cash: Stay Healthy and Stay in School
New York Plans Privately Funded Incentive Program for Beating Poverty's Pitfalls
New York City will experiment with a cash incentive program for the poor to spur good performance in school and healthy habits.
Do cash incentives make better parents? That's what New York intends to find out with a privately funded program focused on some of the city's poorest residents.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the program will make cash payments of up to $5,000 to parents who attend parent-teacher conferences, make sure their children attend school every day and for higher test scores. It will also pay incentives when parents and children receive regular medical checkups, including prenatal care.

CulturedMed

CulturedMed (click this link to go to the website)

Purpose of CulturedMed:
"CulturedMed" at the Peter J.Cayan Library at SUNYIT is a web site and a resource center of print materials promoting culturally-competent health care for refugees and immigrants.
This project provides support to the health care community and newcomers to our country by providing practical information regarding culture and health care from both viewpoints.

"While researching the topic of controversial culture health practices, I found this website that includes information for many different countries on their cultural practices as compared to ours. There is a wide range of topics listed on the left hand side of the screen. I looked up several health issues and only found a reference to the original article which makes it more difficult to search without a link. Have a look at the website, you may be able to pass the information on to others who join our culture but have different views of their own regarding health.

HUNGER NO MORE... (please watch the video at the end of the blog)

I received a link to the World Vision website that told about a World Food Day on Oct. 16th. I have included the article below. My husband and I sponsor several children with World Vision and I have always appreciated their ministry and work towards relieving the suffering of children and families around the world.

World Food Day: Global Hunger Highlighted on Campuses and Capitol Hill

Find out what students across the nation are taking part in regarding the Broken Bread Poverty Meal, that includes one event with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, and AIDS. Click Here: (INTERACTIVE) October 16, 2007By Peter Warski, Assignment Editor, World Vision Advocacy & Communications

Currently, more than 850 million people around the world are suffering from severe hunger.

Compassion Through Experience
Find out what the goal is of this experience by clicking this link http://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/200710_broken_bread

Watch a video about global hunger and what students across the United States are doing to stand in solidarity with those who don't have enough to eat.

GOT HUNGER?

(Click on the picture to view, picture from www.thesharingway.org)

World Hunger is a constant problem which affects millions. I believe all citizens of the world should have the same basic needs met: clean water, food, shelter and proper sanitation. Hunger is an issue I feel passionate about because I think it does not have to exist in our world at this time in history. As I sit in an economically stable and thriving country, I see the waste of food and overindulgence that is prevalent. It does not seem to make sense that some have an unending supply of food and many do not have enough for one meal a day. I wish to see countries with an abundance share their bounty with countries that are in need. This will be my topic of the week.

My First Blog!

This is my first blog ever! I am very excited about the subject we are studying this quarter! It will be fun chatting with past students and meeting new ones.

As soon as I can down load my pictures, I have a video of a black bear cub who wondered into my yard yesterday!! I'll post it soon.

We live up in the mountains of Idaho and have a lot of wildlife through this area. My husband and I work at Project Patch Youth Ranch - http://www.projectpatch.org/ with troubled and hurting teenagers. It is an awsome work but one that is very emotionally and mentally taxing.

Fall is now upon us and we are enjoying cool weather with beautiful red and yellow
colors in the woods.

Check back soon for the young bear cub video!