Best Practices in Short-term Medical Missions
In recent years there has been a tsunami of short-term healthcare volunteers going into the developing world; both faith-based and humanitarian. Recent estimates tell us that 29% of students enrolled in medical schools participate in some type of short-term global health project prior to graduation. Dental, nursing, and allied health schools are also beginning to follow suit. Yet, few churches or educational institutions have any knowledge of what constitutes best practices in global health. This workshop will review the six guidelines for best practices in global health as they appear in the book “When Healthcare Hurts: An Evidence Based Guide to Best Practices in Global Health Initiatives”. It will also review the four primary areas of global health best practices which include the following.
1. Patient Safety
2. Healthcare System Integration and Collaboration
3. Facilitation of Health Development
4. Community Empowerment
Women’s Cycle of Life is training by and
for women, developed and designed by
nurses especially trained in maternal and
public health and following the Community
Health Evangelism strategy to bring both
hope and health to women everywhere!
The training (previously called
CHEPS) was first piloted in
Haiti in 1999. Since then, WCL
training has taken place on
every continent around the
globe.
WCL materials are simple,
action oriented and delivered
using a participatory teaching
method that empowers
women to adopt practices
that improve their health and prevent disease.
The method of teaching brings both spiritual
and physical truths to women, improving their
health, the health of their families, and the
health of their community.
The Community Health Evangelism dissemination strategy ensures that the
program is sustainable and multipliable. In
Ethiopia, for example, 17 women att ended
one WCL seminar in 2009 and 23 new trainers
att ended the next one in April 2010. As of June
2010, these women had taught at least one
lesson to 1678 other women.
WCL has grown into a curriculum which
deals directly with women’s health issues
and addresses gender inequality from the
perspective that we are created by God and
created equally. Teachings from the Bible are
used, showing that both men and women are
wonderfully made in God’s sight. The lessons
are basic and simple to teach, making them
easily transferable.
This breakout session will provide a demonstration of a Women's Cycle of Life lesson, samples of women's seminar topic lists, and several strategies for utilizing the curriculum to meet the needs of differing communities.
This is a NEW EMERGING model of empowering the local church to care for the most vulnerable. Globally there has been a growing realization that the church (called civil society in government and UN circles) in its manifold expressions has been under-utilized in developing countries in community development in general and specifically in the fight against HIV and AIDS, especially with the drastic reduction of bilateral aid for HIV and AIDS related projects in developing countries. In addition, the less than successful results of the majority of educational programs promoting prevention has led to the understanding that a corrective pedagogy may be necessary since the content of the material that presented in the various events are sound. In this presentation, the mobilization of the church/civil society in a community in South Africa as well as one in Rwanda which resulted in highly clinical effectiveness will be presented. The Rwanda project has grown from regional to national in scope and focuses on the mobilization of the church/civil society for prevention and care for those infected and affected by the AIDS pandemic with special emphasis on appropriate pedagogical principles. The model, also known as the “Clinical Church” will be presented.
Meaningful segments of data that will be discussed includes: Biomedical - Knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS of the stakeholders; Cultural assumptions - Knowledge of and belief in HIV/AIDS related myths among the stakeholders; Responses (affective) - Affective responses of the stakeholders to the AIDS pandemic; analyses of the pedagogical methodology of the trainers in this community as perceived by the major stakeholders. A detailed descriptive analysis of the pedagogical strategy and context of a pilot project in Rwanda, which includes private and public sector cooperation as well as government participation, will be used to demonstrate the role of the pastor and the church in community based healthcare.
Global health does not stand still. The needs remain high, the priorities change, the field gets ever more complex. Deciding what's the most important way to contribute is a big challenge, whether we are students or experienced professionals or somewhere in between.
And discerning our own gifts and how we can be of most use to God is most important of all
We will explore global health trends and the opportunites for people of faith aginst this background. I hope we will have an interactive session
Medical mission or what I prefer to call Health Care Mission remains a crucial issue for 21st century Christians.
Yes, we need to be fully involved in medical missions but just as important, be effective as people of faith in secular environments where we can be agents of change and transformation.
In this breakout session we will try to discern together how medical missions can help to become more grounded in the needs, realities and paradigms of today and not fight todays battles with yesterdays tools
We will be concerating on primary health and community health perspectives
