C2C’s first patient in Acul du Nord was Mina, pictured above, a 4-year-old who lives nearby with her grandmother and siblings. She has been having stomach troubles, and her grandmother was at the front of a long line on opening day. Her grandmother shared that the clinic services and staff were excellent, and she knows exactly where she will bring her grandchildren any time they do not feel well!
Thanks to supporters, this clinic is just one of two we will open this year. Each clinic will serve thousands of patients each year. Special thanks to the group of generous alumni from the College of the Holy Cross and the Emerging Markets Trade Benefit for providing the funding necessary to open this clinic in a new community.
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C2C Founder, Elizabeth Sheehan, Reflects on Motherhood Worldwide
As Mother’s Day approaches, I pause to give thanks for my two teenagers. In this pause, too, come other feelings and images, as I remember the mothers and babies I recently met in Namibia.
My son, Benjamin, and I travelled to the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) – a temporary settlement of about 10,000 people outside of Swakopmund, Namibia.
As we flew over vast desert and caught our first glimpses of the area, I thought it was beautiful to look at but must be harsh to live in. I was looking forward to observing the C2C clinic, which has been working in partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Health for the last two years. The clinic is part of the Ministry’s outreach program aimed at reducing the country’s stubbornly high maternal and infant mortality rates.
Thousands of families have moved from rural areas in this enormous, but sparsely populated country to find work in larger cities like Swakopmund. They end up living in vast stretches of temporary slum dwellings constructed of cardboard and scrap metal. These communities stretch for miles, housing poor families. Very few houses have electricity, heat or running water. Jobs are scarce and the weather is harsh.
As a mother, my primal need to keep my children healthy, well fed and safe would be very challenged here. Before the C2C clinic opened, a pregnant woman in the DRC had to walk several miles to access health care. She would lose a day of work, travel with other small children and wait for many hours to be seen. Now, she travels far less distance and knows that she will be treated quickly and receive all of her antenatal care, including vitamins and blood tests (including HIV and TB). Local nurses who speak her language will greet her. She will participate in health education sessions focusing on nutrition, self-care, and signs of danger in pregnancy.
As I reflect on Mother’s Day, I think how easy it might be to take a safe home, high-quality health care, nutritious food, and a million other things for granted. I think of the mothers worldwide whose lives look very different from ours. I am proud to be part of a wonderful organization like C2C that is meeting the health needs of a very vulnerable community of women whose greatest wish is also mine – healthy, happy children.
As you think of your mother – or your children – next weekend, please consider making a gift to the women and children C2C serves. You can:
- Make a gift to C2C in honor of your mother or other special women in your life. We will send each honoree a special card in the mail notifying her of your gift.
- Volunteer in our office. Help us with fundraising, filing, communications, or in a capacity that takes advantage of your skills.
- Tell a friend about C2C – send him or her our video and share why C2C is important to you.
- Buy tickets to C2C’s June 13th Selebrasyon – and bring your mom!
C2C Awarded Learning Grant From The Center For Health Market Innovations
C2C is honored to have been selected as a recipient of a “Learning Exchange” grant from the Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)! CHMI is an organization that promotes programs, policies and practices that make quality health care delivered by private organizations affordable and accessible to the world’s poor. The goal of the Learning Exchange grant is to allow organizations, like C2C, to collaborate and share insight and experience about our shared efforts to increase access to health services. During the grant period, C2C will collaborate with <a class="profileLink" href="http://www.accessafya sites.com/” target=”_blank” data-gt=”{"entity_id":"270807483024993","entity_path":"WebComposerUploadController"}” data-hovercard=”/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=270807483024993″>Access Afya, an innovative health delivery model in Kenya.
Opening Day is Almost Here!
Care 2 Communities is excited to announce that our newest clinic is scheduled to open May 4, 2015! The clinic, equipped with an exam room, laboratory, and pharmacy, will be located in Acul du Nord in Northern Haiti, serving a community of 50,000 residents.
Months of preparation have gone into this opening. Since January, our team in Haiti has accomplished a great deal:
- 528 household surveys, 4 focus groups, and 18 key stakeholder interviews have been completed, illuminating health care needs in Acul du Nord, as well as service and pricing expectations.
- 1 site has been secured, through C2C’s partnership with the Mayor’s office in Acul du Nord and the Ministry of Health in Haiti’s Northern Department.
- 2 Shipping Containers (containing exam spaces as well as room and equipment for a full laboratory and pharmacy) have been rehabbed and moved from our previous location in Port-au-Prince (where they are no longer necessary) to the prepared site in Acul du Nord.
- 12 Local Advisory Committee members have been recruited and are currently advising C2C on service mix, opening events, pricing, and more.
- 2 Community Health Workers have been hired and trained, and are currently visiting at least 15 households every day to share health and clinic information with families in Acul du Nord and the surrounding area.
- 1 doctor, 2 nurses, and 1 lab technician, have been hired in Acul du Nord, and can’t wait to begin training and work on April 20th!
- 1 well is being drilled to supply the clinic with clean, fresh water.
This clinic would not have been possible without the generous support of a number of alumni from the College of the Holy Cross and the Emerging Markets Trade Association, to whom we are truly grateful!
Check back later in the month for more updates on the Acul du Nord clinic, and feedback from opening day!
The C2C Board Is Growing!
Our team continues to grow! Care 2 Communities is thrilled to announce our newest Board member, Nicole Sahin. Nicole joins us as we prepare for the May opening of our newest clinic, in Acul du Nord, Haiti.
Nicole is CEO and Founder of Globalization Partners, a company that breaks down barriers to global business by making it easy for companies to hire overseas. She has spent her career helping technology companies, universities and nonprofits launch new operations in more than 80 countries. Nicole was recently nominated for EY 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year award.
With her drive to support self-sustaining philanthropic endeavors, Nicole lead a team of women to co-found a school for children in rural Cambodia. The school enabled local kids to leap over the digital divide by providing access to internet technology, solar electricity and English language teachers.
Said Nicole, “I’ve spent my entire career doing international work and am always cautious working in developing countries with changing political systems. I joined Care 2 Communities after careful due diligence because I personally know and trust the Board of Directors and founding team; because our business model has a focus on sustainability and community self-sufficiency; and because I want to play some small role in propelling the world toward a time when all people have access to excellent healthcare. I’m delighted to share in this mission with my friends and colleagues at C2C.”
C2C Supporter Shares Thoughts on Her Recent Trip to Haiti
I arrived in Haiti with some “book knowledge” of the country’s history, the impact of its earthquake five years ago, and its current political, economic and social challenges. Like an armchair quarterback, though, I had no idea of the realities in the field. My senses were overwhelmed. My initial impressions are still a jumble of words, phrases and images that hit me: goats in the garbage; rubble or the beginnings of renewal; color, color, color; chaos, activity, energy; life lived on the street curb; pigs, urban pigs; activity and idleness side by side; social engagement; community.
We had a full and rewarding visit to the C2C clinic in the village of Camp Coq, where I found three crucial components. First, the local Steering Committee is comprised of respected men and women in the community. We heard from them about the value the clinic provides to Camp Coq and the opportunities they see ahead.
Next is the clinic. It is well situated near the school and church in the village, well maintained and clean, well designed, well equipped, and well stocked. The valued, local staff members are special. A professionally trained Haitian team provides clinical services and education at the clinic and in the community. We listened as these individuals spoke confidently about their roles and with pride in their contribution to this community.
Finally, the C2C model is so special because of local community support and involvement. We met patients and heard their personal stories. Among the numerous messages they communicated, two themes stayed with me: 1) the convenience and efficiency of access to local care, and 2) their comfort and confidence with the local staff.
Although this is a small, rural village in an exceedingly poor country, this is a vibrant and engaged community. Community members were generous with their hospitality, patient with our travel delays, and appropriately proud of the village’s hallmarks, including the clinic and their library. Camp Coq appeared to be a supportive and inclusive village, and the C2C clinic fits right in. I really value having had the experience to see the C2C model in action. I’m excited about C2C’s plans to bring its unique model of sustainable primary healthcare to new communities in the developing world.
Center for Health Market Innovations Features C2C in New Primary Care Innovator’s Handbook
In an effort to share best practices and encourage partnership and conversation among primary care innovators, the Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI) recently released a new guide to innovation in primary care, The Primary Care Innovator’s Handbook: Voices from Leaders in the Field.
C2C is featured in the handbook as one of a handful of innovators in this growing field, and is honored to be a part of the global conversation. We believe, along with CHMI and experts from the World Health Organization, that primary care is an absolutely critical part of saving lives in the developing world. The straightforward interventions and preventive care offered by primary care providers combat the most common causes of premature death worldwide, and sharing lessons learned helps ensure that organizations like C2C are able to provide the best possible services to patients.
Next Billion is highlighting the handbook and important innovations in development through a series of blog posts. Please follow us on Facebook to be notified as the next posts are published.
C2C Board Continues To Grow
Our Board of Directors is growing! Care 2 Communities is proud to announce our newest board member, Mona Eliassen. Mona joins as our first new board member for 2015, and will be jumping right into planning efforts as we work toward our newest clinic opening in Northern Haiti this spring!
Considered an industry leader in technology staffing solutions, Mona is the founder of Eliassen Group, a technology staffing and consulting firm. Mona has worked with clients ranging from small startups to Fortune 1000 companies. She was listed as one of Boston Magazine’s “Power: 100 Women Who Run This Town” in 2003, and has been inducted into the Women’s Business “Hall of Fame”.
Mona said, “I am excited to join the Board of C2C, an innovative organization with an inspiring founder, Elizabeth Sheehan. I had the opportunity to visit Haiti last year to see first-hand C2C’s impact in communities they serve, and was impressed with both the business model and the buy-in from the community. I knew that my donation would be used efficiently to provide quality services for families in Haiti, and now I’m delighted to dedicate my time to this mission, as well.”
C2C Using Technology to Survey New Communities in Northern Haiti
As C2C explores potential locations for new clinics, we depend on community feedback and data. Collecting this information is never easy, and C2C faces many logistical challenges as we work to understand each community.
For example, in Haiti, most households don’t have street names or house numbers, which makes precise data collection and tracking difficult. When we interview families about their healthcare needs, it’s important that we’re able to spot trends and begin to understand the region as a whole.
To build a full picture of a community, we are now able to collect data on hand-held tablets that pinpoint the GPS coordinates of each household we visit. We train and deploy survey-takers to different neighborhoods, and ensure that they speak with more than 500 households. The tablets’ GPS technology allows us to verify data to be sure that we’re getting the best possible market information. The interaction between any potential patient and survey-taker is personal and private, and we train our survey-takers to treat family health information with respect and confidentiality.
Our new technology allows us to collect much more local information than we have been able to capture in the past with pen and paper online lipitor. We know that this more detailed and reliable information will not only make it easier to select a community for our next clinic; it will also translate into services better tailored to meet the specific needs of our new patient population.
Haiti – and C2C’s First Clinic – Five Years Later
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake hit Haiti and left, by some estimates, more than 300,000 people dead. C2C was in its infancy then, preparing to ship its first clinic fabricated from shipping containers to a community in the Dominican Republic.
We received a call requesting that we redirect the containers to Port-au-Prince, where the City’s largest provider of maternal and child health care, Grace Children’s Hospital, had seen more than 80% of its examination areas and hospital rooms reduced to rubble.
Thus began C2C’s partnership with Grace, a five-year effort that gives us the opportunity to celebrate:
We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Grace. Together, we have provided quality perinatal care in a safe, respectful setting and built a robust community health education program to support that care. We are delighted that the hospital has been able to rebuild most of its infrastructure, and no longer has a need for the exam, lab, and pharmacy spaces in the containers.Looking to the next five years and beyond, these containers will be refurbished to bring care to thousands more families in a new location in Northern Haiti, where C2C is conducting market research to determine the best community for our newest clinic.Haiti is resilient. Although there is much left to do, much has been accomplished following the devastating quake. As the country continues to rebuild, C2C prepares to serve a new community, bringing high-quality, affordable primary care and free community health education to families in need.Today, and always, our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy and we look forward to being part of Haiti’s bright future.
