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C2C clinics receive high scores for quality by the Haitian Ministry of Health
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C2C Overhauls Community Health Program
Dr. Samuel Bernard leads a training session with the new cadre of C2C Community Health Workers
Dear Friends,
As you know, we opened our fourth clinic last month as part of our formal collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health to create a public-private partnership (PPP) to rehabilitate existing public clinics to achieve high benchmarks of service delivery and quality.
We know that rehabilitating clinic buildings and ensuring that doors are open to patients each day doesn’t necessarily improve the health of a community. Poor families need support to be able to consistently access care and to be empowered with the health education they need to make healthy choices. That’s why we pair our clinical services with community health programming: services that complement clinic-based care with community-based screenings, home visits, and education opportunities.
Earlier this year, we overhauled the scope of our existing community health programming by hiring a new cadre of 8 Community Health Workers (CHWs) devoted solely to home-based follow-up to the clinic experience. CHWs can close a critical gap in the continuum of care, helping to ensure measurable clinical improvements for patients. It’s an exciting evolution for our organization and we want to be able to offer this level of accountability to our key stakeholders: our patients.
The New Community Health Initiative:
Program Highlights:
- Each C2C clinic is now staffed with two clinical personnel devoted solely on home-based and community-based care and follow-up: one Community Health Nurse and one Community Health Agent.
- CHWs conduct home visits, provide education at churches and schools, and convene free health screenings each week to educate community members about the most common threats to health: unclean food and water, poor hygiene, chronic conditions, nutrition, the importance of childhood immunizations, and sexual health.
- This initiative targets some of the most common illnesses we treat in our clinics: acute respiratory infections, anemia, typhoid, and hypertension.
- CHWs are assigned to follow-up at the household level for every patient diagnosed with these illnesses to ensure that the continuum of care is complete and that our patients are not just receiving services, but that they are getting well.
- CHWs will bring with them the necessary medication or follow-up diagnostics or monitoring tools to the patient’s home, such as tablets, blood pressure cuffs and pneumonia monitors to assess and record the health profile of a patient at home or in the community.
CHWs are a vital link between clinic and patient. This level of service delivery is unprecedented in Haiti and we believe that we can demonstrate significant gains against baseline data, proving that the CHW model for follow-up care is measuring improved health outcomes.
Reflections on Opening the Sinek Clinic & the start of a Public-Private Partnership
One month after the grand opening of the Sinek clinic and, though its impact isn’t fully defined yet, we can clearly see that the community is happy to see its doors open. We began to experience a daily high volume of patients right on opening day. Sinek, the 4th clinic in C2C’s growing network of community clinics, is surrounded by a population of nearly 20,000 people. Prior to its re-opening, the community lacked access to reliable, high-quality medical services.
We recently sat down with C2C’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Samuel Bernard, to reflect on the journey of re-opening the Sinek clinic, its success in such a short period of time, and to discuss C2C’s model evolution towards a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Dr. Samuel told us that he was very excited about C2C’s partnership with Haiti’s Ministry of Health (MSPP) and, in particular, the renovation of failing public clinics. This partnership gives us the ability to breathe “new life” into these existing clinics. Dr. Jasmin, the Director of the Northern Department at the Haitian Ministry of Health, was just as thrilled as we were to embark on this mutually-beneficial journey.
Dr. Bernard shares his reflections about embarking on the PPP journey that begins with the grand opening of Sinek:
Addressing Concerns:
We knew Sinek was the right place to start, considering the clinic wasn’t functional: patients never saw a doctor- only a nurse assistant and did not have any meds, exams, or lab tests to offer. At the same time, we knew we had to tackle a mountain of challenges before opening day. Despite the best efforts of the government to staff and equip a public clinic in Sinek, there simply was not enough public funding to pay salaries, secure the supply chain, or provide electricity or running water.
In order to tackle the internal issues and operations of the clinic, we had to address the many external challenges, such as:
- Sourcing construction materials that weren’t available in Haiti
- Assessing the community and understanding what types of services they need
- Educating the community about C2C’s model and how it differs from the public clinics
Grand Opening:
Community members were excited and happy to see the changes to the clinic.
The Ministry of Health was glad to see that the clinic was supporting the community and that we wanted to include their input throughout the re-opening process. We had an overwhelming amount of feedback stressing that this is the only clinic that the community has and that they so are glad that they can depend on it to stay open and functional. The renovations to the clinic (from the inside and out) showed that our partnership with the government was headed in the right direction and it gave people hope that the Public-Private Partnership was indeed a winning model.
C2C Model Evolution:
Since the early years in Haiti, C2C developed methods for community-based market research, established key partnerships, built a local brand, and iterated core operating protocols (staffing, task-shifting, electronic medical records, quality standards). We believe that our model, having demonstrated both health impact and business traction, is ready for replication to new communities.
C2C is growing its network in northern Haiti. We now operate 4 clinics with plans to open another 6 clinics in the next two years, reaching 50,000 people annually by 2020. We have always worked in close collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health, offering national priority programs like immunizations and antenatal care free-of-charge. Starting with Sinek, we have begun to formally expand our collaboration with the Ministry to a public-private partnership (PPP) model, rehabilitating existing public clinics to achieve high benchmarks of service delivery and quality, by adopting the C2C model for clinic management.
Sinek patients have welcomed C2C with open arms and are happy that the clinic is clean, safe, professional, and trustworthy. This successful start to the partnership gives Haiti’s government hope that replication in other communities is possible and on a path to transforming healthcare in Haiti.
Clinic Launch Series: Part 1 of 5- Transforming the Pharmacy
Dear Friends,
Last week, we announced that C2C will officially open the doors of a new clinic in Sinek, northern Haiti, next month. This will be the 4th clinic in our growing network of community clinics. The community of nearly 20,000 lacks access to reliable, high-quality medical services. Despite the best efforts of the government to staff and equip a public clinic in Sinek, there simply isn’t enough public funding to pay salaries, secure the supply chain, or provide electricity or running water. C2C is proud to partner with the Haitian government to give the Sinek clinic a “new life” and to serve the community in perpetuity.
Step One: Guarantee a reliable supply chain for essential medicines.
Under government management, the Sinek clinic is able to stock only 6 to 8 different medicines and regularly experiences stock-outs because of failures up the supply chain. Under C2C’s model, the Sinek clinic will stock over 35 medicines. Reliability is a fundamental brand attribute of C2C clinics: we promise our patients that the medicine they need will always be in stock. We’ve developed an inventory and supply chain system that leverages efficiencies across the clinic network.
See our “before and after” photos below! The transformation of the Sinek pharmacy is well underway and we cannot wait to welcome our first patients to the revitalized public clinic in April.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Stay tuned as we bring you more information next week about how the clinic is transforming. But first, a CALL TO ACTION! We would appreciate if you could take just a moment to do the following:
- Follow us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn - Forward this email to a friend and ask them to follow C2C!
We want to build our community of supporters and advocates far and wide so that the community of Sinek and the new clinic know that we are following their success!
Clinic Launch Series: Part 5 of 5- Grand Opening of the New Clinic!
Dear Friends,
After several months of planning and hard work, we are excited to announce that the newly renovated C2C Sinek clinic is finally open to the public! The opening of this clinic marks an important milestone in Haiti’s healthcare sector.
While this is the 4th clinic in C2C’s growing network, it is the first clinic re-opening project as part of a new public-private partnership (PPP) strategy to rehabilitate underperforming government clinics across the country. This innovative partnership with Haiti’s government allows C2C to identify flagging public clinics and give them a “new life” of operational excellence and health impact.
Step Five: Strengthen the relationship between the clinic and Sinek community to effectively address and meet community needs
Dr. Jasmin addressing the community members and staff at new Sinek clinic grand opening
In an effort to ensure a smooth transition at Sinek, we invited the community to attend the grand opening ceremony last week. Many community members were in attendance, as well as local government leaders and the Director of the Northern Department at the Haitian Ministry of Health, Dr. Ernst-Robert Jasmin. All attendees got the opportunity to take a tour of the clinic and learn about its new and wide-ranging services. In his opening remarks, Dr. Jasmin said:
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We began the journey to transform the Sinek clinic by leveraging the assets the Ministry of Health already had in place. While a clinic building already stood at the site, its infrastructure was in very poor condition. As construction got underway to ensure a proper foundation, we also trained newly-hired and current staff members to standardize clinic operations and to integrate electronic medical records at Sinek.
The “before” and “after” photos (below) illustrate the transformation process of the Sinek clinic:
Clinic Renovation
BEFORE: Despite the best efforts of the government to staff and equip the clinic,
there simply isn’t enough public funding to pay salaries, secure the supply chain,
or provide electricity or running water.
AFTER: As C2C took over this flagging public clinic, we mitigated structural and
many other physical issues to the existing site. The renovation process has already
given the clinic a “new life”.
Patient Waiting Area
BEFORE: Sinek is a rural community with a population living below Haiti’s poverty
line (less than $2/day). They lack access to basic goods and services, like clean
water and reliable healthcare.
AFTER: By renovating the clinic, such as the patient waiting area, we are working
hard to ensure that this new and improved Sinek clinic will be a hub for local
families and meet their health needs.
Pharmacy
BEFORE: Under government management, the clinic regularly
experienced stock-outs because of failures up the supply chain.
AFTER: Under C2C’s model, we guarantee a reliable supply chain to
ensure that the pharmacy is always fully-stocked with essential meds.
Laboratory
BEFORE AFTER
Consultation Room
BEFORE AFTER
Stay tuned as we bring you more news about the clinic and patient stories in the coming months. But first, we need your help in getting the word out about our first PPP clinic opening! if you could take just a moment to do the following:
- Follow us on social media: Facebook ,Twitter, LinkedIn
- Forward this email to a friend or family member & ask them to follow C2C!
We want to build our community of supporters and advocates far and wide so that the community of Sinek and the new clinic know that we are following their success!
April is Conference month: Skoll World Forum, Innovations in Healthcare, and Global Health & Innovation
April was a busy month for C2C! With preparations underway to open the newest clinic in our network, it was all hands on deck. At the same time, C2C staff was thrilled to participate in the following conferences last month:
- Skoll World Forum:
Elizabeth Sheehan, C2C President & Co-Founder, attended the 2018 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford, England. The highly-anticipated week-long event brought together social entrepreneurs from around the world to discuss and tackle the world’s most pressing problems such as the role of technology in improving health outcomes and lifting people out of poverty.
A key takeaway came from one session in particular, “Emerging Technologies: Shifting the Path from Poverty to Prosperity”. The discussion debated how the impact of rapid technological change on developing countries can benefit the poorest populations. Our friends at LivingGoods, who were part of this session, is looking at how technological innovations can improve health outcomes. They also explained that “there are many hurdles to overcome in using mobile technology to provide health advice and support. It is essential that services are designed to take these factors into account and find ways around these obstacles“. Other expert panelists agreed that emerging technology and its impact were just too simplified and should address the communities they are meant to serve. - Innovations in Healthcare Annual Forum:
Allison Howard-Berry, C2C Executive Director & Co-Founder, attended the 2018 Innovations in Healthcare (IiH) Annual Forum in Washington, DC. This two-day annual gathering brings together innovators and leaders in the social, private, and public sector to collaborate and exchange ideas and insights to support the scale and impact of promising healthcare innovations.
IiH introduced their new 2018 cohort who focus on care delivery, as they shared their strategies to ensure that the diverse populations they work with have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Congratulations to Biofourmis, Living Goods, OneWorld Health, and Reina Madre! - The Global Health & Innovation Conference:
Unite for Sight’s 2018 Global Health & Innovation Conference is the leading global health conference held at Yale University in New Haven, CT. This thought-leading conference convenes leaders, changemakers, and participants from all sectors of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship.Catherine Guillou-Ouellette, C2C Program Manager in Haiti, flew in to participate and hear from various panels such as one by Jeffrey Sachs, Economist and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, titled “How Health For All Is Within Our Grasp”. He gave a powerful presentation about prioritizing the strengthening of national public health systems in poor countries. We are happy to hear that Mr. Sacks is making a compelling case for what C2C is doing on the ground in Haiti through our strategic Public-Private Partnership with Haiti’s Health Ministry.
As C2C’s newest clinic gears up for the grand opening, we are grateful for the opportunity to keep learning and applying successful and effective strategies to continue expanding access to health services for vulnerable communities in Haiti!
C2C Wins Henry Schein Cares Silver Medal
Bill Barr, Vice President, Medical Marketing, Henry Schein, Inc.; Stanley Bergman, Chairman and CEO, Henry Schein, Inc.;
Dr. Samuel Bernard, C2C Chief Operating Officer; Racha Yehia, C2C Clinic Operations Manager; Jennifer Kim Field, Vice President,
Global Social Responsibility, Henry Schein, Inc.; Brad Connett, President, U.S. Medical Group, Henry Schein, Inc.
Dear Friends,
We are excited to share that C2C was awarded the Silver Medal in the Medical category of the third annual Henry Schein Cares Medal program, which took place at the Henry Schein Medical’s National Sales Meeting on April 12 in San Antonio, Texas.
C2C was recognized for its commitment to provide high-quality, low-cost health care to vulnerable families in northern Haiti. C2C clinics demonstrate that access to basic care, prevention education, and community support can be transformative and can save lives.
The Henry Schein Cares Program honors organizations from the fields of oral health, animal health, and medicine that demonstrate excellence in expanding access to care for the underserved. Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, presented the medals to C2C and two other organizations, The Night Ministry (Chicago, Illinois) and Community Volunteers in Medicine, Inc. (West Chester, Pennsylvania). You can read the full press release here.
Thank you Henry Schein Cares for your commitment to helping C2C continue to provide access to care for vulnerable families in Haiti!
Clinic Launch Series: Part 4 of 5- Why a Public-Private Partnership?
In Haiti, over 80% of the population is living below the poverty line – that’s over 8 million people in need of economic opportunity, education, and human services. Social challenges of this magnitude cannot be tackled in isolation.Working together, the public and private sectors can catalyze development across the country. At C2C, we believe that the health sector is in desperate need of transformation and that a public-private partnership model has the power to give “new life” to flagging public health facilities. The Haitian Ministry of health agrees and has endorsed our work:
“C2C has demonstrated over many years that they hold the highest standards for quality and affordability. Their clinics are models of operational excellence and I believe that C2C’s operating model can transform public sector clinics across Haiti. C2C is a valued partner of the Haitian Ministry of Health,” said Dr. Ernst-Robert Jasmin, Director of the Northern Department, Haitian Ministry of Health
Step Four: Partner with the government to transform struggling public clinics and improve health outcomes for poor families
Starting with the Sinek clinic, our growing network of clinics will leverage the assets the Ministry of Health already has in place – infrastructure, trained personnel, and a commitment to data collection – by taking that system to the next level to fill the gaps that break down care delivery and undermine access and quality.
Our partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Health will double patient volume, ensure timely vaccination coverage for all children in the Sinek community, triple the pharmacy stock, and add diagnostics capacity on-site.
Rehabilitating the new clinic site at Sinek
Clinic Launch Series: Part 3 of 5- Meet the Staff of the Sinek Clinic
While a newly-renovated space, electronic medical records, and a stocked pharmacy are key components of a thriving community clinic, nothing is more important than the motivated and talented clinical staff who deliver care to patients each day. In our effort to rehabilitate government clinics, C2C will recruit, hire and train clinic personnel as needed. Fortunately, in Sinek, we inherit an extraordinary team of long-standing public employees who are excited about the management transformation that will give them the tools they need to deliver high-quality primary care.
Step Three: Staffing the clinic with talented, supported medical personnel
Meet Carmelle, the current Nurse Manager at the Sinek clinic. She has worked at the clinic for 11 years and has done everything in her power to care for patients. But the Ministry of Health as virtually no resources to support Carmelle in her efforts, so she has had to juggle competing demands: clinical care, inventory management, financial management, home-based care for tuberculosis patients, medical records and countless other functions. Carmelle is hopeful of change:
“For me, this partnership between C2C and the Ministry of Health can finally change things for the better in Sinek,” she says. “By coming together, we’ll build up the clinic to serve the local people with what they need. I’ve tried, but I need support. The arrival of C2C means that I won’t have worry about having supplies or medications for my patients. I won’t have to worry about leaving the clinic to go to town to find medicine to stock the shelves. C2C will make my life easier and I will have more time to give to my patients. I will get to do my job.”
Carmelle’s commitment to the clinic’s success and to the community of Sinek is evident. She shares her excitement for the community:“Finally, the people of Sinek will have access to health services. Usually, they have to travel to Limbé [the nearest town, 45 minutes away by car] for health services because the clinic here just isn’t able to take care of them. Now that C2C is here, the Sinek clinic will be able to take care of its own community.”