• Innovation Prevents Noncommunicable Diseases

    According to the WHO, noncommunicable diseases (NCD), primarily cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are responsible for 63% of all deaths worldwide. 80% of NCD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. While the mortality rate remains high, NCDs are preventable through effective interventions that tackle shared risk factors.

    Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Trustee of the Novartis Foundation, recently wrote:

    “Health systems in [developing countries] are ill-equipped to address this emergency. They are stretched under the pressure of fighting infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, which still make up a majority of deaths in much of the developing world. It will take decades before sufficient health coverage is achieved that can adequately address the scale of the NCD epidemic. We need a new approach hks1njv.

    We can draw some useful lessons from how HIV/AIDS patients were empowered to manage their condition. AIDS was the first experience of managing a ‘chronic’ condition that many low-and middle-income countries had. With the introduction of antiretroviral therapy from the mid-1990s the life expectancy of many AIDS patients increased. Many were able to return to their lives and families instead of being hospital-bound.

    Faced with the prospect of having to care for these patients for potentially a very long time, public health systems mobilised to empower AIDS patients to self-manage their condition with appropriate support from their physicians. This shift to a patient-centered approach – taking chronic care outside of the formal healthcare system and hospitals, and into the community and families – has eased the burden of tackling the epidemic and led to precious resources reaching more people.”

    This is where innovation in healthcare can contribute to solving the NCD problem. C2C has developed a health care delivery system that is built around patients. Our patient-centered care model is often the point-of-entry to the care system for vulnerable people and families. We respond to local health needs by drawing on communication between the community and the clinic. At C2C, we believe that this approach is fundamental to effective primary care as we help Haitian families get well and stay healthy.

    Racha Yehia

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  • Disruption in Healthcare Doesn’t Work

    Entrepreneurs love the concept of disruption in the market. Silicon Valley defines “disruption” as a simpler, cheaper or more convenient alternative to an existing system or product. When it comes to delivering quality healthcare in the developing world, disruption simply isn’t the answer.

    Dr. Caroline Buckee said it best in her Boston Globe Op-ed: “When it comes to addressing epidemics — and a lot of other global challenges — the Silicon Valley startup mentality doesn’t work.” Disruption has become a trend in many spaces among innovators. As for the global health care space, we see more grant guidelines calling for this sort of mentality and problem-solving. While it’s important to encourage innovation in healthcare, we should keep in mind that health care delivery, when supported, is an effective solution to saving lives.

    As Dr. Margaret Chan, World Health Organization Director-General once said, “a primary health care approach is the most effective way to organize a health system.” At Care 2 Communities, we believe that primary care works. When patients have access to high-quality, affordable, reliable healthcare, it means that mothers are able to care for their children, children can stay in school, and the entire community benefits economically from a healthy workforce.

    Racha Yehia

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  • Marching for Women Worldwide

    On an unseasonably warm Saturday morning on the Boston Common, I joined 195,000+ other concerned Americans to show support and solidarity for the principles of the Women’s March. Digging deep into our revolutionary roots (some called it the Boston She Party), we sang, carried signs and basked in the sea of sisterhood. We did not march as sore losers in the political election but stood together to protect fundamental human rights and that includes the rights of all women.

    Ten days earlier, I joined a film crew in Haiti to document the story of C2C’s head nurse, Herlande Duvot. As one of the first C2C employees in northern Haiti, Herlande’s success story has been an integral part of C2C’s success story. She is a clinician and a thought leader, helping us build a sustainable model for community health. A cornerstone of C2C’s mission is access to reproductive health care and Herlande manages C2C’s family planning and women’s health programs – the very services that are under threat in the U.S. Although the Haitian Ministry of Health tries to provide free family planning products to its population, it often falls short due to transportation, supply, and logistical issues. This is where C2C steps in: we prioritize family planning for women and ensure that health care services, education, and products are available to both women and men.

    On January 21st, I locked arms with women I had never met on one side and members of my faith community on the other. I felt supported in doing the hard work of protecting fundamental rights in a changing world. I have always known that women in Haiti want the same opportunities we want for our children here in the U.S., but when they struggle to access family planning services, choices can be hard. So as I marched to protect the rights of my daughter, myself, and millions of other Americans, I also marched for women in Haiti knowing that polices made in the U.S. will trickle down to affect them too and we will continue to march until all women can keep their bodies safe and protected.

    Racha Yehia

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  • Maylennie’s Story: Recovering from Malnutrition

    Maylennie is 23 months old, born in November 2014. Her mother was 22 years old when she was pregnant with Maylennie and her twin, who passed away when just four months old. Maylennie is her 4th child.

    Maylennie’s father lives in the Dominican Republic and works part-time. He can rarely afford to send money to his family. Maleynnie’s mother does not have a job and must care for her four children on her own. She says that she often does not have enough money to feed herself and all her children, but she must do the best with what she has.

    Since birth, Maylennie has experienced many health issues. She was first hospitalized at two months for weight loss and skin infections, but her health never improved. Her mother went to many hospitals and spent a lot on her care, but could not find a treatment that worked.

    Maylennie was the first child to join our malnutrition program on August 24, 2016. On her first day, she weighed 14.9 pounds (6.8 kg), had a height of 64 cm and an arm circumference of 11. She had edema on her feet and legs and was severely malnourished. During her second week, her edema diminished and she weighed only 11.4 pounds (5.2 kg).

    After 12 weeks in the program, Maylennie reached her goal weight and now weighs 19 pounds (8.6 kg). Her mother sees a significant difference in her child, physically and psychologically. She is now much more playful and less shy. She smiles and interacts with other family members, and even strangers which she never used to do. In fact, her mother said that she put on so much weight that, in the last weeks of the program, she could not walk to the clinic while carrying her because she was heavier. Instead, she had to take a moto taxi.

    With the personalized education that Maylennie’s mother received every week on nutrition, health, and hygiene, we are hopeful that Maylenie will keep progressing. We will visit her in three months for a follow up to monitor her health and growth development.

    Maylenie

    Allison Howard-Berry

  • Eye Clinic Day at C2C

    According to the World Health Organization 90% of blindness and vision impairment occurs in developing countries. Blindness is caused by treatable conditions left unexamined: cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive error and diabetic eye disease. Developing countries, like Haiti, offer few eyecare options for populations who live in abject poverty. C2C is committed to tackling this problem for our vulnerable patient population.

    In partnership with Justinien Hospital, a government-run teaching hospital in Cap-Haitien, we recently hosted an eye clinic at our Acul du Nord location. We screened and treated approximately 100 patients for vision problems and cataracts.

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    Allison Howard-Berry

  • Vitamins Help Treat Malnutrition

    Providing the highest quality medical care to vulnerable families takes collaboration. We are proud to partner with Vitamin Angels to source vitamins for malnourished children and for our maternal patients, including antenatal multivitamins and supplements.

    Recently, C2C Nurse Herlande Duvot attended a training course by Vitamin Angels on how to distribute vitamins according to expert-approved best practices. The training focused on the benefit of multivitamins for pregnant women, especially vitamin A. Vitamin Angels also discussed their mission to reduce child mortality worldwide by connecting essential micronutrients with infants and children under five.

    This partnership with Vitamin Angels strengthens C2C’s supply chain and empowers our work to support women through safe and healthy pregnancies and to combat malnutrition. C2C is proud and excited to partner with Vitamin Angels in Haiti to expand our services for women and children for years to come.

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    Allison Howard-Berry

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  • CHW Training: Week Two

    Week One of CHW training ended on a high note with vaccination practice, led by Dr. Sévère and Miss Noël, Auxiliary Nurse at the Acul du Nord clinic.

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    During Week Two, we were honored to host Miss Rose Edith, a midwife and nurse at MamaBaby Haiti. She took the time to talk to the staff about looking after mother and child after birth, breastfeeding, and child nutrition after 6 months. The staff had the opportunity to discuss myths and misconceptions regarding childbirth and childcare that are still prevalent in Haiti. Miss Edith also shared how to properly address these issues with mothers. Her input added great insight to the training!

    We also welcomed Dr. Thal, C2C’s OBGYN, who talked about HIV and other STIs, as well as different forms of contraception.

    The CHWs spent the rest of the week practicing the education portion of the community health training and screenings, according to new requirements. Some of the subjects covered were about cholera, the importance of clean water and how to treat it.

    To cap off the two-week training, we practiced with the new data collection tools and how to conduct postpartum visits. We concluded our time with a discussion about the qualities that make a great CHW.

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    Allison Howard-Berry

  • CHW Training: Week One

    C2C is kicking off November with a comprehensive, 2-week training for our Community Health Workers (CHWs), focusing on building skills and knowledge to support pregnant women and rural families with their health concerns. CHWs live in the communities where they work and they are trusted and welcomed into patients’ homes to provide health education, counseling, and follow-up for a wide range of health problems.

    CHA training- week one

    This week, we welcomed a new team member, Santia Vital, who will join our clinical team at C2C’s clinic in Acul du Nord.

    The first few days of training focused on C2C’s malnutrition program, specifically how to screen and treat malnutrition. The CHWs also learned how to use new data collection tools to aid them in their work.

    Dr. Sévère, resident physician at C2C’s Acul du Nord clinic, also provided training on vaccinations.

    Allison Howard-Berry

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  • The Lancet Revisits Maternal Health


    “Every woman, every newborn, everywhere has the right to good quality care.”

    This is the guiding message of the 2016 Lancet Maternal Health Series. More than a decade ago, The Lancet published their first report focusing on maternal survival. The new series is made up of six papers discussing maternal health, its successes and current failings.

    In 2015, 216 women died of reported maternal causes per 100,000 live births. In order to meet sustainable development goals (SDG), the global target is to reduce maternal mortality to 70 per 100,000 by the year 2030.  The series offers a five-point action plan for local, national, and global communities to achieve the SDG vision: quality, equity, health systems, financing, and better evidence.

    Women and children under 5 are uniquely vulnerable to health threats and C2C believes in providing them with specialized, subsidized care. As part of our free antenatal care program, our physicians saw more than 1,000 pregnant women so far in 2016. We employ an OB/GYN specialist in each clinic two days per week, and pregnant patients have access to local, community-based care: pre-natal exams, diagnostics, medicine and vitamins, and ultrasound. 75% of our pregnant patients receive the WHO-recommended minimum of 4 prenatal visits and we’re determined to get that number to 100%. In 2017, C2C will expand our maternal health program to focus on keeping enrolled patients in the care system and supporting them through safe deliveries and a healthy post-partum period.

    Allison Howard-Berry

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  • C2C's New Partnership with Meds & Food for Kids!

    1 in 5 Haitian children is malnourished. It’s a tragedy that we see every day in our partner communities and C2C is proud to announce a partnership with Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) to treat malnutrition.

    MFK produces and distributes RUTF – Ready To Use Therapeutic Food – to treat malnutrition in children. Sometimes called “miracle peanut butter,” RUTF in Haiti is called Medika Mamba, and is considered the gold standard for treating malnutrition by the World Health Organization. Founded in 2003, MFK has saved the lives of over 200,000 children in Haiti and has trained thousands of health providers on the care regimen for treating malnutrition. MFK produces Medika Mamba locally, building the economy and training Haitian peanut farmers.

    C2C’s nurses and Community Health Workers have been trained on the protocol of care for treating malnutrition and will begin screening and treating children on August 23, 2016.Screen Shot 2016-08-11 at 10.41.49 AM

    Allison Howard-Berry