Reproductive health

The following aspects make this initiative all the more innovative:-

•SIFE SSCBS also concentrates on educating our sellers(who are themselves slum women ) by conducting regular awareness camps and presentations, to raise awareness about the benefits of using sanitary napkins. Women are encouraged to talk freely about menstruation, associated stigmas, and diseases that may be caused by lack of hygiene during the time.

•To build capacity for long term success, the Women Entrepreneurs are involved in every aspect of the business right from strategizing to problem solving.
We conduct marketing and selling workshops throughout the year wherein role plays were used to expose them to real life scenarios.
Financial skills related to savings, book-keeping as well as knowledge about small savings schemes are imparted with 80% sellers having bank accounts.

•The sanitary napkins are packed in LD type plastic covers (that can decompose) along with their product that can be used for save disposal. The napkins themselves are biodegradable as they are made of cotton and other organic material.

•Most Delhi slums see a rigid patriarchal setup wherein the women face heavy restrictions even on movement and financial independence. With this in mind we initiated community development programs for the slum women as a whole, where financial skills pertaining to opening bank accounts, small saving schemes they were covered under were discussed, and steps towards financial independence and consequently better social standing were taken.

Our work is innovative in its attempt to bridge the historic gap between research and practice. Too often programs run the risk of being watered down in the process of being scaled up when communities choose to replicate models based on strong scientific evidence. In order to scale-up a research-based program into community practice at a national level, it’s important that the implementing organization be capable of handling the challenges that emerge. By collaborating with the Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health (PRC) at the University of Colorado, the NFP-NSO exemplifies effective community replication of an evidence-based program, and raises the bar for community implementation of evidence-based intervention by actively developing research-based augmentations that further increase the effectiveness of NFP. This collaboration allows NFP to continue delivering outcomes such as the economic self-sufficiency results we have achieved. Life coaching from NFP nurses enables mothers and their families to develop a vision of their own futures, stay in school, find employment, and plan future pregnancies. This partnership can also extend beyond the mother and nurse to involve the mother’s family, the baby’s father, and friends. By doing all of this NFP aligns itself Ashonka Changemaker’s and the eBay Foundation’s goals for this competition.

There are respectful birth delivery attendance places worldwide, both public and private, although few of them focus their attention on the demands of grassroots communities.
However, spaces that offer the service delivery performed by traditional midwives are still unknown in Brazil. Facing the families in vulnerable situations and pass on the oral tradition for the training of new midwives, rituals, and management techniques labourand childbirth, as well as integrate all this into a movement for the recognition of traditional midwives as a reference in humanized childbirth care.
Within this perspective, to produce an educational material for recording this knowledge as an educational tool, with the maneuvers, the remedies of the placenta, the techniques of webowsas. In other words: all the accumulated knowledge about childbirth, as well as knowledge of herbs for teas and baths with their various indications. The proposal is to make this space a reference for research on the work done by midwives, and a pedagogical framework of oral tradition.
The Casa de Cura e Nascimento (House of Healing and Birth) will accompany the child until its first three years, helping the family to care at home from simple diseases that affect children, as well as guide them on breastfeeding and nutrition.
Within a timeframe envisaged by the Casa de Cura e Nascimento, we're researching all the products made by midwives, from potions, toys, flowers. The idea is to organize a production house that can acquire a minimum of sustainability, at the same time an organic garden that can supply the house since many of the midwives are farmers.

1. Patient Counselors at the District Hospital to direct poor, rural patients to Hyderabad. The majority of Indians live in rural villages of fewer than 2000 inhabitants. Even when a sick villager struggles to reach the nearest Primary Health Centre or District Hospital, he finds poorly trained and motivated physicians and little in the way of diagnostic equipment or medicines (India spends less than .9% of its GDP on health care). Most frequently, the patient and his family are told to go to the state capital for all but the simplest ailment. Uniformed counselors in the Mahbubnagar District Hospital help these anxious and frightened patients access the Institute’s office located in the world’s largest bus station.

2. A special centre in the state capital’s central bus terminal. One uniformed patient counselor is always on the arrival platform to welcome patients and guide them to the centre. From the centre, they are guided to the appropriate hospital. The office also counsels on reproductive health and HIV-AIDS prevention and provides first aid to all passengers.

3. Patient Counselors in the government hospitals. The trained counselors guide the patients to the appropriate doctors and counsels them about their illness or treatment needed. They help the patients understand how they can access the doctors for future care.

4. Access to private hospitals at no cost to the patient. If the villager’s illness requires more sophisticated treatment/surgery, counselors use several good private hospitals who extend free treatment to the Institute’s patients. The counselors show the patients how to access available state funding.

In 2000, the Urban Affairs Coalition in association with Keystone Mercy Health Plan, in response to the need for a comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach to address health disparities, created the Philadelphia Health Ministries Program. This unique, innovative approach leverages the community-based strength of Philadelphia’s African American religious organizations, the positive and uplifting catalyst of individuals' spiritual beliefs, and their trust of their religious leaders, in order to support the appropriate, effective and timely provision of health education and screening to minority individuals.

The design of the Health Ministry program, based on feedback collected from community organizers, physicians, and community health outreach workers, is to create interventions that empower targeted participants with the tools and information they need to better manage their health risk factors, chronic illnesses and the stressors of daily life. A variety of approaches help resolve issues of access to care, health information literacy issues, HIV/AIDS awareness, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and all concerns that impact wellness and quality of life.

This year, the Health Ministries program in collaboration with community organizations such as the (trademarked) Praise is the Cure program hosted at the Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, provided mammograms, provided a “pamper party” for breast cancer survivors, performed health screenings, glucose testing, cholesterol, and blood pressure screenings, and height, weight and BMI, and served free healthy lunches and dinners, followed by an optional Gospel Extravaganza.

Janani creates access to quality family planning and comprehensive abortion care services by leveraging all available resources. Using a bright jar as the retail pack of condoms so that condoms are displayed on the shelf of a shop, to introducing the manual vacuum aspirator and doing away with the use of general anesthesia for first trimester termination of pregnancy and one of the first organization in the world to explore the social franchising concept, one of Janani’s stronghold has been innovations. In the current context, the Public Private Partnership of the National Rural Health Mission provided Janani the platform once again. The Government recognizing that they do not have the required infrastructure for health services like institutional delivery and sterilization services wanted to reimburse the cost of providing these services to the clients, however, with a rider that it has to be provided free. Janani quickly got its own clinics and privet sector partners accredited and made them eligible for these reimbursements. From the service seekers’ perspective, a dream come true situation – the hospital where they dreamt to access services was now providing them free.

Men's Health Forum Mini Manuals are 16 or 32 page A5 health information guides written and produced by the MHF - they are either available off the shelf or customised. Over 100 different manuals have already been created.

Mini Manuals have already been used by a variety of organisations — public health bodies, multi-national corporations, government bodies and other health-related agencies. Staff health information, customer promotions and local public health campaigns are just a few examples of some of the uses the manuals have been put to in the last few years.

In total over 1,300,000 mini manuals have been printed, making these health promotion resources the leading male-specific health information initiative in England and Wales.

Mini Manuals are designed by Haynes, a UK-based company that is the leading producer of car maintenance manuals. The Mini Manuals look like car manuals and the brand is familiar to, and inspires confidence in, large numbers of men.

The author and editor of the manuals is Dr Ian Banks, president of the Men's Health Forum in both the UK and Europe and former editor of the Men's Health Journal and the UEMO Clinical Journal.

The Yorkshire Man Mini Manual was produced in close collaboration with health promotion staff from Yorkshire and Humber NHS (National Health Service) as well as local NHS staff in Leeds. The manual was also significantly amended after several groups of local men were invited to comment on the manual in a number of focus groups. An important function of the manual is to signpost local services in a male-friendly format.

The mission of the Farm Worker CARE (Collaboration/Communication, Advocacy/Access, Research/Resources, Empowerment/Education) Coalition (FWCC) is “to recognize farm workers as a vibrant part of the community and to improve their living, working and health conditions, and access to health, social and educational services through empowerment, advocacy, and coordinated efforts.”
The FWCC seeks to address immigrant integration issues by identifying the health and social service needs of migrant agricultural workers and by creating a long-term sustainable partnership between agricultural worker families, government agencies, and non-profit service organizations committed to working with farm worker populations in north San Diego County. With a grant from The California Endowment in 2005, the FWCC became linked to a statewide initiative, Poder Popular (People Power), which engages and mobilizes agricultural workers in ten California agricultural regions to enhance their well-being and address systems change. This initiative strategizes prevention, health promotion, and organized sustainable community action. FWCC promotores complete a comprehensive eight week training course on such subjects as communication skills; cultural sensitivity; leadership; self esteem; advocacy; community organizing, and presentation skills to help them integrate their community into the mainstream. The Farm Worker CARE Coalition presents a united front of healthcare, social service, and governmental agencies, all of whom understand that the economic and social success of the U.S. Mexico border region depends in large part on strong, positive relationships between native and immigrant populations and on the successful integration of immigrant families into U.S. society. The FWCC has the vision and resources to work toward these goals.

The idea of medical apology in any context is new, but gaining ground. Leading medical schools are piloting apology programs for medical errors. The American Medical Association recently issued an apology to African-American physicians for their history of discrimination. Resolve’s innovation takes medical apology to a new level: healing the relationship between the medical community and an entire patient community.

Ongoing communication between doctors and patients is critical for effective medical care. Otherwise, how can we know if treatments really help? Controversy has raged between medical and intersex communities for years over current treatment models, but little has changed. Medical providers and parents need the perspective of intersex adults to provide the best care for these special children. However, because their anger over past treatment they perceive as mutilating has never been recognized, it is difficult for many intersex adults to trust doctors. Meanwhile, doctors who treat intersex people feel unfairly attacked after years of doing the best they could to help. Many have discounted the voices of former patients by portraying them as “radicals,” stating that the “silent majority” of intersex people are satisfied.

By respectfully inviting individual providers and professional associations to listen to intersex adults and apologize for the harm suffered as a result of medical treatment, Resolve offers a radical model of equal relationships between doctors and patient. We recognize patients as valuable sources of expertise, and doctors as only human. More importantly, we encourage healing on all sides that will improve care for future children.

Currently, if do not have health insurance you must pay 60.00 - 80.00 for a doctor visit, or go to the emergency room for care which is extremely costly and not effective to maintain good health. Our program gives patients their own doctor at a very low cost (25.00 - 30.00 per month) AND we have partnered with specialist, labs, imaging, rehab and more to give our members substantial discounts (up to 60% off) on associated services. As a HealthAccessRI member, you suddenly have a whole community of health care professionals on your side, ready to help you and offering you discounts on their services. Primary Care is essential to community health - in fact - it is the only medical service that has been shown to improve population health.

Our program is unique for another reason. HealthAccessRI is cost effective for the patient, but profitable for the physicians who offer it. Typically, a doctor will see a patient with health insurance and get a very low reimbursement on top of having to fill out paperwork and submit codes to the insurance company. Our program requires none of that hassle - we have no overhead and the doctor receives a small monthly payment in exchange for being available when the patient needs their services.

For a number of reasons our country is experiencing a shortage in primary care physicians. The HealthAccessRI program would help doctors have a thriving practice due to the monthly payment from patients, and also make the care extremely affordable to the patient. It is a win - win on every level. When you add in the discounts that can be arranged with the associated services, the patient has an excellent mechanism to maintain their health...all without the 500.00 - 800.00 per month for insurance.

If HealthAccessRI can raise membership to 5000 members, we will also be able to attract a high deductible major medical insurance provider for our members. Our members will have 100% medical coverage for well below the cost of insurance. Revolution

Through customized training, technical and financial support “Humanized Birth Revolution” promotes critical changes in doctor-patient relationships, health literacy and quality of health services provided to women and their families. We identify and support changemakers in community-based hospitals, who have often worked there for years but have not been in positions of authority. The project operates on three levels:

At the community level, representatives from the surrounding communities serve on the hospital’s Quality Improvement Committee to ensure that patients’ voices are heard to improve services. Via community outreach, women learn about services, the benefits of a humanized childbirth and are sensitized to changes they should expect in the quality of labor and delivery services.

At the patient level, women are coached through a humanized birth experience from their first prenatal visit. They work with providers to make informed decisions about their delivery based on the risk-level of their pregnancy and previous birth experiences. Women can deliver locally in a safe, clean environment where they receive socio-emotional support and are encouraged to be active decision-makers throughout their labor and delivery. Patients receive coaching on how and why to breastfeed and receive a follow-up home visit within 72 hours of delivery.

At the provider level, doctors, nurses and staff receive peer education and on-the-job-training working with national experts to apply their knowledge in real-life situations. Providers are taught evidence-based practices for management of labor, deliveries and referrals for high risk while receiving incentives for compliance with humanized birth checklists.

At all levels the project measures patient and provider satisfaction using the results of surveys to continuously improve.

Anjna Patient Education is unique in that we are the first organization to specifically target free clinics for the purpose of reaching out to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. Due to our location at Stanford University, we are first targeting free clinics in Santa Clara County, CA in order to have direct impact on our surrounding community before branching out to other clinics across the United States. Given the incredible diversity of the Silicon Valley population, tangible materials of the topics discussed with patients are often not readily available in all the languages spoken by patients who rely on free clinics for medical attention. In order to ameliorate this problem, our team of over forty translators has been diligently working on translations of widely available materials provided by organizations such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Our second major objective is continuing to develop the training modules that we will be uploading to our website (www.anjna.org), so that new health education programs in our partner clinics will have expert advice on how to create successful, sustainable education programs. Anjna is uniquely qualified to implement this project because we draw from the immense talent and passion of the Stanford undergraduate student body. The translations we provide have the benefit of being approved by Stanford language professors, and the materials we ourselves create are produced by tomorrow’s leaders in a broad range of field from product design to the health professions.

The Doctor-patient Initiative is quite unique in formulation and function. Besides, this is the first time whereby a formal checks and balances is placed in the pattern of Nigerian health care. In formulation, it comprises of a collaboration of various professionals that are concerned with the well being of the patient, encompassing the doctors especially in the teaching hospital, the nurses, some other paramedics as well as the lawyers. In function, all this professionals come together to draw the code of conduct for an Ideal medical practice in Nigeria. Patients are encouraged to attend monthly conference where they are acquainted with the basic medical practices they would expect to receive from their care giver, the dos and do nots of a clinician, the need to distance themselves from unqualified substandard private practitioners, the need to elect a leader with a health promoting ambition so as to enable the Federal government establish free and effective health care delivery. Patient are also provided with internet resources like e-medicine, that will give them basic information concerning their health and illness, so as to have a fore knowledge of the kind of care to expect from the clinician and make reasonable decision about their well being. Moreover, patients are empowered to consider legitimization of any offending clinician who may endanger the life of the patient as a result of negligence. This is sensitive because quite a number of patients are dying from the ill-practices of their private clinician whose primary concern is the money of the patient rather than the life, confidentiality and autonomy of the patient. It is a truism that this project will reduce all forms of ill-medical practices in Nigeria to the bearest minimum in order to improve the quality of life of our patients and elongate the average lifespan of Nigerians that has been reduced drastically.