Activity

Childhood malnutrition is a nationally-recognized problem in Tajikistan. In 2017, 6% of children under 5 years were wasted and 18% were stunted. Through the Tajikistan Health and Nutrition Activity (THNA), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future, IntraHealth International trained 1,370 volunteer community health workers (CHWs) and 500 community agricultural workers (CAWs) in 500 rural communities to improve nutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. CHWs and CAWs mutually encourage health behavior change, reinforce better agricultural practices, and promote maternal and child health and nutritious diets through household visits, community events, and peer support groups. CHWs refer children with malnutrition and diarrhea and pregnant women who are not registered for antenatal care to health facilities. THNA supported CHWs/CAWs through peer learning, refresher trainings, supportive supervision, and quarterly material incentives. We observed gains in knowledsents a major challenge for Tajikistan’s national and local governments.

Delays due to long distances to health facilities, poor road infrastructure, and lack of affordable transport options contribute to the burden of maternal deaths in Mozambique. Acetylcysteine ic50 This study aimed to assess the implementation and uptake of an innovative community-based transport program to improve access to emergency obstetric care in southern Mozambique.

From April 2016 to February 2017, a community transport strategy was implemented as part of the Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia Trial. The study aimed to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity by 20% in intervention clusters in Maputo and Gaza Provinces, Mozambique, by involving community health workers in the identification and referral of pregnant and puerperal women at risk. Based on a community-based participatory needs assessment, the transport program was implemented with the trial. Demographics, conditions requiring transportation, means of transport used, route, and outcomes were collected during implementation. Data wer emergency cases, it is crucial to encourage local transport programs and transportation infrastructure among minimally resourced communities to support access and engagement with health systems.

These results demonstrate that it was feasible to implement a community-based transport program with no external input of vehicles, fuel, personnel, and maintenance. However, high cost and a lack of acceptable transport options in some communities continue to impede access to obstetric health care services and the ability for timely follow-up. When strengthening capacities of community health workers to promptly assist and refer emergency cases, it is crucial to encourage local transport programs and transportation infrastructure among minimally resourced communities to support access and engagement with health systems.

Community health workers (CHWs) can provide lifesaving treatment for children in remote areas, but high-quality care is essential for effective delivery. Measuring the quality of community-based care in remote areas is logistically challenging. Clinical vignettes have been validated in facility settings as a proxy for competency. We assessed feasibility and effectiveness of clinical vignettes to measure CHW knowledge of integrated community case management (iCCM) in Liberia’s national CHW program.

We developed 3 vignettes to measure knowledge of iCCM illnesses (malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia) in 4 main areas assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and caregiver instructions. Trained nurse supervisors administered the vignettes to CHWs in 3 counties in rural Liberia as part of routine program supervision between January and May 2019, collected data on CHW knowledge using a standardized checklist tool, and provided feedback and coaching to CHWs in real time after vignette administration. Proportions of vignetteprogram interventions to address identified knowledge gaps.

Across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and Central America, governments commonly employ community health workers (CHWs) to improve access to and uptake of malaria services. Many of these networks are vertical in design, organized to extend malaria-only services to those remaining communities in which malaria persists.

Between 2019 and 2020, national ministries of health (MOH) and Clinton Health Access Initiative conducted mixed-methods CHW program evaluations across the GMS and Central America. Routine surveillance and programmatic data were analyzed to quantify CHW contributions to malaria elimination objectives and identify gaps and challenges. Semistructured interviews were conducted with governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders from central to community level. This article draws comparisons between the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Honduras CHW program evaluation results to distill broader hypotheses about how vertical CHW programs might evolve as their primary mission nears its etimized and sustained. Such a shift will also position existing community-based platforms to be resilient and responsive as epidemiology of disease and community need shift.

In Mali, community health workers (CHWs) deliver essential community care (ECC) to rural populations. The dominance of external funding for the program threatens the sustainability of this critical workforce as donor financing decreases. This article summarizes results of analyses aimed at assisting Mali’s decision makers and leaders in initiating a transition to a sustainable CHW program supported by domestic funding through strategic and rational investment.

Data on ECC implementation norms, workforce, coverage, utilization, cost, and geospatial features were collected between 2016 and 2019. The data informed interlinked CHW financing analyses-situational, services costing, efficiency, and geospatial mapping. Analysis showed distribution of reported expenditures, estimates of required CHW funding, cost-saving options, and spatially visualized discrepancies between spending estimates and normative costs.

Thirteen financing sources contributed to CHW program expenditures, 88% of which were from international donors, for a package of 23 curative, preventive, and promotive interventions.