Author: ihsection

2012 CBPHC Workshop: Effective Tools for Effective CBPHC (updated location)

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Community-Based Primary Health Care

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel, Make a Better Wheel and Move Faster!

Please join us for an exciting conference!

International Health Section’s Community-Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC) Working Group
14th Annual Pre-Conference CBPHC Workshop 2012

104.0 Workshop: Community Based Primary Health Care
Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2)
Saturday, October 27, 2012 – 8:30am – 5:00pm
“Effective Tools for Effective CBPHC: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel, Make a Better Wheel and Move Faster!”
Workshop Leader: Dr. Elvira Beracochea

For more information including the detailed workshop agenda: http://www.apha.org/programs/globalhealth/
For updates: https://apha.confex.com/apha/140am/webprogram/Session35927.html
To register, contact: Sandy Hoar (hoar@gwu.edu).

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION. It is no longer at Moscone Center. It is at Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2)

CBPHC programs and services must deliver quality health services in the community efficiently and consistently to all, particularly the vulnerable and hard to reach. Effective tools and approaches helps CBPHC managers and health providers deliver effective and efficient services.

This year’s workshop continues a process that started with the review of CBPHC programs conducted by Dr. Henry Perry and Dr. Paul Freeman and Working Group members. It will lead to a toolkit of effective CBPHC tools for use and modification by all public health professionals in the field. The goal is to improve the effectiveness of various CBPHC programs, prevent CBPHC practitioners from reinventing the wheel and use our annual workshop to “make the wheel better!”

Dr. Elvira Beracochea, President and CEO of MIDEGO, Inc., will lead the working group and workshop. She is a public health doctor and epidemiologist with over 25 years of international experience implementing PHC programs and consulting in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She is the author of “Health for All NOW” (MIDEGO 2007) a story about effective integrated health services, a human rights advocate and co-editor and co-author of the “Rights Based Approaches to Public Health” (Springer 2010). Dr. Elvira will discuss tools such as her “Health for All NOW” approach, Six Sigma for Global Health and Rights Based Approaches for improved effectiveness, quality and equal access.

Dr. Elvira will be aided by a team of experienced international health experts and professionals from related fields. Activities will allow the maximum networking and discussion between participants to discuss ways to use the tools presented and particularly, to maximize the development of the most important tool, that is, themselves. CBPHC is now an area with increasing prospects for young professionals. This workshop will provide skills and context for this subset of participants.

Those interested in international CBPHC are also invited to attend our business meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 pm (https://apha.confex.com/apha/140am/webprogram/Session35927.html) at the Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2). Experienced and young professionals are especially encouraged to attend.

To register contact: Sandy Hoar (e-mail: hoar@gwu.edu)
The only fee to pay is registration including morning coffee $35 (students $25). To facilitate planning, please register ASAP but certainly by October 20th and indicate if you will be joining us for dinner afterwards. For further information contact: Sandy Hoar, Laura Chanchien Parajon (email: lauraparajon@amoshealth.org) or Elvira Beracochea (email: elvira@midego.com).

WHO Videos: Depression and World Mental Health Day

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media

This post was written by Sarah M. Simpson.

Do you or someone you know have a big black dog following them? The World Health Organization recently collaborated with illustrator Matthew Johnstone, author of “I Had a Black Dog”, to mark the 20th anniversary of World Mental Health Day as designated by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). Initiated in 1992, World Mental Health Day signifies a day to encourage public discussion of mental disorders and to bring awareness to investments in mental disorder prevention, promotion and treatment services. This year’s theme is “Depression: A Global Health Crisis”. In the book “I Had a Black Dog”, Johnstone chronicles his struggle with depression through narrative and illustrations. Interestingly, the “black dog” reference was popularized by Winston Churchill, a long-time sufferer of depression and mental illness. Using Johnstone’s illustrations, WHO has come up with the series of videos, featured below that highlight symptoms of this illness along with ways to prevent and treat it.

Depression is one of the world’s most widespread illnesses, often co-existing with other serious illnesses. It also doesn’t discriminate and anyone from men to women, adults to children, the rich to the poor can be affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a common mental disorder with more than 350 million people suffering from this “hidden burden” world-wide.

As these videos show, depression is different from one’s usual mood fluctuations. Depression not only makes you feel sadness for long periods of time, but it also interferes with your ability to function and perform everyday activities at work, school or home. Effective treatments include psychosocial treatment and medication. The active involvement of depressed people and those who are close to them in addressing depression is key. The first step in treating this illness is to recognize the depression and seek support. The earlier the treatment begins, the more effective it is in treating this illness that affects so many people.

Volunteers Needed for the International Welcome Booth

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section

The following message is from Dr. Gopal Sankaran, Governing Councilor and Chair of the Global Health Connections Committee.

Dear Friends,

I am happy to share with you the good news that Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of APHA and Mr. T. J. McCabe, Director of Convention Services, have kindly agreed to our request and arranged for a Welcome Booth for overseas attendees at the upcoming Annual Meeting (October 27-31, 2012) in San Francisco.

The Welcome Booth is a great opportunity for us to greet, meet and network with attendees from overseas and make them feel at home at the conference and the city. For some this may be their first annual meeting (and you know how overwhelming that could be) or their first visit to San Francisco, or both. I am hopeful that we all would be able to contribute an hour or two or more to staff the Welcome Booth to ease their transition.

Christine Tronson Benner, our Section Councilor, has set up a sign-up sheet on Doodle. Please visit http://www.doodle.com/ddz274p5qdrytv54 and sign up for days and times when you are available to help. If, for some reason, you are unable to sign up online, please forward your day and time preferences to Christine at Christine[dash]benner[at]ouhsc[dot]edu. Kindly sign up at your earliest convenience.

All shifts meet at the Welcome Booth on the first floor lobby of the Moscone West Convention Center on the corner of 4th and Howard streets (near the Annual Meeting registration counters).

The hour or two or more that you spend at the Welcome Booth will be spent on greeting our overseas colleagues, learning about them, providing them with a special ribbon, directing them to appropriate conference rooms, and answering their questions. Serving at the Welcome Booth has always helped me to learn more about the conference venues and the host city.

Thank you! I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

WHO Video: Choosing good nutrition – eLENA

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media


This video presents eLENA – an online library of evidence-informed guidelines for an expanding list of nutrition interventions. eLENA is a single point of reference for:

– latest nutrition guidelines and recommendations
– scientific evidence supporting the guidelines
– statements on biological, behavioural and contextual rationale
– commentaries from invited experts
– related information

eLENA aims to help countries successfully implement and scale-up nutrition interventions by informing as well as guiding policy development and programme design.

More information: http://www.who.int/elena/en/

IMG Town Hall Meeting Documents Available

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section

As many of you know, there was a significant gap left in the field with the closing of the GHC. A group of 80+ former members joined together as the Interested Members of the GHC (IMG) to address the gap and to discuss the future of the GHC. The IMG held a Town Hall Meeting on the creation of a renewed global health coalition on Tuesday, August 28th.  As a follow-up to the meeting, they have disseminated the PowerPoint presentation shown during the meeting, FAQs, and the final report, “Evaluation of National Council of International Health Activity” (the predecessor to the Global Health Council). Kindly note that the IMG will continue to receive input and meet with key stakeholders and will set a timeline for recommended next steps.  Resulting action items and recommendations may begin to formulate by the end of September. To join the IMG listserv to receive weekly updates or to send suggestions and questions, please contact Chanell Hasty at chasty [at] msh [dot] org.