By Kirsten McIlvenna
International Child Care has been known for nearly 50 years as a leader in providing healthcare and hope to the children and families of Haiti, starting with Grace Children’s Hospital in 1967, but its reach expands beyond its reputation for prominent work with infectious diseases. International Child Care also strives to make a difference in the community by helping to build a sustainable future through education.
In a country where 80% of people live in abject poverty and do not have access to clean drinking water and satisfactory sanitation facilities, education is crucial to disease prevention and treatment. Because Grace Children’s Hospital already serves an integral role in healthcare education for the area, its new Education and Training facility completed in 2014 now further expands the opportunity for involvement with the community.
Included in the facility is a new SimLab, which provides a safe environment for health care promoters to practice new techniques on manikins to prepare them for real life situations encountered at the hospital. One program taught in the lab, Helping Babies Survive, provides healthcare workers and birth attendants with the knowledge needed to properly care for a newborn and support, educate, and empower the mother. They also learn signs of illness requiring emergency care and the steps to access it.
In addition to the hospital’s local staff, five nursing schools currently study at the training lab, and the more than 60 students per month that complete clinical rotations at the hospital will now have the opportunity to improve their communication skills, refine critical thinking, and expand clinical training with manikin simulation.
As new developments arise, the training area is used to educate staff about needed precautions. Such an example is the Zika virus. Although there is not currently a vaccine available, staff is being trained on preventative measures and how to treat the mild symptoms, and they will continue to receive education as more information about the virus is released.
The addition to the building was funded in part by a grant through USAID and ASHA and will continue to expand education services to the people of Haiti.
Grace Children’s Hospital Advance: 418520
– Reported by Kirsten McIlvenna
Last Updated on December 8, 2023