Community Health Outreach

Improving Health at the Community Level

Today the major health indicators in Haiti reflect the impact of the extreme poverty that is the daily reality for the vast majority of Haitians. Life expectancy at birth is 60 years for men and 64 years for women, according to the World Health Organization. Preventable, and often treatable, communicable diseases head the list of causes of death. Malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS are endemic and cause death or disability to thousands of people each year. These are exacerbated by high rates of malnutrition and maternal mortality.

An agent de sante conducts a home visit to check on malnurished children.Based on the understanding that education, prevention, and delivery of health services at the community level is the appropriate way to address the overarching health needs of the population, Konbit Sante launched an outreach effort in the very poor communities of Shada, Bas Aviation, and Fort St. Miche.  These areas surround the Fort St. Michel Health Center, and Konbit Sante's partnership with the Center has been growing and deepening ever since a realationship began in 2004.   Starting with two agents de sante (community health workers), we now support fouteen agents de sante and a nurse supervisor who all work within the public system.  Our agents de sante are bright, dedicated, dynamic individuals who are eager to learn more and become better able to serve their friends and neighbors.  Well known and respected in their communities for their knowledge, the agents de sante are key assets, filling a large gap in the tenuous health system's net by reaching out into the community itself on foot or on bicycles to:

• Identify people with tuberculosis (and other infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV), bring them in for testing and treatment, and provide prevention education.
• Conduct vaccination clinics for children throughout these communities.
• Work in coordination with Dr. Youseline Telemaque, OB/GYN to educate pregnant women, identify high-risk pregnancies and give pre/post natal advice.
• Form mothers' groups within the communities to educate them about proper nutrition and sanitation techniques.
• Refer individuals at-risk or in need of follow-up care to Fort St. Michel Health Center.
• Lead public education sessions on various topics including infectious diseases, vaccinations, nutrition, and basic hygiene.

Konbit Sante further supports these workers by paying their salaries, supplying the materials they need to do their jobs, providing the structure to coordinate their activities, An agent de sante and nursing student test people in the community for anemia.organizing continued education sessions, and paying them a stipend to pay for transit costs. U.S. based staff and volunteers conducted an assessment in the fall of 2008 that has guided the initiatives implemented in recent years.  The public health volunteer committee, lead by Dr. Carol Kuhn, worked with the agent de sante to conduct a successful study of the use of Albendazole to treat hookworm and thereby decrease anemia levels in the community from 2007-2009.  This study was funded by the Conservation Food and Health Foundation.

Currently, in an effort to improve access to and connectivity between medical resources throughout the community, a Konbit Sante-lead team including Haitian nursing students and U.S. volunteers is developing the first comprehensive resource guide of services in the Cap-Haitien area.