Healthy Nation, Inc.

context & Needs

Following fifteen years of conflict, Liberia remains a country with numerous needs. Basic health care infrastructures need to be rebuilt or revitalized. Several international non-governmental organizations (iNGOs) work tosupplement government’s efforts to revitalize some of the infrastructures destroyed by war.

Healthy Nation works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. We have been invited to serve on the National School Health Steering Committee. However, we maintain and assert our autonomy.

There is shortage of doctors and medical workers.

  • Less than 100 doctors for 4 million people; 96 health workers have died from Ebola
  • In August 2014, the only internist, Dr. Abraham Borbor, died from Ebola infection
  • Liberia’s only OB/GYN has taken a job with the Mayo Clinic in MN
  • Low life expectancy: Women – 57 years; Men – 55 years
  • 8th highest maternal mortality rate - 770 deaths/100,000 live births
  • 15th highest infant mortality rate - 69.19 deaths/1,000 live births
  • 3,300 babies die in labor and on their first day of birth (Save the Children, 2012)

WHAT DOES HEALTHY NATION DO

Our Mission: Healthy Nation’s mission is to promote a healthy population through health education and disease prevention one person, one family, and one community at a time.

Our Values:

We value the Dignity of our clients

We value commitment to Service

We value Excellence in our work

Healthy Nation provides preventive health services to children, filling an ever-growing gap in the healthcare system.

  • Monthly wellness checkups – we conduct monthly physical screens, focusing on a selected health concerns.
  • Monthly health education – each month, we engage all students in small groups, discussing topics that impact their lives.
  • Training first responders in each school– we trained selected school staff as first aide clinicians
  • Menstrual health and hygiene – Girls’ education is undermined and, in some cases derailed, by the absence of adequate resources for menstrual health and hygiene. An unacceptable number of girls miss at least two days of school monthly because of their menses. Healthy Nation plans to mitigate this challenge by providing under garments and pads to girls.
  • Clinic – Healthy Nation will operate a specialized clinic exclusively for students. Each student will be given two monthly clinic visits at no extra charge. The clinic will serve as an urgent care facility and complements the preventive services offered on campus.

Note: In the 2013/2014 school year, Healthy Nation served 2000 kids in 5 school in Paynesville and Monrovia. In addition, we completed screening for 795 kids enrolled in United Methodist Church schools in three counties, including Margibi, Rivercess, and Bassa.

OUR GIRLS’ INITIATIVE

A February 2014 survey of 738 middle and high school girls in Monrovia and Paynesville, the largest cities in the country, revealed that the average girl misses at least one day of school each month because of challenges related to their cycle. The primary reasons for such high absenteeism include:

  • Lack of access to feminine hygiene products
  • Lack of access to under garments
  • Lack of access to pain relievers

This reality poses a clear and present danger to each girl. It undermines their safety and health. Girls who lack personal hygiene products often resort to using primitive materials like leaves and used cloths. This exposes them to infections and other health challenges.

Additionally, it leads to high rates of absenteeism, which results in poor academic performance and high dropout rates among girls. Moreover, girls are targeted by unscrupulous male teachers for sexual favors in exchange for make-ups on missed quizzes and tests.

PROGRAM GOALS AND OUTCOMES

The overall goal of the project is to facilitate the safety, health and education of girls in Liberia.

Studies have shown that ill health negatively affects the academic experience, contributing to disruptive behavior in school, high truancy, and the greater dropout risk.

The main outcomes of the project include:

  1. A measurable decrease in infection rates among K12 students
  1. Inculcating a culture of prevention through health education
  1. Reducing absenteeism, truancy, and drop-out rate among students
  1. Character formation among students

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We seek partnership that covers the following areas:

A.Knowledge transfer – we seek clinicians, doctors, nurses, and mental health workers, who can visit Liberia, work with and train our local staff. A critical element of our quality control is continuous training for our staff in the latest evidence-based practices.

B.Technology transfer–we seek assistance with biomedical and pharmacological supplies that would enhance our patient care.

C.Business and Leadership Development – Developing and executing the right business strategies in important to us. Similarly, attracting and nurturing leadership talent is indispensable to the success of our model.

D.Budget Support – Budget support will help us hire 12 new clinical staff for the 2014/2015 school. In addition, funds will be used to cover operational costs, including shipment of supplies from Atlanta to Monrovia.

THE FUTURE

The clinic opening January 2015 is the first of four clinics to operate in the Monrovia – Paynesville urban communities. Our goal is to ensure that every K-12 student lives within 10 miles of a Healthy Nation clinic. Future clinics will operate in the following areas:

  • Somalia Drive Corridor
  • Sinkor-Central Monrovia
  • Freeport – Logan Town – New Kru Town Corridor

Similar clinics will operate in each of the fifteen counties within 5 years. In the next five years, we plan to build Children’s Healthcare of Liberia in Kakata, Margibi County. This will be a specialized hospital dedicated to the wellbeing of Liberia’s children.

Healthy Nation, Inc. P. O. Box 310408, Atlanta, GA 31131 –

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