The Frist Global Health Leaders Program's web pages recount all the health care service and training that our students, residents, and fellows have done abroad as well as the travels and medical missions of Senator Bill Frist. You'll find under Related Links (at right) that you can peruse our work in countries on the following continents:
2009 Clinton Global Initiative: Commitment to Action
We are proud to announce that Hope Through Healing Hands' Frist Global Health Leaders Program was accepted at the fourth annual CGI Conference in New York City.
Over the next five years, we have committed to raise $1.3M "to address the shortage of global health workers to improve the quality of life for citizens around teh world through providing volunteer services and building self-sustaining caregiver capacity in underserved communities."
Overview
Countries around the world, especially in Africa, are facing a severe crisis: a shortage in the health workforce. For instance Sub-Saharan Africa holds 24 percent of the global burden of disease, yet it only has three percent of the world’s health workers. Health workers across the spectrum – from the doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists to the community health workers and caregivers – are in shortage and it is worsening. This has serious consequences in the event of global outbreaks, natural disasters and emergencies, or conflicts. This shortage also has been a serious obstacle to the progress toward achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals.
Secondly, in an age where national security is of top priority, we believe in the power of health diplomacy. You don’t go to war with someone who saves the life of your child. These students represent the goodwill of America and the hope for building a foundation of health in communities wherein economies can begin to bloom.
In the attempt to address these issues, the Frist Global Health Leaders Program allows young health professional students, residents, and fellows the opportunity to serve and train abroad in underserved communities for up to one semester. In doing so, they will be bolstering capacity in clinics in need of support as well as offering training to community health workers to promote sustainability upon their departure from these communities.
We have partnered with the following academic institutions to date:
- Duke University
- East Tennessee State University College of Public Health
- Lipscomb College of Pharmacy
- Meharry Medical College
- Princeton University
- Vanderbilt University Department of Emergency Medicine
- Vanderbilt University Department of Surgery
- Vanderbilt International Anesthesia
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
- Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Application
If you attend one of the academic institutions above and you would like to apply to be a Frist Global Health Leader, please write jenny@hopethroughhealinghands.org inquiring about the program.
Frist Global Health Leaders Program
Concept
In 2005, Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. wrote articles and legislation for a “Global Health Corps.” His idea for this Global Health Corps was to build upon the “Peace Corps” with a specific Office dedicated to assist in improving the health, welfare, and development of communities in foreign countries and regions through the provision of health care personnel, items and related services while promoting U.S. public diplomacy at the same time. Though the GHC idea was not implemented, we are launching a similar program, using these same ideas, at the non-profit level.
Thus, in an effort to expand the work of health diplomacy abroad, Hope Through Healing Hands (HTHH) has initiated the Frist Global Health Leaders Program (FGHLP) for U.S. students in health related professions to bring their health expertise to under-developed countries. FGHLP selects students in health care fields including, but not limited to, medical schools, nursing schools, pharmacy schools and public health programs.
These health care students remain under their academic umbrella, continuing coursework within their curricula in most cases, and they are placed in sites approved by their respective academic institutions. These students are required to have a focus and foundation in service and training, supplemented by research. With a dearth of doctors, nurses, and community health workers, especially in Africa, service is sorely needed for basic health care. The training is imperative in bolstering the indigenous capacity through education among community health workers. And, their own research will be necessary for their graduate programs.
Purpose
The purpose of the Frist Global Health Leaders Program is to improve the health, welfare, and development of communities in foreign countries and regions abroad. In too many places, simple necessities like vaccinations, first aid, clean water, and hygiene are unknown or woefully inadequate. Men, women and children – especially children – suffer terrible illnesses that can be easily prevented with basic health practices and services. We believe that the deployment of these Frist Global Health Leaders is in direct correlation with strategy and goals of U.S. development and public diplomacy policy. Like members of the Peace Corps and our many volunteers abroad, the Frist Global Health Leaders serve as a shining example of the American people, our charity and goodwill.
Our goal is to aid in the implementation of sustainable health development through training of local community health workers to better equip these caregivers for enhanced health care in their communities. The training that these students, residents, and fellows leave in their wake inevitably enhances the health care givers to improve the quality of life through health in a society, especially in low-income countries who struggle with infectious disease epidemics, neglected tropical disease, poor access to public health information, maternal health/child survival and extreme poverty among other issues.
Modeling, educating, and training in health care in underserved areas allows for active participation with those indigenous health care workers interested in enhancing their skill sets. To manifest sustainable development, we want to make sure that those affected by improved quality of life through health are those participating and determining that change.
Measuring Outcomes
The student (or resident/fellow) in conjunction with the academic institution implements an agreed upon metric for measuring outcome. The student records how many patients or members of the community the student is able to provide care or education, how many community health workers they are able to train, the kind of training courses they administer, and the quality/kind of care/education, daily. In this way, we can measure the added care the student lends the underserved community population over the course of his/her semester.
The student is also asked to write a two page report on the national Health Care Delivery Systems during their stay in countries abroad. In this report, they are to report the “gaps” in the health care delivery systems per their experience, interviews, and research.
The student is required to blog bi-weekly for the Hope Through Healing Hands website (www.hopethroughhealinghands.org/blog). We post blogs to allow our donors and other interested readers to learn more about what is happening on the frontlines of health care in developing nations and how we are involved.
Sustainability
The investment in these Leaders is two-fold:
1) The health care services and training provided in underserved communities enhances their health foundation through the education these students leave behind. Unlike simply providing emergency relief, the training provided offers the community continued improved health care upon the departure of the health student.
2) The student is afforded a unique experience in global health. This experience shapes their career and efforts in global health for decades to come. Inevitably, these American students return with much to offer in terms of awareness-raising and advocacy for global health. Furthermore, their commitment to global health might include a choice of living and working abroad or regular short-term medical trips abroad throughout their health careers.
Results
At the conclusion of the first year of our Frist Global Health Leaders Program, 2,248 patients were seen, 176 community health workers were trained, and 20 different courses were held among 5 students and 1 fellow.
We anticipate that the program, over the course of five years, will directly affect over 20,000 patients/community health workers, and the work will indirectly affect over 10,000,000 people. (If over 1,000 health workers are trained, and they use that training to impact the lives of 10,000 over the course of their 10 year commitment to work in community health, this program would indirectly affect over 10,000,000 people.)
Conclusion
The Frist Global Health Leaders Program harnesses the volunteer spirit of this generation of young health students, residents, and fellows who share a deep concern for the world’s poorest. These medical, nursing, and public health students will have the opportunity to leave behind skill sets and tools for health workers, leading to sustainable development in communities around the world. Our belief is that our grants will provide an unforgettable experience and a rich understanding for students in global health, shaping their choices and interests for their future careers for decades to come.