Community Health
The community health program aims to prevent and treat illnesses through four community health centers, a network of community health workers and volunteer health outreach workers. Since many people live in remote areas, the team of community health workers and nurses conduct mobile clinics to ensure everyone has access to health care.
- Each health center is able to provide prenatal and family planning for women, conduct testing and screening for sexually transmitted infections, and provide minor procedures.
- Each volunteer health worker tracks 15 to 20 houses in her neighborhood to promote vaccinations and to encourage mothers to bring sick children to the health centers for treatment.
- We ensure that all women receive adequate pre- and post-natal care. The majority of women receive over three prenatal visits.
- Through the help of international visiting midwives, HAS nurses who conduct prenatal visits are continually learning new ways to reduce maternal and child mortality.
- All children under five are weighed and measured each month to prevent malnutrition and to provide vaccinations.
- In the mountain areas surrounding HAS, malnutrition can reach over 30 percent in the rainy, or, “hungry” season.
- Because malnutrition often causes weakened immune systems, HAS is currently implementing a community-based management program to ensure all malnourished children receive care as close to their home as possible.
