Operation Blessing Hunger Strike Force trucks continued transportation and delivery of emergency equipment, food and supplies to The Salvation Army in support of mass feeding programs in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Satellite Phones were secured for OBI staff to carry into hardest hit areas where cell service is out. Phones will be made available for free use of storm victims, giving them an opportunity to call loved ones who may not know that they are alive.
Heavy-duty generators have been purchased for Louisiana and Mississippi churches acting as shelters for evacuees in areas where power is out.
Hundreds of cots have also been bought for use in Houston churches acting as evacuee shelters. OBI's partner Somebody Cares Houston has been given $28,000 for purchase of food, cots, blankets, and hygiene supplies for network of (20) churches housing evacuees.
Operation Blessing funded $25,000 to Church of God Disaster Relief for support of feeding kitchen and debris removal in Gulf Port, Mississippi. Additionally, frozen chicken and food was delivered by OBI to The Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA for mass feeding of victims. The Healing Place is also serving as drop-off and distribution point for donations of food and clothing and supporting teams of volunteers for debris removal.
OBI funded $10,000 to Hosanna Church for groceries, food vouchers and baby supplies to be distributed to evacuees in east Houston. Hosanna serves as drop-off point for local food and clothing donations.
Operation Blessing supplied $10,000 to Community in Action for purchase of food vouchers, clothing and baby supplies. This Houston volunteer organization has mobile teams focused on helping evacuees housed in Houston motels and hotels. OBI also funded $10,000 to Somebody Cares Beaumont, TX to assist them in care of 1,200 evacuees housed in Ford Center.
Operation Blessing
понедельник, 20 июня 2011 г.
воскресенье, 19 июня 2011 г.
3.5 Million Drought-hit Kenyans In Need Of Assistance
The Government of Kenya and WFP have announced that 3.5 million Kenyans are running out of food because of the complete failure of the short rains, nearly tripling the number Kenyans in need of emergency food assistance.
According to a comprehensive Short-Rains Food Security Assessment in January - coordinated by the Kenya Food Security Steering Group made up of the Government of Kenya, WFP, FAO and other UN and non-governmental agencies - 395,000 metric tons of food aid will be required.
"Our detailed assessment found that the worst affected regions are the pastoral areas covering the northern districts of the Rift Valley and Eastern provinces, the entire North Eastern Province and parts of the Coast," said John Munyes, Kenya's Minister of State, Office of the President, Special Programmes.
"These areas depend on livestock production for income and food. Malnutrition rates among children are alarmingly high and the areas have already seen large numbers of livestock deaths," he said.
Failed rains
The January assessment found that the short rains completely failed over large areas of eastern and northern Kenya, adversely impacting the lives of pastoralists and farmers in 25 districts.
"Many Kenyans - facing a fifth consecutive season of failed or poor rains -- are already living on the edge and unless donors respond immediately, we fear for the worst," said WFP Country Director Tesema Negash.
Fresh pledges needed
"The rains have failed, and to save lives in the coming weeks and months ahead, it is essential that both cash and in-kind contributions of food are made today to assist with WFP's and the Government's emergency response. Without fresh pledges, WFP will not be able to meet March needs," he said.
With thousands of livestock dying, and with that number expected to continue to dramatically increase as the drought intensifies, an increasing number of pastoralists are not able to provide for themselves.
According to the short rains food security assessment report, rates of global acute malnutrition among children under five have risen steeply in the northeast of the country to between 18 and 30 percent.
This is particularly worrying because 15 percent is considered an emergency level.
Low food stocks
Farmers in eastern Kenya who depend on the short rains for their main harvest are also in desperate need of assistance.
As a result of the lack of rainfall, their crops have failed. Successive seasons of poor rain mean they have little food stocks to tap.
The drought emergency operation was initially launched in July 2004 for six months after poor long rains in eastern, southern and parts of northern Kenya left 2.3 million people in need of assistance.
Urgent donor appeal
With the partial failure of the 2004 short rains from October to December and the 2005 long rains from March to June, the operation has twice been extended to reflect the evolving nature of the situation, first for 2 million people from March to August 2005, and then 1.2 million from August 2005 to Feb 2006.
In December, WFP issued an urgent appeal to donors once it was clear that the rains had failed and there was an impending aggravation of the crisis.
"Working through the already existing targeting and distribution mechanisms, we can ensure that food aid reaches those in need at the right time and in the right quantities," said Munyes.
School feeding expanded
"Last week, the Government of Kenya pledged 60,000 metric tons of maize, worth US$15 million to the operation and we hope the international community will now follow suit and respond to this urgent appeal," he said.
In addition to general food distributions for the three million Kenyans identified in 25 districts as currently in need of assistance, WFP will expand its school feeding programme to reach a total of 500,000 primary school children affected by drought.
This is in addition to the 1.1 million the agency regularly reaches through its joint Government of Kenya school feeding programme.
Pregant mothers supported
Within the three million targeted beneficiaries, WFP will provide additional support to some 381,000 pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five through a supplementary feeding programme, in close collaboration with UNICEF and other specialized agencies.
WFP will urgently need fresh donations, particularly cash, to cover the associated costs of moving food contributions by the Government of Kenya or allow local purchases of food aid in Western Kenya which has not been affected by drought.
Without fresh pledges, WFP will not be able to meet next month's food aid needs.
Deterioration
"Since 1999, 2003 was the only year when the country did not face a humanitarian crisis because of drought. With the prospects of another poor rainy season from March to June, we fear the situation will only deteriorate and the suffering, continue," said Negash.
"Families have lost their coping strategies and many Kenyans, whether they rely on livestock or marginal farming, have completely lost their livelihoods."
wfp
According to a comprehensive Short-Rains Food Security Assessment in January - coordinated by the Kenya Food Security Steering Group made up of the Government of Kenya, WFP, FAO and other UN and non-governmental agencies - 395,000 metric tons of food aid will be required.
"Our detailed assessment found that the worst affected regions are the pastoral areas covering the northern districts of the Rift Valley and Eastern provinces, the entire North Eastern Province and parts of the Coast," said John Munyes, Kenya's Minister of State, Office of the President, Special Programmes.
"These areas depend on livestock production for income and food. Malnutrition rates among children are alarmingly high and the areas have already seen large numbers of livestock deaths," he said.
Failed rains
The January assessment found that the short rains completely failed over large areas of eastern and northern Kenya, adversely impacting the lives of pastoralists and farmers in 25 districts.
"Many Kenyans - facing a fifth consecutive season of failed or poor rains -- are already living on the edge and unless donors respond immediately, we fear for the worst," said WFP Country Director Tesema Negash.
Fresh pledges needed
"The rains have failed, and to save lives in the coming weeks and months ahead, it is essential that both cash and in-kind contributions of food are made today to assist with WFP's and the Government's emergency response. Without fresh pledges, WFP will not be able to meet March needs," he said.
With thousands of livestock dying, and with that number expected to continue to dramatically increase as the drought intensifies, an increasing number of pastoralists are not able to provide for themselves.
According to the short rains food security assessment report, rates of global acute malnutrition among children under five have risen steeply in the northeast of the country to between 18 and 30 percent.
This is particularly worrying because 15 percent is considered an emergency level.
Low food stocks
Farmers in eastern Kenya who depend on the short rains for their main harvest are also in desperate need of assistance.
As a result of the lack of rainfall, their crops have failed. Successive seasons of poor rain mean they have little food stocks to tap.
The drought emergency operation was initially launched in July 2004 for six months after poor long rains in eastern, southern and parts of northern Kenya left 2.3 million people in need of assistance.
Urgent donor appeal
With the partial failure of the 2004 short rains from October to December and the 2005 long rains from March to June, the operation has twice been extended to reflect the evolving nature of the situation, first for 2 million people from March to August 2005, and then 1.2 million from August 2005 to Feb 2006.
In December, WFP issued an urgent appeal to donors once it was clear that the rains had failed and there was an impending aggravation of the crisis.
"Working through the already existing targeting and distribution mechanisms, we can ensure that food aid reaches those in need at the right time and in the right quantities," said Munyes.
School feeding expanded
"Last week, the Government of Kenya pledged 60,000 metric tons of maize, worth US$15 million to the operation and we hope the international community will now follow suit and respond to this urgent appeal," he said.
In addition to general food distributions for the three million Kenyans identified in 25 districts as currently in need of assistance, WFP will expand its school feeding programme to reach a total of 500,000 primary school children affected by drought.
This is in addition to the 1.1 million the agency regularly reaches through its joint Government of Kenya school feeding programme.
Pregant mothers supported
Within the three million targeted beneficiaries, WFP will provide additional support to some 381,000 pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five through a supplementary feeding programme, in close collaboration with UNICEF and other specialized agencies.
WFP will urgently need fresh donations, particularly cash, to cover the associated costs of moving food contributions by the Government of Kenya or allow local purchases of food aid in Western Kenya which has not been affected by drought.
Without fresh pledges, WFP will not be able to meet next month's food aid needs.
Deterioration
"Since 1999, 2003 was the only year when the country did not face a humanitarian crisis because of drought. With the prospects of another poor rainy season from March to June, we fear the situation will only deteriorate and the suffering, continue," said Negash.
"Families have lost their coping strategies and many Kenyans, whether they rely on livestock or marginal farming, have completely lost their livelihoods."
wfp
суббота, 18 июня 2011 г.
Registering Every Birth And Death - And Certifying Every Cause Of Death, Globally
The cover of The Lancet's series booklet Who Counts? has the following phrase, "Too many people, especially the poor, are never counted; they are born, and live and die uncounted and ignored."
At the beginning of the Series there is a comment by The Lancet's editor, Dr. Richard Horton, in which he writes "This 'scandal of invisibility' means that millions of human beings are born and die without leaving any record of their existence. Over three-quarters of them are to be found in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia."
Documentation of a person's existence authenticates his/her citizenship for a start, and represents the initial step in making sure they have a right to life, freedom, and protection, the author explains. Over the last four decades there has been little progress in counting human lives around the globe, according to Who Counts?
"Today, less than a third of the world's population is covered by accurate data on births and deaths. Far greater global urgency needs to be injected into this challenge," Dr. Horton writes. He says there should be robust and effective national statistics systems at country level, strong government ministries, legal systems, civil service and local information networks. There should also be a vocal civil society which urges and makes governments act. "The health sector can be an important catalyst in this effort."
"Globally, there is a gap. No single UN agency currently has responsibility for registering births and deaths. This absence has led the Who Counts? team to call for a new international body to improve civil registration efforts. But they concede that the likelihood of a new organization being inaugurated is low. In the interim, they urge donors and global partners to do more to promote and support registration systems. Ultimately, this campaign is about how much each of us values the life of every other human being. It is a test of our humanity," Horton concludes.
thelancet
Written by:
At the beginning of the Series there is a comment by The Lancet's editor, Dr. Richard Horton, in which he writes "This 'scandal of invisibility' means that millions of human beings are born and die without leaving any record of their existence. Over three-quarters of them are to be found in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia."
Documentation of a person's existence authenticates his/her citizenship for a start, and represents the initial step in making sure they have a right to life, freedom, and protection, the author explains. Over the last four decades there has been little progress in counting human lives around the globe, according to Who Counts?
"Today, less than a third of the world's population is covered by accurate data on births and deaths. Far greater global urgency needs to be injected into this challenge," Dr. Horton writes. He says there should be robust and effective national statistics systems at country level, strong government ministries, legal systems, civil service and local information networks. There should also be a vocal civil society which urges and makes governments act. "The health sector can be an important catalyst in this effort."
"Globally, there is a gap. No single UN agency currently has responsibility for registering births and deaths. This absence has led the Who Counts? team to call for a new international body to improve civil registration efforts. But they concede that the likelihood of a new organization being inaugurated is low. In the interim, they urge donors and global partners to do more to promote and support registration systems. Ultimately, this campaign is about how much each of us values the life of every other human being. It is a test of our humanity," Horton concludes.
thelancet
Written by:
пятница, 17 июня 2011 г.
APA Offers Resources On Managing Traumatic Stress In Wake Of Haiti Earthquake
For those who may be struggling to cope from a distance or are having trouble dealing with the images of the Haiti earthquake aftermath, the American Psychological Association (APA) offers free resources on managing distress from afar and tips for recovering from disasters on its Psychology Help Center.
"The sheer number of lost lives, the wounded and the destruction of homes and communities as a result of the earthquake is tragic," said APA President Carol Goodheart, Ed.D. "This is also a difficult time for those who are witnessing from a distance the loss of friends and family and the destruction of land in their native country."
People living in the United States who have lost family and friends or are waiting for news of their loved ones are most likely to feel distress about this disaster. APA offers the following tips to help people mange any distress:
. Take a news break. Watching endless replays of footage from the disaster can make your stress even greater. Although you will want to keep informed - especially if you have loved ones in Haiti - taking a break from watching the news or social media updates can lessen your distress.
. Control what you can. There are routines in your life that you can continue, such as going to work or school and making meals. It helps to maintain these routines to give yourself a break from constantly thinking about the earthquake.
. Find a productive way to help if you can. Many organizations are providing various forms of aid to survivors. Contributing or volunteering is a positive action that can help you to make a difference.
. Keep things in perspective. While an earthquake can bring tremendous hardship and loss, remember to focus on the things that are good in your life. Persevere and trust in your ability to get through the challenging days ahead.
For additional information on managing traumatic stress in the aftermath of disasters, visit APA's Help Center. And follow the APA Help Center on Twitter and read APA's Mind/Body Health campaign blog, Your Mind Your Body.
Source
The American Psychological Association
"The sheer number of lost lives, the wounded and the destruction of homes and communities as a result of the earthquake is tragic," said APA President Carol Goodheart, Ed.D. "This is also a difficult time for those who are witnessing from a distance the loss of friends and family and the destruction of land in their native country."
People living in the United States who have lost family and friends or are waiting for news of their loved ones are most likely to feel distress about this disaster. APA offers the following tips to help people mange any distress:
. Take a news break. Watching endless replays of footage from the disaster can make your stress even greater. Although you will want to keep informed - especially if you have loved ones in Haiti - taking a break from watching the news or social media updates can lessen your distress.
. Control what you can. There are routines in your life that you can continue, such as going to work or school and making meals. It helps to maintain these routines to give yourself a break from constantly thinking about the earthquake.
. Find a productive way to help if you can. Many organizations are providing various forms of aid to survivors. Contributing or volunteering is a positive action that can help you to make a difference.
. Keep things in perspective. While an earthquake can bring tremendous hardship and loss, remember to focus on the things that are good in your life. Persevere and trust in your ability to get through the challenging days ahead.
For additional information on managing traumatic stress in the aftermath of disasters, visit APA's Help Center. And follow the APA Help Center on Twitter and read APA's Mind/Body Health campaign blog, Your Mind Your Body.
Source
The American Psychological Association
четверг, 16 июня 2011 г.
Are World Poorest Children Losing Out On G8 Focus On Profits?
The G8 countries, the most powerful economies of the industrial world, have donated $1.5 billion towards to eradication of disease among the poor children of the world. However, only 25% of this money will be spent on vaccine costs, the other 75% will go to profits. In order to save the highest number of lives possible the G8 should really have negotiated the lowest, sustainable non-profit price, according to a Comment in The Lancet this week.
According to Prof. Donald Light, Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, the contract the G8 countries are using follows the same business model as that used by multinational pharmaceutical companies when selling in rich nations. In the current case, the G8 is planning to purchase a pneumococcal vaccine that is already discovered, and has already been developed for the markets of the developed world. In other words, it is in effect an extra contract - icing on the cake - that should be non-profit to help fight disease among the poorest kids in the world.
"This alternative strategy could be called the Advance Maximum Benefit Commitment (AMBC)," explains Prof. Light.
As the current G8 contract stands, $5.00 to $7.50 will be shelled out for each dose. This, according to Prof. Light's estimate, is about four times the average cost, including capital and overhead costs for enlarging production facilities. With the AMBC strategy, however, 1.2 billion more children could be helped. He wonders whether developing countries will stand by silently while the G8 pay four times the average sustainable costs of these vaccines.
thelancet
Written by:
According to Prof. Donald Light, Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, the contract the G8 countries are using follows the same business model as that used by multinational pharmaceutical companies when selling in rich nations. In the current case, the G8 is planning to purchase a pneumococcal vaccine that is already discovered, and has already been developed for the markets of the developed world. In other words, it is in effect an extra contract - icing on the cake - that should be non-profit to help fight disease among the poorest kids in the world.
"This alternative strategy could be called the Advance Maximum Benefit Commitment (AMBC)," explains Prof. Light.
As the current G8 contract stands, $5.00 to $7.50 will be shelled out for each dose. This, according to Prof. Light's estimate, is about four times the average cost, including capital and overhead costs for enlarging production facilities. With the AMBC strategy, however, 1.2 billion more children could be helped. He wonders whether developing countries will stand by silently while the G8 pay four times the average sustainable costs of these vaccines.
thelancet
Written by:
среда, 15 июня 2011 г.
WFP Distributions Fan Out Across Pakistan Flood Zone But Needs Remain Enormous
Food distributions facilitated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have fanned out across Pakistan's flood zone as WFP continues to battle against bad weather, devastated infrastructure and the enormous scale of need.
Distributions in Punjab and Sindh have been scaling up since starting at the weekend, while deliveries in Balochistan started on Monday. This is in addition to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where deliveries have been ongoing since August 1. Hardest hit areas and communities are being prioritised wherever possible.
The obstacles in WFP's way continue to be massive. With such a large number of roads and bridges washed away, many areas remain accessible only by helicopter, including a large part of the north and several locations in Punjab and Sindh. Trucks are being forced to take long detours to reach many distributions sites, causing delays and longer turnaround times before they can be loaded with further food supplies.
"We're putting the final pieces in place on a distribution system which can reach the huge number of people in need in the shortest possible time," said WFP Pakistan Country Director Wolfgang Herbinger. "It's a huge
challenge, particularly in Sindh, where the delivery infrastructure is most constrained."
"We have assessments completed in most of the country so we know where needs are, we have NGO partners to do the distributions, and - at least for now - a steady supply of food leaving our warehouses," Herbinger said.
WFP expects its food distributions to have reached one million people with a one-month food ration on Tuesday. Although the needs are massive, with at least six million people in need of assistance, the Red Crescent Society, government, local authorities, businesses and private individuals, are all part of the effort to fill the food gap.
Helicopters are the only viable means to reach many areas which have been cut off, and WFP is in the process of moving three heavy-lift choppers to Pakistan to boost the ten that have already been made available by the Pakistan government. In many areas of the Swat Valley, people have devised local solutions, picking up food from distribution sites and taking it home on their shoulders across sections where roads have been washed away. In the mountainous Shangla district, mules have been made available to help people get food home.
In a bid to ensure a continuous supply of food to victims of the flooding, WFP has set up new logistics hubs and warehouse facilities in both Multan (Punjab) and Sukkur (Sindh) provinces. WFP currently has enough food stocks for a first round of distributions but will need significant additional donor support to continue deliveries in September. WFP has so far received just over US$30 million towards its US$150 million operation for the next
three months.
"Food, trucks, helicopters and manpower - it all costs money. We are making a very urgent and direct appeal to the international community to redouble their support to our efforts to assist the people of Pakistan," said
Herbinger.
Source:
WFP
Distributions in Punjab and Sindh have been scaling up since starting at the weekend, while deliveries in Balochistan started on Monday. This is in addition to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where deliveries have been ongoing since August 1. Hardest hit areas and communities are being prioritised wherever possible.
The obstacles in WFP's way continue to be massive. With such a large number of roads and bridges washed away, many areas remain accessible only by helicopter, including a large part of the north and several locations in Punjab and Sindh. Trucks are being forced to take long detours to reach many distributions sites, causing delays and longer turnaround times before they can be loaded with further food supplies.
"We're putting the final pieces in place on a distribution system which can reach the huge number of people in need in the shortest possible time," said WFP Pakistan Country Director Wolfgang Herbinger. "It's a huge
challenge, particularly in Sindh, where the delivery infrastructure is most constrained."
"We have assessments completed in most of the country so we know where needs are, we have NGO partners to do the distributions, and - at least for now - a steady supply of food leaving our warehouses," Herbinger said.
WFP expects its food distributions to have reached one million people with a one-month food ration on Tuesday. Although the needs are massive, with at least six million people in need of assistance, the Red Crescent Society, government, local authorities, businesses and private individuals, are all part of the effort to fill the food gap.
Helicopters are the only viable means to reach many areas which have been cut off, and WFP is in the process of moving three heavy-lift choppers to Pakistan to boost the ten that have already been made available by the Pakistan government. In many areas of the Swat Valley, people have devised local solutions, picking up food from distribution sites and taking it home on their shoulders across sections where roads have been washed away. In the mountainous Shangla district, mules have been made available to help people get food home.
In a bid to ensure a continuous supply of food to victims of the flooding, WFP has set up new logistics hubs and warehouse facilities in both Multan (Punjab) and Sukkur (Sindh) provinces. WFP currently has enough food stocks for a first round of distributions but will need significant additional donor support to continue deliveries in September. WFP has so far received just over US$30 million towards its US$150 million operation for the next
three months.
"Food, trucks, helicopters and manpower - it all costs money. We are making a very urgent and direct appeal to the international community to redouble their support to our efforts to assist the people of Pakistan," said
Herbinger.
Source:
WFP
вторник, 14 июня 2011 г.
Children Most Affected By The Conflict In Belet Weyne
The recent conflict in the town of Belet Weyne (Hiran Region, Central Somalia) calls for immediate humanitarian response, UNICEF said recently. Over the past several weeks, fighting intensified in Belet Weyne between the Ethiopian forces and anti-government elements, causing massive displacement, civilian casualties and destruction of property. UNICEF and its partners are building up their capacity to respond to the urgent needs in the town and its surrounding areas, but heavy fighting has seriously hampered humanitarian agencies' access.
Over 70,000 persons remain displaced from Belet Weyne lacking even the most basic human needs including food, water, health and protection - forced to live in unhygienic and unsanitary conditions.
"Children are particularly vulnerable. There are reports of children being killed, injured or gone missing due to the fighting" said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF Representative to Somalia. "We also received reports from partners which indicate an increase in the number of unaccompanied children who have been separated from their family, relatives and communities. Some of them are very young children, under seven years old. Isolated from their supportive environments, these children are most vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, as well as exploitation as cheap or free labour," added Balslev-Olesen.
According to reports from UNICEF's non-governmental organization (NGO) partners on the ground in Belet Weyne, unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable to the risk of recruitment by armed forces.
To ensure a protective environment for children, UNICEF is currently supporting the Child Protection Network operating in Hiran region, a group of community-based organizations working along with communities to monitor and identify children at risk and help them receive the necessary services. UNICEF, in cooperation with partner NGOs, is also conducting a rapid assessment to evaluate the situation of vulnerable children. Child-friendly spaces will also be established, providing children with psychosocial care, counseling and recreational activities, in addition to a safe environment.
"Lack of access is a major issue that we are facing today. Although humanitarian interventions are ongoing, our ability to respond quickly and effectively with high impact has been undermined significantly due to the deteriorating security conditions," said Balslev-Olesen. "All parties involved in the conflict must prioritize civilian's safety and well being- especially children- and ensure access for humanitarian organizations."
UNICEF will assit with the feeding of 15,000 under-five children in Belet Weyne town and surrounding areas, along with supplementary feeding programmes for 1,000 malnourished children.. Health services are being strengthened through the provision of supplies to aid approximately 200,000 people. Hygiene and sanitation promotion and services to prevent any outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhea are ongoing.
UNICEF is also working with partners to prepare for school resumption, to gradually introduce a sense of normalcy for children.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
unicef
Over 70,000 persons remain displaced from Belet Weyne lacking even the most basic human needs including food, water, health and protection - forced to live in unhygienic and unsanitary conditions.
"Children are particularly vulnerable. There are reports of children being killed, injured or gone missing due to the fighting" said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF Representative to Somalia. "We also received reports from partners which indicate an increase in the number of unaccompanied children who have been separated from their family, relatives and communities. Some of them are very young children, under seven years old. Isolated from their supportive environments, these children are most vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, as well as exploitation as cheap or free labour," added Balslev-Olesen.
According to reports from UNICEF's non-governmental organization (NGO) partners on the ground in Belet Weyne, unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable to the risk of recruitment by armed forces.
To ensure a protective environment for children, UNICEF is currently supporting the Child Protection Network operating in Hiran region, a group of community-based organizations working along with communities to monitor and identify children at risk and help them receive the necessary services. UNICEF, in cooperation with partner NGOs, is also conducting a rapid assessment to evaluate the situation of vulnerable children. Child-friendly spaces will also be established, providing children with psychosocial care, counseling and recreational activities, in addition to a safe environment.
"Lack of access is a major issue that we are facing today. Although humanitarian interventions are ongoing, our ability to respond quickly and effectively with high impact has been undermined significantly due to the deteriorating security conditions," said Balslev-Olesen. "All parties involved in the conflict must prioritize civilian's safety and well being- especially children- and ensure access for humanitarian organizations."
UNICEF will assit with the feeding of 15,000 under-five children in Belet Weyne town and surrounding areas, along with supplementary feeding programmes for 1,000 malnourished children.. Health services are being strengthened through the provision of supplies to aid approximately 200,000 people. Hygiene and sanitation promotion and services to prevent any outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhea are ongoing.
UNICEF is also working with partners to prepare for school resumption, to gradually introduce a sense of normalcy for children.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
unicef
понедельник, 13 июня 2011 г.
UF'S Burn Center Tests Virtual Reality Disaster Training
Forget the stethoscope - the video game controller could be the newest item you find in your doctor's black bag. Medical trauma doctors and nurses throughout Florida are testing an interactive training program developed by University of Florida experts to model a mass disaster involving patients with burn injuries. The Web-based program goes live for testing this October.
The federally funded program, "Burn Center," simulates an explosion at a theme park and teaches life-saving skills needed to treat up to 2,000 victims of burns, bombs and blasts. Health professionals care for virtual patients, making crucial decisions and dealing with potential complications from their injuries. The game features multiple scenarios, and players receive scores based on response time and accuracy of care provided.
"Burn Center targets trauma surgeons and nurses to provide training regarding what they would encounter in burn and blast injuries - something they may not see every day," said David W. Mozingo, M.D., a professor of surgery in the UF College of Medicine and director of the Shands Burn Center at UF, who collaborated with UF simulation expert Sergei Kurenov, the Florida Department of Health, ProMedia, and Orlando-based 360Ed, to create the fast-paced training program to simulate a terror attack involving mass casualties.
"Every time you play the game it is going to be different because the complications and patient problems are put in a 'controlled randomness' where it is an appropriate complication to occur, but may not occur every time you play the game," said Mozingo, who developed the patient training scenarios with the help of other Florida burn and trauma physicians.
Disaster preparation and response training are crucial to victim survival after a mass casualty incident, Mozingo said. The nation only has about 1,800 burn beds, with just 60 in Florida, limiting opportunities to care for patients in the aftermath of a mass disaster. Opportunities also are limited to prepare key medical practitioners for the unexpected. Eventually the program will be made available nationally.
"We knew we would have to provide some training so that the burn care usually provided at burn centers could be applied in other hospitals, specifically trauma centers for the more seriously injured," said Mozingo.
The game offers three educational components to teach skills needed to treat patients with burns or other injuries from bombs and blasts. The first requires players to make quick decisions at the disaster site about initial medical care and then triage patients to the appropriate hospital. The next interactive element focuses on in-hospital care, where players manage the patients' care over a 36-hour (time-elapsed) period. The final part offers multimedia lectures, which also involve immersive learning elements such as engaging background scenery to keep the learner interested.
"We looked toward innovative, new technologies of teaching to provide a product that would fulfill a unique training need," added Mozingo.
Ben Noel, chief executive officer of 360Ed, said the program's video game format enables players to become fully immersed in the training experience.
"One of the early problems with online learning was that content was often just as stale as our textbooks," said Noel. "Today's rich media and gaming culture offers endless options to dramatically improve the value of the content and engage learners in the subject. When that is accomplished, the learner will do the rest."
Richard Gamelli, M.D., a former president of the American Burn Association, said the program's range of learning levels, ability to test players' decisions, and self-study format give the game diverse utility.
"There are few things out there that can do what this program does," said Gamelli, who is chairman of the department of surgery at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "What is nice about this program is that it builds on existing programs and that someone can do the training program over and over."
Burn Center is UF's second project prompted by the Florida Department of Health's response to a nationwide directive from the Office of Homeland Security to ensure effective disaster response. The first program, a lecture-based format also developed by Mozingo, was adopted by the U.S. Health Services and Resources Administration in 2005 and is now used nationally.
The University of Florida Health Science Center - the most comprehensive academic health center in the Southeast - is dedicated to high-quality programs of education, research, patient care and public service. The Health Science Center encompasses the colleges of Dentistry, Public Health and Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and an academic campus in Jacksonville offering graduate education programs in dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy. Patient care activities, under the banner UF&Shands, are provided through teaching hospitals and a network of clinics in Gainesville and Jacksonville. The Health Science Center also has a statewide presence through satellite medical, dental and nursing clinics staffed by UF health professionals; and affiliations with community-based health-care facilities stretching from Hialeah and Miami to the Florida Panhandle.
University of Florida Health Science Center
The federally funded program, "Burn Center," simulates an explosion at a theme park and teaches life-saving skills needed to treat up to 2,000 victims of burns, bombs and blasts. Health professionals care for virtual patients, making crucial decisions and dealing with potential complications from their injuries. The game features multiple scenarios, and players receive scores based on response time and accuracy of care provided.
"Burn Center targets trauma surgeons and nurses to provide training regarding what they would encounter in burn and blast injuries - something they may not see every day," said David W. Mozingo, M.D., a professor of surgery in the UF College of Medicine and director of the Shands Burn Center at UF, who collaborated with UF simulation expert Sergei Kurenov, the Florida Department of Health, ProMedia, and Orlando-based 360Ed, to create the fast-paced training program to simulate a terror attack involving mass casualties.
"Every time you play the game it is going to be different because the complications and patient problems are put in a 'controlled randomness' where it is an appropriate complication to occur, but may not occur every time you play the game," said Mozingo, who developed the patient training scenarios with the help of other Florida burn and trauma physicians.
Disaster preparation and response training are crucial to victim survival after a mass casualty incident, Mozingo said. The nation only has about 1,800 burn beds, with just 60 in Florida, limiting opportunities to care for patients in the aftermath of a mass disaster. Opportunities also are limited to prepare key medical practitioners for the unexpected. Eventually the program will be made available nationally.
"We knew we would have to provide some training so that the burn care usually provided at burn centers could be applied in other hospitals, specifically trauma centers for the more seriously injured," said Mozingo.
The game offers three educational components to teach skills needed to treat patients with burns or other injuries from bombs and blasts. The first requires players to make quick decisions at the disaster site about initial medical care and then triage patients to the appropriate hospital. The next interactive element focuses on in-hospital care, where players manage the patients' care over a 36-hour (time-elapsed) period. The final part offers multimedia lectures, which also involve immersive learning elements such as engaging background scenery to keep the learner interested.
"We looked toward innovative, new technologies of teaching to provide a product that would fulfill a unique training need," added Mozingo.
Ben Noel, chief executive officer of 360Ed, said the program's video game format enables players to become fully immersed in the training experience.
"One of the early problems with online learning was that content was often just as stale as our textbooks," said Noel. "Today's rich media and gaming culture offers endless options to dramatically improve the value of the content and engage learners in the subject. When that is accomplished, the learner will do the rest."
Richard Gamelli, M.D., a former president of the American Burn Association, said the program's range of learning levels, ability to test players' decisions, and self-study format give the game diverse utility.
"There are few things out there that can do what this program does," said Gamelli, who is chairman of the department of surgery at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "What is nice about this program is that it builds on existing programs and that someone can do the training program over and over."
Burn Center is UF's second project prompted by the Florida Department of Health's response to a nationwide directive from the Office of Homeland Security to ensure effective disaster response. The first program, a lecture-based format also developed by Mozingo, was adopted by the U.S. Health Services and Resources Administration in 2005 and is now used nationally.
The University of Florida Health Science Center - the most comprehensive academic health center in the Southeast - is dedicated to high-quality programs of education, research, patient care and public service. The Health Science Center encompasses the colleges of Dentistry, Public Health and Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and an academic campus in Jacksonville offering graduate education programs in dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy. Patient care activities, under the banner UF&Shands, are provided through teaching hospitals and a network of clinics in Gainesville and Jacksonville. The Health Science Center also has a statewide presence through satellite medical, dental and nursing clinics staffed by UF health professionals; and affiliations with community-based health-care facilities stretching from Hialeah and Miami to the Florida Panhandle.
University of Florida Health Science Center
воскресенье, 12 июня 2011 г.
Auction Of TouchTunes' Digital Jukebox Brings In Nearly $60,000 For Non-Profit Organization Dedicated To Helping The Families Of Cancer Patients
TouchTunes, the largest on-location digital entertainment network, recently donated a limited edition digital jukebox to an auction organized by Michael's Way, a non-profit organization whose goal is to help the families of children with cancer to cope with the extraordinary expenses associated with medical care. The black and yellow jukebox is one of three in existence that is decorated in the LIVESTRONG theme as part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Grassroots Fundraising campaign. The auction was part of an annual golf tournament which is Michael's Way's largest fundraising event. This year the event raised an astounding $800,000.
The jukebox raked in $55,000 for Michael's Way and the winner chose to donate the jukebox to another charitable organization, the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Michael's Way founder Chris McElsee was instrumental in establishing the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which was the very first in the country. Today Michael's Way continues to partner with Ronald McDonald House to help families in need.
TouchTunes created this special edition jukebox in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. These jukeboxes are made especially for charity events and are not available for sale. "TouchTunes is a strong supporter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and other organizations that dedicate themselves to helping those fighting cancer," said TouchTunes CEO Art Matin. "Michael's Way is a commendable organization and we are proud to be involved with its mission." Individual contributions for TouchTunes efforts can be made online at livestrong/grassroots/touchtunes.
TouchTunes has volunteered to install the jukebox free of cost and one of its operators, Automatic Coin Vending, has generously offered to service it at no charge to the Ronald McDonald House. Michael Lee of Automatic Vending stated, "We are pleased to be partnered with TouchTunes for such a worthy cause and donating our time to the Ronald McDonald House is a rewarding way for us to give back to the community."
About TouchTunes
TouchTunes is the largest on-location digital entertainment network, providing innovative solutions to nearly 30,000 bars, restaurants, retailers and other businesses in North America. TouchTunes introduced the world's first digital-downloading, pay-per-play commercial jukebox in 1998 and now operates the largest network of digital jukeboxes and digital entertainment systems, playing over 1.4 million songs per day. TouchTunes maintains a digital music library covering more than one million fully-licensed songs from every major record label, plus independent music distributors and a host of indie labels.
A privately held U.S. corporation, TouchTunes Music Corporation's principal offices are in New York, Montreal, Canada; and Lake Zurich, IL.
About Michael's Way
The mission of Michael's Way is to help the families of children with cancer to cope with the extraordinary expenses that come about as a direct result of the child's illness. Chris McElwee, the founder of Michael's Way, lost a brother to leukemia and was made aware of the unique problems that accompany cancer. While there are numerous organizations that assist people with medical expenses, there are very few that can be of help with other necessary expenses. Michael's Way was founded to fill this need. Families of children in treatment are eligible to apply for funds to pay for needed expenditures such as rent, mortgage, utility bills, childcare, and transportation to and from the hospital, etc. Applications are made through the child's social worker who assesses need and priority.
michaelsway
The jukebox raked in $55,000 for Michael's Way and the winner chose to donate the jukebox to another charitable organization, the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Michael's Way founder Chris McElsee was instrumental in establishing the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which was the very first in the country. Today Michael's Way continues to partner with Ronald McDonald House to help families in need.
TouchTunes created this special edition jukebox in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. These jukeboxes are made especially for charity events and are not available for sale. "TouchTunes is a strong supporter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and other organizations that dedicate themselves to helping those fighting cancer," said TouchTunes CEO Art Matin. "Michael's Way is a commendable organization and we are proud to be involved with its mission." Individual contributions for TouchTunes efforts can be made online at livestrong/grassroots/touchtunes.
TouchTunes has volunteered to install the jukebox free of cost and one of its operators, Automatic Coin Vending, has generously offered to service it at no charge to the Ronald McDonald House. Michael Lee of Automatic Vending stated, "We are pleased to be partnered with TouchTunes for such a worthy cause and donating our time to the Ronald McDonald House is a rewarding way for us to give back to the community."
About TouchTunes
TouchTunes is the largest on-location digital entertainment network, providing innovative solutions to nearly 30,000 bars, restaurants, retailers and other businesses in North America. TouchTunes introduced the world's first digital-downloading, pay-per-play commercial jukebox in 1998 and now operates the largest network of digital jukeboxes and digital entertainment systems, playing over 1.4 million songs per day. TouchTunes maintains a digital music library covering more than one million fully-licensed songs from every major record label, plus independent music distributors and a host of indie labels.
A privately held U.S. corporation, TouchTunes Music Corporation's principal offices are in New York, Montreal, Canada; and Lake Zurich, IL.
About Michael's Way
The mission of Michael's Way is to help the families of children with cancer to cope with the extraordinary expenses that come about as a direct result of the child's illness. Chris McElwee, the founder of Michael's Way, lost a brother to leukemia and was made aware of the unique problems that accompany cancer. While there are numerous organizations that assist people with medical expenses, there are very few that can be of help with other necessary expenses. Michael's Way was founded to fill this need. Families of children in treatment are eligible to apply for funds to pay for needed expenditures such as rent, mortgage, utility bills, childcare, and transportation to and from the hospital, etc. Applications are made through the child's social worker who assesses need and priority.
michaelsway
суббота, 11 июня 2011 г.
Annual Gifts Help Ensure Quick Response To Florida Tornadoes
The people in Central
Florida are still recovering from the devastation caused by last week's
tornadoes, which killed 20 people and impacted more than 2,000 homes in the
area. The American Red Cross was among the first on the ground helping
disaster victims with food, shelter, counseling and other assistance. The
rapid response to the basic needs of residents was made possible by
generous donations by members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving
Program (ADGP). The ADGP provides the Red Cross with a guaranteed source of
funding to respond to thousands of disasters around the country each year.
Trained Red Cross disaster workers have provided more than 38,357 meals
and snacks, distributed more than 3,500 comfort and clean-up kits, and
delivered 11,800 bulk items to tornado victims in Lake, Sumter, and Volusia
counties.
"Our ADGP members' gifts to disaster preparedness and the Disaster
Relief Fund helped our organization respond immediately with shelter and
other services to those in need," said Jack McGuire, Interim President and
CEO of the American Red Cross. "Communities often think of the Red Cross
after a disaster has already affected thousands of lives. ADGP members are
truly unique because they ensure the Red Cross has the resources to respond
before a disaster strikes."
ADGP members pledge donations on an on-going basis, in advance of major
disasters, to help the American Red Cross ensure immediate response to meet
the needs of those affected by disasters of all sizes, at no cost and
regardless of income. Members include:
-- American Express Foundation
-- AT&T
-- AXA Foundation
-- Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
-- Citigroup Foundation
-- ConAgra Foods Foundation
-- FedEx Corporation
-- Halliburton
-- JCPenney Company Fund
-- Lowe's Companies, Inc
-- Marriott International, Inc
-- Merck & Co., Inc
-- Morgan Stanley
-- Nestle Waters North America
-- Raytheon
-- State Farm
-- State Street Corporation
-- Target
-- TJX Companies, Inc
-- Woodman of the World/Omaha Woodman Life Insurance Society
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by
voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can
help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year,
disasters like the Central Florida tornadoes, by making a financial gift to
the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to
provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of
disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to
designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of
your donation. Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local
American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243,
Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution
by visiting redcross/.
American Red Cross
redcross/
Florida are still recovering from the devastation caused by last week's
tornadoes, which killed 20 people and impacted more than 2,000 homes in the
area. The American Red Cross was among the first on the ground helping
disaster victims with food, shelter, counseling and other assistance. The
rapid response to the basic needs of residents was made possible by
generous donations by members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving
Program (ADGP). The ADGP provides the Red Cross with a guaranteed source of
funding to respond to thousands of disasters around the country each year.
Trained Red Cross disaster workers have provided more than 38,357 meals
and snacks, distributed more than 3,500 comfort and clean-up kits, and
delivered 11,800 bulk items to tornado victims in Lake, Sumter, and Volusia
counties.
"Our ADGP members' gifts to disaster preparedness and the Disaster
Relief Fund helped our organization respond immediately with shelter and
other services to those in need," said Jack McGuire, Interim President and
CEO of the American Red Cross. "Communities often think of the Red Cross
after a disaster has already affected thousands of lives. ADGP members are
truly unique because they ensure the Red Cross has the resources to respond
before a disaster strikes."
ADGP members pledge donations on an on-going basis, in advance of major
disasters, to help the American Red Cross ensure immediate response to meet
the needs of those affected by disasters of all sizes, at no cost and
regardless of income. Members include:
-- American Express Foundation
-- AT&T
-- AXA Foundation
-- Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
-- Citigroup Foundation
-- ConAgra Foods Foundation
-- FedEx Corporation
-- Halliburton
-- JCPenney Company Fund
-- Lowe's Companies, Inc
-- Marriott International, Inc
-- Merck & Co., Inc
-- Morgan Stanley
-- Nestle Waters North America
-- Raytheon
-- State Farm
-- State Street Corporation
-- Target
-- TJX Companies, Inc
-- Woodman of the World/Omaha Woodman Life Insurance Society
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by
voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can
help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year,
disasters like the Central Florida tornadoes, by making a financial gift to
the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to
provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of
disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to
designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of
your donation. Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local
American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243,
Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution
by visiting redcross/.
American Red Cross
redcross/
пятница, 10 июня 2011 г.
Britain Pledges $5.3M To Groups That Have Lost U.S. Funding For Providing Abortion Services In Developing Countries
Britain's Department for International Development on Monday announced that over the next two years it will provide $5.3 million to organizations that have been denied U.S. aid because they offer abortion services to women in developing countries, Reuters reports (Baldwin, Reuters, 2/6). President Bush in September 2003 issued an executive order that prevents the State Department from giving family planning grants to international groups that provide abortion-related counseling, effectively extending the so-called "Mexico City" policy. The policy -- which was implemented by President Reagan at a population conference in Mexico City in 1984, removed by President Clinton and reinstated by President Bush during the first days of his presidency -- previously applied only to USAID (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/6/05). Britain's $5.3 million donation will fund the Global Safe Abortion Program, which was established by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, to increase access to safe abortion services and "support other partners that have had to cut back on reproductive health services because of the impact" of the Mexico City policy, International Development Minister Gareth Thomas said (BBC News, 2/6). According to the World Health Organization, about 19 million women have unsafe abortions annually (Reuters, 2/6).
Reaction
"The absence of sexual and reproductive health services results in an increase in unintended pregnancies and, inevitably, a greater number of unsafe abortions," Thomas said. He also called on the U.S. to withdraw the Mexico City policy, but he added, "It is not likely to be lifted in the short term and the Global Safe Abortion Program and our funding to it is a response to that situation" (BBC News, 2/6). Steven Sinding, director-general of IPPF, said, "I think the [United Kingdom] is being very brave and very progressive in making this commitment," adding, "We're committed to the expansion of safe abortion because in any society, no matter how efficiently contraception is made available, there will be unplanned and unwanted pregnancies." Britain and IPPF are hopeful that other nations, such as the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Canada, also will contribute to the program (Boseley, Sydney Morning Herald, 2/7).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ?© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
четверг, 9 июня 2011 г.
Scientists Assess Flooding And Damage From 2008 Myanmar Cyclone - A Natural Disaster That Killed 138,000
Tropical cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Asian nation of Myanmar on May 2, 2008, causing the worst natural disaster in the country's recorded history - with a death toll that may have exceeded 138,000. In the July 2009 issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers report on a field survey done three months after the disaster to document the extent of the flooding and resulting damage.
The information - which may be the first reliable measurements of cyclone damage in the area - could lead to development of computer models for predicting how future storms may impact the geologically complex Ayeyarwady River delta. Those models could be the basis for planning, construction and education that would dramatically reduce future loss of life.
Among the findings of the study: the cyclone created a storm surge as much as five meters high - topped by two-meter storm waves - that together inundated areas as much as 50 kilometers inland. Fatality rates reached 80 percent in the hardest-hit villages, and an estimated 2.5 million people in the area lived in flood-prone homes less than 10 feet above sea level.
"The recorded high water marks serve as benchmarking for numerical models for the complex hydraulic response of the giant Ayeyarwady delta," noted Hermann M. Fritz, an associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Ongoing numerical simulations will allow us to determine flood zones and vulnerabilities for future cyclone scenarios. Based on those, evacuation scenarios and evaluation plans will be derived in collaboration with international partners and the Myanmar government."
Already, a local non-governmental organization in the nation has developed a cyclone education program to raise awareness among residents, said Fritz, who was the only international scientist leading a team that surveyed 150 kilometers of the country's coastline during a two-week period August 9-23, 2008.
"The aim of our project was to document the extent of the flooding and associated damage in the delta," Fritz explained. "Field surveys in the immediate aftermath of major disasters focus on perishable data, which would otherwise be lost forever - such as infrastructure damage prior to repair and reconstruction."
In the flood zone, for instance, the researchers searched for evidence of water marks on buildings, scars on trees and rafted debris as indicators of the maximum water height.
"Nargis washed away entire settlements, often without leaving a single structure standing, which forced us to focus on evidence left on large trees," added Fritz, who has studied other natural disasters in Asia, Africa and the United States. "High water marks were photographed and located using global positioning system instruments. Transects from the nearest beach or waterway to the high water marks were recorded with a laser range finder."
The survey team documented soil erosion of as much as one meter vertically and more than 100 meters horizontally. Highlighting the loss of land was a golden Buddhist stupa - originally constructed on dry land - that was left 150 meters offshore following the storm. Cyclone Nargis also scoured several drinking water wells, leaving them in the beach surf zone - and depriving survivors of safe water supplies.
While the storm surge and waves weren't unusually high, the impact may have been worsened by the lack of nearby high ground for evacuation and loss of coastal mangrove forests that could have slowed the storm waves, Fritz said. Structures in the area were not built to survive cyclones, and there was no evacuation plan for the area - where people had no previous experience with such storms.
Those finding point to recommendations, including implementation of a cyclone education program, development of flood and vulnerability maps, construction of cyclone-safe buildings to serve as shelters, implementation of an improved warning system, and planning for evacuation, Fritz said. Partial reconstruction of the mangroves that had been removed for agriculture and fuel could also help protect the coastline.
The expedition's itinerary was planned based on unofficial damage reports, physical storm and cyclone track data, satellite imagery, numerical model benchmark requirements and experience gained in surveying other disasters. The group traveled to the country by cargo boat and did most surveying from the vessel.
The research was in part supported by the Pyoe Pin Programme of the Department for International Development in the United Kingdom. The program is also sponsoring detailed modeling and a follow up study being done at Georgia Tech by Fritz and Christopher Blount, one of his doctoral students.
A Category 4 storm, Nargis was the eighth deadliest cyclone recorded worldwide. It is one of seven tropical cyclones generated in the Bay of Bengal that had death tolls in excess of 100,000. With damage estimated at more than $10 billion, the storm is the most destructive ever recorded in the Indian Ocean.
Fritz hopes the work done by the survey team - which also included Swe Thwin of the Myanmar Coastal Conservation Society and Moe Kyaw and Nyein Chan of the Mingalar Myanmar NGO - will ultimately help reduce the human cost of major cyclones.
"In the 21st century with modern communication and all that has been learned about cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, there is no need for 138,000 people to be killed by a storm like this," Fritz said. "With adequate planning, education and shelters, it should be possible to reduce fatality rates from future cyclones by at least one order of magnitude."
Source:
John Toon
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
The information - which may be the first reliable measurements of cyclone damage in the area - could lead to development of computer models for predicting how future storms may impact the geologically complex Ayeyarwady River delta. Those models could be the basis for planning, construction and education that would dramatically reduce future loss of life.
Among the findings of the study: the cyclone created a storm surge as much as five meters high - topped by two-meter storm waves - that together inundated areas as much as 50 kilometers inland. Fatality rates reached 80 percent in the hardest-hit villages, and an estimated 2.5 million people in the area lived in flood-prone homes less than 10 feet above sea level.
"The recorded high water marks serve as benchmarking for numerical models for the complex hydraulic response of the giant Ayeyarwady delta," noted Hermann M. Fritz, an associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Ongoing numerical simulations will allow us to determine flood zones and vulnerabilities for future cyclone scenarios. Based on those, evacuation scenarios and evaluation plans will be derived in collaboration with international partners and the Myanmar government."
Already, a local non-governmental organization in the nation has developed a cyclone education program to raise awareness among residents, said Fritz, who was the only international scientist leading a team that surveyed 150 kilometers of the country's coastline during a two-week period August 9-23, 2008.
"The aim of our project was to document the extent of the flooding and associated damage in the delta," Fritz explained. "Field surveys in the immediate aftermath of major disasters focus on perishable data, which would otherwise be lost forever - such as infrastructure damage prior to repair and reconstruction."
In the flood zone, for instance, the researchers searched for evidence of water marks on buildings, scars on trees and rafted debris as indicators of the maximum water height.
"Nargis washed away entire settlements, often without leaving a single structure standing, which forced us to focus on evidence left on large trees," added Fritz, who has studied other natural disasters in Asia, Africa and the United States. "High water marks were photographed and located using global positioning system instruments. Transects from the nearest beach or waterway to the high water marks were recorded with a laser range finder."
The survey team documented soil erosion of as much as one meter vertically and more than 100 meters horizontally. Highlighting the loss of land was a golden Buddhist stupa - originally constructed on dry land - that was left 150 meters offshore following the storm. Cyclone Nargis also scoured several drinking water wells, leaving them in the beach surf zone - and depriving survivors of safe water supplies.
While the storm surge and waves weren't unusually high, the impact may have been worsened by the lack of nearby high ground for evacuation and loss of coastal mangrove forests that could have slowed the storm waves, Fritz said. Structures in the area were not built to survive cyclones, and there was no evacuation plan for the area - where people had no previous experience with such storms.
Those finding point to recommendations, including implementation of a cyclone education program, development of flood and vulnerability maps, construction of cyclone-safe buildings to serve as shelters, implementation of an improved warning system, and planning for evacuation, Fritz said. Partial reconstruction of the mangroves that had been removed for agriculture and fuel could also help protect the coastline.
The expedition's itinerary was planned based on unofficial damage reports, physical storm and cyclone track data, satellite imagery, numerical model benchmark requirements and experience gained in surveying other disasters. The group traveled to the country by cargo boat and did most surveying from the vessel.
The research was in part supported by the Pyoe Pin Programme of the Department for International Development in the United Kingdom. The program is also sponsoring detailed modeling and a follow up study being done at Georgia Tech by Fritz and Christopher Blount, one of his doctoral students.
A Category 4 storm, Nargis was the eighth deadliest cyclone recorded worldwide. It is one of seven tropical cyclones generated in the Bay of Bengal that had death tolls in excess of 100,000. With damage estimated at more than $10 billion, the storm is the most destructive ever recorded in the Indian Ocean.
Fritz hopes the work done by the survey team - which also included Swe Thwin of the Myanmar Coastal Conservation Society and Moe Kyaw and Nyein Chan of the Mingalar Myanmar NGO - will ultimately help reduce the human cost of major cyclones.
"In the 21st century with modern communication and all that has been learned about cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, there is no need for 138,000 people to be killed by a storm like this," Fritz said. "With adequate planning, education and shelters, it should be possible to reduce fatality rates from future cyclones by at least one order of magnitude."
Source:
John Toon
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
среда, 8 июня 2011 г.
New Agreement To Keep Children Safe In Emergency Shelters
Disasters can strike anywhere, at anytime. When a community is affected, friends and neighbors join efforts through a number of venues to help and aid those in need. One of the most critical disaster relief activities includes providing safe shelter. At a recent gathering, three organizations affirmed their commitment to help one of the largest population groups affected by disaster -- children.
The American Red Cross, Children's Disaster Services (a program of the Church of the Brethren) and Save the Children signed a Memorandum of Understanding which defines how these organizations collaborate to establish "Safe Spaces" in emergency evacuation shelters during disaster events in the United States. Recent Red Cross disaster statistics show that in FY 2006, nearly 450,000 people were sheltered following disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, other storms, fires and explosions. It is estimated that at least one-third of those seeking a safe haven were children.
During a shelter situation, "Safe Spaces" provide children with safe physical areas in which they can play, learn, socialize and express themselves under the supervision of a caring adult. Safe Space Kits contain materials that can be used to set-up and establish a safe space within a shelter. These pre-packaged kits contain materials to mark off a special area for children, activity supplies (such as art materials, books, games and toys), and other materials to assist children and families in a shelter environment. The structured, supervised activities offered in Safe Spaces are designed to strengthen children's resilience and help them begin to work through their emotions following a disaster.
The tri-lateral agreement signed today defines the broad cooperative actions of each organization. Depending on the scope and scale of the disaster and impact and available resources, the Red Cross will provide space in shelters for children's activities, Save the Children will provide equipment and materials in the form of a Safe Space kit and Children's Disaster Services will provide volunteers to work with children in the shelter or any other service delivery location.
As June 1 marked the beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, now is the time for individuals and families to prepare for the unexpected and have a pre-established evacuation plan. Identify locations in your community which may serve as evacuation shelters during a severe storm or flooding.
Assemble a disaster supplies kit for your home. Make sure to include a first aid kit containing essential medications and at least three gallons of water per person in your home. Canned food and a non-electric can opener are a must along with protective clothing and raingear. Be sure to also include a battery powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries in case of a power outage and store supplies in a waterproof, easy-to-carry container, such as a plastic tub with handles.
To learn more about these three organizations and their respective missions in helping children, especially following a disaster, visit the following websites.
American Red Cross .
Save the Children
Children's Disaster Services, a program of The Church of the Brethren
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
The American Red Cross, Children's Disaster Services (a program of the Church of the Brethren) and Save the Children signed a Memorandum of Understanding which defines how these organizations collaborate to establish "Safe Spaces" in emergency evacuation shelters during disaster events in the United States. Recent Red Cross disaster statistics show that in FY 2006, nearly 450,000 people were sheltered following disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, other storms, fires and explosions. It is estimated that at least one-third of those seeking a safe haven were children.
During a shelter situation, "Safe Spaces" provide children with safe physical areas in which they can play, learn, socialize and express themselves under the supervision of a caring adult. Safe Space Kits contain materials that can be used to set-up and establish a safe space within a shelter. These pre-packaged kits contain materials to mark off a special area for children, activity supplies (such as art materials, books, games and toys), and other materials to assist children and families in a shelter environment. The structured, supervised activities offered in Safe Spaces are designed to strengthen children's resilience and help them begin to work through their emotions following a disaster.
The tri-lateral agreement signed today defines the broad cooperative actions of each organization. Depending on the scope and scale of the disaster and impact and available resources, the Red Cross will provide space in shelters for children's activities, Save the Children will provide equipment and materials in the form of a Safe Space kit and Children's Disaster Services will provide volunteers to work with children in the shelter or any other service delivery location.
As June 1 marked the beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, now is the time for individuals and families to prepare for the unexpected and have a pre-established evacuation plan. Identify locations in your community which may serve as evacuation shelters during a severe storm or flooding.
Assemble a disaster supplies kit for your home. Make sure to include a first aid kit containing essential medications and at least three gallons of water per person in your home. Canned food and a non-electric can opener are a must along with protective clothing and raingear. Be sure to also include a battery powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries in case of a power outage and store supplies in a waterproof, easy-to-carry container, such as a plastic tub with handles.
To learn more about these three organizations and their respective missions in helping children, especially following a disaster, visit the following websites.
American Red Cross .
Save the Children
Children's Disaster Services, a program of The Church of the Brethren
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
вторник, 7 июня 2011 г.
JHPIEGO Receives $2.2 Million For International Women's Health Initiatives
JHPIEGO, an international health affiliate of The Johns Hopkins University, has received several awards totaling more than $2.2 million to strengthen maternal and newborn health services in Cambodia, Kenya, Nepal, and to evaluate the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's HIV Medics program in Uganda and Zambia.
The JHPIEGO led ACCESS Program has received a three year, $1.8 million award to assist the Cambodian Ministry of Health and key local stakeholders in improving availability of and access to high-quality, sustainable maternal and newborn health services. Under this U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded award, the areas in which ACCESS (Access to Clinical and Community Maternal, Neonatal and Women's Health Services Program) will contribute are: policy issues, including recruitment, deployment and retention of midwives; expansion of high-priority health interventions to national scale; training of midwives in essential and emergency obstetrical and newborn care (life-saving skills); education for midwifery students, including the development of learning materials; prevention of postpartum hemorrhage in facilities and in the community; and integration of essential newborn care with existing services.
The Wallace Global Fund has awarded JHPIEGO $245,000 over two years to implement "Expanding Reproductive Healthcare in African Informal Settlements." The program aims to increase access to safe, quality reproductive health for women in living in the slum urban settlements of Korogocho and Viwandani in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Nick Simons Institute (NSI) has awarded JHPIEGO $137,218 to provide technical assistance to improve health care in rural areas of Nepal. JHPIEGO will help strengthen provider performance through competency-based clinical training for skilled birth attendants and health assistants. JHPIEGO will upgrade at least one NSI partner hospital to function as a training site for skilled birth attendants, and will also develop a health assistant practicum and related clinical training and performance improvement activities.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has awarded JHPIEGO $69,510 to evaluate its HIV Medics program in Uganda and Zambia. Established in 2004, the Medics program trains lay people through a 12-week intensive program to become "treatment extenders."
This new cadre provides support to providers, including basic triage and assistance in the provision of antiretroviral therapy. JHPIEGO will provide technical assistance to document the progress of AHF's program in these two countries, and identify factors that promote or hinder the effective integration of the new cadre with health care delivery systems.
"JHPIEGO is fortunate to be able to support such important issues that face women and families in low-resource settings around the world. These funds will help us continue our efforts to equip health care providers in these countries as they work to save and improve the lives of thousands of women and children," says Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of JHPIEGO.
About JHPIEGO
JHPIEGO (pronounced "JA-PIE-GO"), an international health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, builds global and local partnerships to enhance the quality of health services for women and families. JHPIEGO's focus is on training and support for health care providers - including doctors, nurses, midwives and health educators - working in limited-resource settings throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.
JHPIEGO has Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, HIV/AIDS, and Family Planning and Reproductive Health to strengthen services to women and families in more than 50 countries around the world. jhpiego
About The Wallace Global Fund
The goal of the Wallace Global Fund is to promote an informed and engaged citizenry, to fight injustice, and to protect the diversity of nature and the natural systems upon which all life depends. wgf
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development's global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum of care from the household to the hospital - with the aim of making quality health services accessible for women and newborns.
About Nick Simons Institute
Nick Simons Institute is a network of hospital and community projects that share a common vision for improving health care in the rural areas of Nepal. Initially this network will include Patan Hospital, Tansen Mission Hospital, Okhaldhunga Hospital, Lamjung Hospital, Rukum Living River Hospital and Dandeldhura TEAM Hospital - along with several other hospitals still to be negotiated, and their associated community projects.
About the AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Based in Los Angeles, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the nation's largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care. It offers cutting-edge medicine and advocacy, regardless of ability to pay, to more than 27,000 people in the United States, Africa, Central America and Asia. aidshealth
The JHPIEGO led ACCESS Program has received a three year, $1.8 million award to assist the Cambodian Ministry of Health and key local stakeholders in improving availability of and access to high-quality, sustainable maternal and newborn health services. Under this U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded award, the areas in which ACCESS (Access to Clinical and Community Maternal, Neonatal and Women's Health Services Program) will contribute are: policy issues, including recruitment, deployment and retention of midwives; expansion of high-priority health interventions to national scale; training of midwives in essential and emergency obstetrical and newborn care (life-saving skills); education for midwifery students, including the development of learning materials; prevention of postpartum hemorrhage in facilities and in the community; and integration of essential newborn care with existing services.
The Wallace Global Fund has awarded JHPIEGO $245,000 over two years to implement "Expanding Reproductive Healthcare in African Informal Settlements." The program aims to increase access to safe, quality reproductive health for women in living in the slum urban settlements of Korogocho and Viwandani in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Nick Simons Institute (NSI) has awarded JHPIEGO $137,218 to provide technical assistance to improve health care in rural areas of Nepal. JHPIEGO will help strengthen provider performance through competency-based clinical training for skilled birth attendants and health assistants. JHPIEGO will upgrade at least one NSI partner hospital to function as a training site for skilled birth attendants, and will also develop a health assistant practicum and related clinical training and performance improvement activities.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has awarded JHPIEGO $69,510 to evaluate its HIV Medics program in Uganda and Zambia. Established in 2004, the Medics program trains lay people through a 12-week intensive program to become "treatment extenders."
This new cadre provides support to providers, including basic triage and assistance in the provision of antiretroviral therapy. JHPIEGO will provide technical assistance to document the progress of AHF's program in these two countries, and identify factors that promote or hinder the effective integration of the new cadre with health care delivery systems.
"JHPIEGO is fortunate to be able to support such important issues that face women and families in low-resource settings around the world. These funds will help us continue our efforts to equip health care providers in these countries as they work to save and improve the lives of thousands of women and children," says Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of JHPIEGO.
About JHPIEGO
JHPIEGO (pronounced "JA-PIE-GO"), an international health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, builds global and local partnerships to enhance the quality of health services for women and families. JHPIEGO's focus is on training and support for health care providers - including doctors, nurses, midwives and health educators - working in limited-resource settings throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.
JHPIEGO has Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, HIV/AIDS, and Family Planning and Reproductive Health to strengthen services to women and families in more than 50 countries around the world. jhpiego
About The Wallace Global Fund
The goal of the Wallace Global Fund is to promote an informed and engaged citizenry, to fight injustice, and to protect the diversity of nature and the natural systems upon which all life depends. wgf
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development's global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum of care from the household to the hospital - with the aim of making quality health services accessible for women and newborns.
About Nick Simons Institute
Nick Simons Institute is a network of hospital and community projects that share a common vision for improving health care in the rural areas of Nepal. Initially this network will include Patan Hospital, Tansen Mission Hospital, Okhaldhunga Hospital, Lamjung Hospital, Rukum Living River Hospital and Dandeldhura TEAM Hospital - along with several other hospitals still to be negotiated, and their associated community projects.
About the AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Based in Los Angeles, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the nation's largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care. It offers cutting-edge medicine and advocacy, regardless of ability to pay, to more than 27,000 people in the United States, Africa, Central America and Asia. aidshealth
понедельник, 6 июня 2011 г.
Louisiana Health Care Providers To Receive Nearly $130M Federal Block Grant From HHS
Louisiana health care providers will receive nearly $130 million of a $600 million federal Social Service Block Grant for disaster-assistance released on Tuesday by HHS, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Part of the funds will go to health care providers that experienced losses because of hurricanes Ike and Gustav in 2008, and to assist medical facilities affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The money was approved by Congress in September as part of a larger spending bill. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will be responsible for distributing the grants; however, the agency still is awaiting guidance from HHS before creating a distribution formula, according to Tony Keck, chief of staff for state Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 1/7).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
воскресенье, 5 июня 2011 г.
HHS Launches Oil Spill Distress Helpline
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of a new toll-free helpline to provide information, support and counseling for families and children affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Part of the Obama Administration's long term oil spill recovery plan, the Oil Spill Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990) links callers to behavioral healthcare services and will serve as an important resource for the localized oil spill outreach efforts in the Gulf Coast states.
"We know that residents throughout the Gulf Coast region continue to deal with the disruption to their livelihoods and communities caused by the oil spill. The resulting stress they are feeling is real and if behavioral health conditions are left untreated, we can expect that the situations these individuals and their families are living in will worsen," said Secretary Sebelius. "The Oil Spill Distress Helpline will be a critical tool in getting people the help they need, and I want to acknowledge the state, local and federal partnership that helped get it set up and available."
Administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Helpline will route callers to the nearest Gulf Coast area crisis center, where trained staff from the region will answer calls and provide assistance. In addition, these crisis centers are working to provide support via text messages, a capability which will launch later this fall.
"History tells us that the emotional impact of the devastating losses experienced by individuals and families as a result of the oil spill will continue to play out over the years to come," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "Now that the immediate response phase has come to a close, we are shifting our focus to long term recovery and being there for gulf coast residents in need of emotional strength as they rebuild their lives."
The helpline is funded by BP's contribution to SAMHSA, which will help states to provide counseling and support for individuals and families in the Gulf Coast region affected by the oil spill.
For more information, visit the HHS BP Gulf Oil Spill page.
Source:
HHS
"We know that residents throughout the Gulf Coast region continue to deal with the disruption to their livelihoods and communities caused by the oil spill. The resulting stress they are feeling is real and if behavioral health conditions are left untreated, we can expect that the situations these individuals and their families are living in will worsen," said Secretary Sebelius. "The Oil Spill Distress Helpline will be a critical tool in getting people the help they need, and I want to acknowledge the state, local and federal partnership that helped get it set up and available."
Administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Helpline will route callers to the nearest Gulf Coast area crisis center, where trained staff from the region will answer calls and provide assistance. In addition, these crisis centers are working to provide support via text messages, a capability which will launch later this fall.
"History tells us that the emotional impact of the devastating losses experienced by individuals and families as a result of the oil spill will continue to play out over the years to come," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "Now that the immediate response phase has come to a close, we are shifting our focus to long term recovery and being there for gulf coast residents in need of emotional strength as they rebuild their lives."
The helpline is funded by BP's contribution to SAMHSA, which will help states to provide counseling and support for individuals and families in the Gulf Coast region affected by the oil spill.
For more information, visit the HHS BP Gulf Oil Spill page.
Source:
HHS
суббота, 4 июня 2011 г.
WFP Launches Winter Emergency Operation In Kyrgyzstan
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that
it is launching an emergency food operation to help 580,000 vulnerable
people during the bitterly cold season in Kyrgyzstan - many of whom have
felt the impact of a combination of high food prices and a fall in
remittances from expatriates working abroad.
"Winter is a brutal time in Kyrgyzstan. We will be providing food to those
who are unable to meet their basic food needs due to the past year's high
food and fuel prices," said Daly Belgasmi, WFP Regional Director for the
Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Wheat prices have risen by more than 20 per cent and fuel costs have gone
up by almost one quarter since the beginning of the year, severely limiting
the purchasing power of the most vulnerable groups. At the same time,
remittances from Kyrgyz expatriates have decreased, due to the global
economic downturn. Many people are now struggling to feed their families.
Remittances from abroad can make a significant contribution to poor
households in developing countries. As the economies of industrialized
countries contract, opportunities for employment in the construction,
retail and service sectors are falling, and affecting the job prospects for
expatriate workers from countries like Kyrgyzstan.
"The poorest are eating less food with less nutritional value," said Zlatan
Milisic, WFP Country Director in neighbouring Tajikistan who will oversee
the operation. "Many are selling their animals and other family assets. We
recognise the severity of the situation and are moving fast to meet their
needs."
During 2008, the Kyrgyz people have also suffered two droughts, a sequence
of locust infestations, hailstorms and spring frosts. These factors have
caused serious damage to the agricultural sector, despite an increase in
land under cultivation.
According to the initial findings of a WFP assessment conducted in October
2008, one household in five is at high nutritional and health risk. Their
diet is extremely low in calories, and the amount of fats and oil being
consumed is going down.
The WFP emergency operation - which has a budget of US$8.4 million - will
provide a ration of wheat flour and oil designed to meet the food needs of
those families living in rural areas and districts where more than
one-fifth of the population are not getting their full daily nutritional
requirements.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency and the UN's frontline
agency for hunger solutions. This year, WFP plans to feed 90 million people
in 80 countries.
WFP
it is launching an emergency food operation to help 580,000 vulnerable
people during the bitterly cold season in Kyrgyzstan - many of whom have
felt the impact of a combination of high food prices and a fall in
remittances from expatriates working abroad.
"Winter is a brutal time in Kyrgyzstan. We will be providing food to those
who are unable to meet their basic food needs due to the past year's high
food and fuel prices," said Daly Belgasmi, WFP Regional Director for the
Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Wheat prices have risen by more than 20 per cent and fuel costs have gone
up by almost one quarter since the beginning of the year, severely limiting
the purchasing power of the most vulnerable groups. At the same time,
remittances from Kyrgyz expatriates have decreased, due to the global
economic downturn. Many people are now struggling to feed their families.
Remittances from abroad can make a significant contribution to poor
households in developing countries. As the economies of industrialized
countries contract, opportunities for employment in the construction,
retail and service sectors are falling, and affecting the job prospects for
expatriate workers from countries like Kyrgyzstan.
"The poorest are eating less food with less nutritional value," said Zlatan
Milisic, WFP Country Director in neighbouring Tajikistan who will oversee
the operation. "Many are selling their animals and other family assets. We
recognise the severity of the situation and are moving fast to meet their
needs."
During 2008, the Kyrgyz people have also suffered two droughts, a sequence
of locust infestations, hailstorms and spring frosts. These factors have
caused serious damage to the agricultural sector, despite an increase in
land under cultivation.
According to the initial findings of a WFP assessment conducted in October
2008, one household in five is at high nutritional and health risk. Their
diet is extremely low in calories, and the amount of fats and oil being
consumed is going down.
The WFP emergency operation - which has a budget of US$8.4 million - will
provide a ration of wheat flour and oil designed to meet the food needs of
those families living in rural areas and districts where more than
one-fifth of the population are not getting their full daily nutritional
requirements.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency and the UN's frontline
agency for hunger solutions. This year, WFP plans to feed 90 million people
in 80 countries.
WFP
пятница, 3 июня 2011 г.
Millions Still Affected By Floods In South Asia
Almost three months after rains began, millions of people across Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are still affected by the flooding and landslides.
Throughout the region, UNICEF and partners have been working to prevent outbreaks of diseases, addressing the health and nutritional status of women and children and making every effort to get children back into school.
India
According to the Government, 2,614 people have died and 48 million are affected; the majority in Assam and Bihar which have seen renewed flooding in the last two weeks.
In Bihar, the state hardest hit by the flooding, the state cabinet has sanctioned $250 million to compensate flood victims. UNICEF, with Government support, is setting up 50 Maternity Health camps, two Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres to treat severely malnourished children, and more than 265 Alternative Learning Spaces (ALS) to address the learning needs of 60,000 students.
Across other affected districts, UNICEF is working with partners to provide emergency medical care, water purification agents, communication messages about safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and working with education authorities to reopen schools or set up ALS.
More than 600,000 people, including children and women, have been treated by the fixed and mobile medical teams fanning across India.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is recovering from a second wave of flooding. Till date 946 people have died and approximately 13.3 million have been affected. Although flooding has stopped and the overall situation is now improving, water levels are taking longer than expected to recede.
UNICEF and other UN agencies have completed a Rapid Needs Assessment (RENA) across the worst affected zones.
UNICEF has procured 380 metric tonnes of fortified biscuits of which 114 metric tonnes have already been distributed. Also, 400,000 bags of Intravenous Solutions (IV) and essential drugs have been procured while 9,000 family kits, 5,500 recreational kits, 1500 emergency education kits and 47,000 plastic sheets have been distributed.
A multi-agency partnership, including UNICEF, Save the Children Australia, and NGO partners, is mobilizing Child Protection Teams to create recreation centres for children in the flood-affected districts. These recreation centres will provide children a safe place to play, while their families are out collecting relief. These teams will also identify and report protection issues to appropriate authorities.
Nepal
According to the Nepal Red Cross Society, 185 people have died and approximately 580,200 people are still affected by the monsoonal flooding and landslides.
So far, UNICEF has provided non-food items to about 12,000 families. These include 61,000 ORS sachets and 15,000 hygiene kits and additional water purification agents for 100,000 people.
UNICEF, along with the UN Mission to Nepal (UNMIN), has also provided 3,800 bottles of water purification agents to combatants of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the UNMIN-monitored cantonments.
Also in process is the distribution of 40,000 medicated bed nets in three districts; rehabilitation of 45-60 damaged water supply schemes in 24 districts; and distribution of 300 school kits and 20,000 children's school kits in the affected districts. UNICEF is also supporting the ongoing training of Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) in seven districts - who would then target 120,000 households with a campaign on hand washing with soap, and the distribution of water purification agents.
Pakistan
In Pakistan about 2.5 million people in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh have been affected by torrential rain provoked by hurricane Yemyin and subsequent floods in late June and early July. While the water levels have receded in most areas, vast zones of three districts are still under water. Till date there have been 420 deaths and more than 377,000 people are still unable to return to their damaged homes.
UNICEF continues to work with partners to provide safe drinking water and essential medical supplies, to support the education system, and to assist the most vulnerable children and women.
The agency has been supporting the provision of safe drinking water for more than 227,000 people, supported the measles vaccination of about 224,000 children, and supplied 153 School in a Box kits, 96 tarpaulin rolls and 125 recreation kits.
UNICEF is also supporting the establishment of 80 mobile child protection teams and 40 child and women friendly spaces to protect 300,000 vulnerable girls, boys, women and their families and the nutritional screening and provision of fortified food for about 3,000 malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
unicef
Throughout the region, UNICEF and partners have been working to prevent outbreaks of diseases, addressing the health and nutritional status of women and children and making every effort to get children back into school.
India
According to the Government, 2,614 people have died and 48 million are affected; the majority in Assam and Bihar which have seen renewed flooding in the last two weeks.
In Bihar, the state hardest hit by the flooding, the state cabinet has sanctioned $250 million to compensate flood victims. UNICEF, with Government support, is setting up 50 Maternity Health camps, two Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres to treat severely malnourished children, and more than 265 Alternative Learning Spaces (ALS) to address the learning needs of 60,000 students.
Across other affected districts, UNICEF is working with partners to provide emergency medical care, water purification agents, communication messages about safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and working with education authorities to reopen schools or set up ALS.
More than 600,000 people, including children and women, have been treated by the fixed and mobile medical teams fanning across India.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is recovering from a second wave of flooding. Till date 946 people have died and approximately 13.3 million have been affected. Although flooding has stopped and the overall situation is now improving, water levels are taking longer than expected to recede.
UNICEF and other UN agencies have completed a Rapid Needs Assessment (RENA) across the worst affected zones.
UNICEF has procured 380 metric tonnes of fortified biscuits of which 114 metric tonnes have already been distributed. Also, 400,000 bags of Intravenous Solutions (IV) and essential drugs have been procured while 9,000 family kits, 5,500 recreational kits, 1500 emergency education kits and 47,000 plastic sheets have been distributed.
A multi-agency partnership, including UNICEF, Save the Children Australia, and NGO partners, is mobilizing Child Protection Teams to create recreation centres for children in the flood-affected districts. These recreation centres will provide children a safe place to play, while their families are out collecting relief. These teams will also identify and report protection issues to appropriate authorities.
Nepal
According to the Nepal Red Cross Society, 185 people have died and approximately 580,200 people are still affected by the monsoonal flooding and landslides.
So far, UNICEF has provided non-food items to about 12,000 families. These include 61,000 ORS sachets and 15,000 hygiene kits and additional water purification agents for 100,000 people.
UNICEF, along with the UN Mission to Nepal (UNMIN), has also provided 3,800 bottles of water purification agents to combatants of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the UNMIN-monitored cantonments.
Also in process is the distribution of 40,000 medicated bed nets in three districts; rehabilitation of 45-60 damaged water supply schemes in 24 districts; and distribution of 300 school kits and 20,000 children's school kits in the affected districts. UNICEF is also supporting the ongoing training of Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) in seven districts - who would then target 120,000 households with a campaign on hand washing with soap, and the distribution of water purification agents.
Pakistan
In Pakistan about 2.5 million people in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh have been affected by torrential rain provoked by hurricane Yemyin and subsequent floods in late June and early July. While the water levels have receded in most areas, vast zones of three districts are still under water. Till date there have been 420 deaths and more than 377,000 people are still unable to return to their damaged homes.
UNICEF continues to work with partners to provide safe drinking water and essential medical supplies, to support the education system, and to assist the most vulnerable children and women.
The agency has been supporting the provision of safe drinking water for more than 227,000 people, supported the measles vaccination of about 224,000 children, and supplied 153 School in a Box kits, 96 tarpaulin rolls and 125 recreation kits.
UNICEF is also supporting the establishment of 80 mobile child protection teams and 40 child and women friendly spaces to protect 300,000 vulnerable girls, boys, women and their families and the nutritional screening and provision of fortified food for about 3,000 malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
unicef
четверг, 2 июня 2011 г.
Discoveries In Genetics, Stem Cell Therapies And New Treatments For Childhood Diseases Explored By World Community Of Pediatricians
On Nov. 8 and 9, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center hosted an "Innovations in Pediatric Medicine" conference at the Grand Hyatt New York, which featured lectures by international leading authorities in pediatric biomedical research, genetic findings and stem cell therapy breakthroughs.
Key topics included discoveries about congenital and primary immunodeficiencies; gene therapy in children; and the genetic basis for common childhood infections. In addition, there was a unique presentation on pediatric emergency care during disasters and the lessons learned from Hurricane Marilyn on St. Thomas; the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York; the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran; and Hurricane Katrina.
"Medical breakthroughs have greatly increased the range of treatment options for pediatric diseases, making it vital to bring together medical professionals who are on the frontline of pediatric care for this opportunity to learn the latest progress and to share best practices," said the conference's course director, Dr. Mitchell Cairo, director of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Listed below are some key presentations by leaders in their field:
Dr. Alain Fischer of Descartes University Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France, discussed gene therapy for inherited disorders based on research on the treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency. Introducing genes into bone marrow stem cells led to sustained correction of the disease for almost 10 years, providing evidence that the approach can be effective and could be used to treat other genetic diseases of blood cells. One challenge is the viral vector used to introduce the gene has been linked to cancer. In response, new vectors are being designed.
Dr. Gary Fleisher of the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School presented a framework for planning for disaster management, highlighting unique pediatric aspects. He discussed the conditions likely to be encountered by providers arriving in the first 24 to 72 hours and the skills necessary for success. In terms of response teams, Dr. Fleisher described the structure of PST-1 (Pediatric Specialty Team-1), the first team developed by the NDMS (National Disaster Medical System) dedicated to treating children in disasters. He shareed lessons learned from Hurricane Marilyn on St. Thomas; the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York; the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran; and Hurricane Katrina.
Dr. Margaret K. Hostetter of Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital presented on advances in the genetic origins of common childhood infections, focusing on newly discovered genes that are linked to early onset staphylococcal infection, recurrent pneumococcal infections, and rarer disorders such as Bruton's agammaglobulinemia, hyper IgE syndrome, chronic granulomatous disease and severe combined immunodeficiency.
Dr. Jennifer M. Puck of the University of California, San Francisco, presented evidence that early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies is critical for optimal treatment. The challenge is that these disorders are rare and hard detect until serious complications have developed; a life-threatening situation usually has to occur before a correct diagnosis was made. As a solution, Dr. Puck suggests that all newborns be screened for severe combined immunodeficiencies, with the goal of improving timely diagnosis and outcomes. Her laboratory has developed a screening test that can be done on the dried blood spots routinely used for screening for other serious conditions.
Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit cumc.columbia.
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics -- including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties -- in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Manhattan's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide. For more information, visit nyp/.
Source: Belinda Mager
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center
Key topics included discoveries about congenital and primary immunodeficiencies; gene therapy in children; and the genetic basis for common childhood infections. In addition, there was a unique presentation on pediatric emergency care during disasters and the lessons learned from Hurricane Marilyn on St. Thomas; the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York; the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran; and Hurricane Katrina.
"Medical breakthroughs have greatly increased the range of treatment options for pediatric diseases, making it vital to bring together medical professionals who are on the frontline of pediatric care for this opportunity to learn the latest progress and to share best practices," said the conference's course director, Dr. Mitchell Cairo, director of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Listed below are some key presentations by leaders in their field:
Dr. Alain Fischer of Descartes University Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France, discussed gene therapy for inherited disorders based on research on the treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency. Introducing genes into bone marrow stem cells led to sustained correction of the disease for almost 10 years, providing evidence that the approach can be effective and could be used to treat other genetic diseases of blood cells. One challenge is the viral vector used to introduce the gene has been linked to cancer. In response, new vectors are being designed.
Dr. Gary Fleisher of the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School presented a framework for planning for disaster management, highlighting unique pediatric aspects. He discussed the conditions likely to be encountered by providers arriving in the first 24 to 72 hours and the skills necessary for success. In terms of response teams, Dr. Fleisher described the structure of PST-1 (Pediatric Specialty Team-1), the first team developed by the NDMS (National Disaster Medical System) dedicated to treating children in disasters. He shareed lessons learned from Hurricane Marilyn on St. Thomas; the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York; the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran; and Hurricane Katrina.
Dr. Margaret K. Hostetter of Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital presented on advances in the genetic origins of common childhood infections, focusing on newly discovered genes that are linked to early onset staphylococcal infection, recurrent pneumococcal infections, and rarer disorders such as Bruton's agammaglobulinemia, hyper IgE syndrome, chronic granulomatous disease and severe combined immunodeficiency.
Dr. Jennifer M. Puck of the University of California, San Francisco, presented evidence that early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies is critical for optimal treatment. The challenge is that these disorders are rare and hard detect until serious complications have developed; a life-threatening situation usually has to occur before a correct diagnosis was made. As a solution, Dr. Puck suggests that all newborns be screened for severe combined immunodeficiencies, with the goal of improving timely diagnosis and outcomes. Her laboratory has developed a screening test that can be done on the dried blood spots routinely used for screening for other serious conditions.
Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit cumc.columbia.
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics -- including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties -- in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Manhattan's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide. For more information, visit nyp/.
Source: Belinda Mager
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center
среда, 1 июня 2011 г.
Online System Created For Soldiers To Solve Issues At Walter Reed
U.S. soldiers seeking treatment at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and in Army medical facilities worldwide, will have a new tool to help them thanks to an online system being developed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution (NCTDR) at the university is using funding from the eBay Foundation to build online dispute resolution applications that can be used to help resolve problems that veterans and active duty personnel may encounter as they seek medical care.
The NCTDR, working with the National Mediation Board (NMB), has created a prototype online Ombudsman access portal that allows individuals to ask questions, post replies, or simply provide information to the Army Ombudsman. It is a safe, effective and confidential means of augmenting the existing advocacy program that is neutral and outside the chain of command, says Ethan Katsh, NCTDR director, and a professor of legal studies at UMass Amherst.
Katsh says the impetus for the new system was a series of stories published in the Washington Post in February 2007 on difficulties some soldiers were having when they sought medical care. In some cases they were denied care, placed in substandard conditions, or ended up lost in the bureaucratic system, according to the media reports.
The Army's initial response to the problems at Walter Reed was to create an aggressive patient advocacy program, using uniformed soldiers to serve as advocates for the wounded warriors. Katsh and Daniel Rainey of the NMB (a Fellow of the NCTDR) met with the Army leadership at Walter Reed to propose an Ombudsman program that would go beyond the patient advocacy program.
As a result of their intervention, the Army developed an Ombudsman program for its entire Medical Command, using retired soldiers trained as ombudsmen, reporting to the top of the chain of command.
After further consultation and demonstration of an online Ombudsman portal developed for the NMB, the Army agreed to develop an online portal for its program. The online Ombudsman portal allows for all interested parties (patients, family members, doctors, staff and the public) to communicate with the Army Ombudsman, and to do so anonymously. The Army's online portal is now under development and should go online during the summer.
Anonymity is important because in the context of the military, seeking resolution of complaints or treatment issues outside the so-called chain of command can have serious negative impacts on a soldier's status and treatment.
"This project addresses the needs of persons in very unfortunate circumstances," Katsh says. "The system previously in place failed them and only received attention when patients went outside the system because the processes in place were inadequate. This project exploits new technological capabilities to communicate at a distance through channels that were not previously possible."
University of Massachusetts Amherst
200 Munson Hall
Amherst, MA 01003
United States
umass
The NCTDR, working with the National Mediation Board (NMB), has created a prototype online Ombudsman access portal that allows individuals to ask questions, post replies, or simply provide information to the Army Ombudsman. It is a safe, effective and confidential means of augmenting the existing advocacy program that is neutral and outside the chain of command, says Ethan Katsh, NCTDR director, and a professor of legal studies at UMass Amherst.
Katsh says the impetus for the new system was a series of stories published in the Washington Post in February 2007 on difficulties some soldiers were having when they sought medical care. In some cases they were denied care, placed in substandard conditions, or ended up lost in the bureaucratic system, according to the media reports.
The Army's initial response to the problems at Walter Reed was to create an aggressive patient advocacy program, using uniformed soldiers to serve as advocates for the wounded warriors. Katsh and Daniel Rainey of the NMB (a Fellow of the NCTDR) met with the Army leadership at Walter Reed to propose an Ombudsman program that would go beyond the patient advocacy program.
As a result of their intervention, the Army developed an Ombudsman program for its entire Medical Command, using retired soldiers trained as ombudsmen, reporting to the top of the chain of command.
After further consultation and demonstration of an online Ombudsman portal developed for the NMB, the Army agreed to develop an online portal for its program. The online Ombudsman portal allows for all interested parties (patients, family members, doctors, staff and the public) to communicate with the Army Ombudsman, and to do so anonymously. The Army's online portal is now under development and should go online during the summer.
Anonymity is important because in the context of the military, seeking resolution of complaints or treatment issues outside the so-called chain of command can have serious negative impacts on a soldier's status and treatment.
"This project addresses the needs of persons in very unfortunate circumstances," Katsh says. "The system previously in place failed them and only received attention when patients went outside the system because the processes in place were inadequate. This project exploits new technological capabilities to communicate at a distance through channels that were not previously possible."
University of Massachusetts Amherst
200 Munson Hall
Amherst, MA 01003
United States
umass
Подписаться на:
Комментарии (Atom)