Every day, nearly 25,000 children in developing countries die of curable sicknesses: malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, malnutrition. “That’s our call to action,” says Rodney Finalle, M.D., director of the Global Health Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (pictured at right). “So many children dying every day from preventable diseases is what propels our programs.”
Since 2004, more than 100 Children’s Hospital staff have participated in a CHOP Global Health activity, primarily outside the borders of the United States. And more than 4,000 children have received care in another country from a Children’s Hospital clinical professional through one of our established programs. The Global Health Program has four signature initiatives:
Annual Global Health Symposium Held each year in Philadelphia, this gathering spotlights global health issues and offers an opportunity to share ideas and innovative solutions to the health challenges facing children around the globe.
Global Health Allies This program, which operates primarily in the Dominican Republic, provides opportunities for CHOP staff to share their expertise at one of our partner sites for a designated period of time. In fiscal year 2011, 11 CHOP employees participated in a Global Health Allies experience in the Dominican Republic.
Niños Primeros en Salud In 2009, building on years of collaboration with the community of Consuelo in the Dominican Republic, CHOP Global Health opened its first pediatric clinic, Niños Primeros en Salud (“Kids First in Health”). The program focuses on improving access to primary care, deworming, immunization coverage, breastfeeding education and nutrition. All programs were developed at the request of and in conjunction with the community of Consuelo, working to target needs that were felt to be most significant in the under-5 population. The clinic currently provides
primary healthcare and targeted programs to approximately 400 children; approximately 14 in-country nationals are directly involved with the program.
David N. Pincus Global Health Fellowship This fellowship was established in 2008 with the goal of attracting the best and brightest pediatricians at the beginning of their careers. Fellows complete an intense two-year academic fellowship working at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and in our partner countries: the Dominican Republic and Botswana/South Africa. The fellows work alongside local health providers, treating children, training health “promoters,” doing research and building relationships that will have a lasting impact in those countries — and beyond. The goal is to create sustainable models that can be replicated in other countries. The fellowship actively collaborates with the Columbia University International Family AIDS Program, Sparrow Rainbow Village, the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and the Centro de Salud Divina Providencia. Finalle and his team believe that one of the best ways to improve children’s health is to build strong, sustainable community partnerships — both here in the United States and in other countries. “With our partners, we bring science to the real world and make it meaningful in a culturally effective way,” says Finalle. “At the end of the day, it’s about how you deliver care and build capacity to help the children.” n Learn more about CHOP’s Global Health Program at www.chop.edu/globalhealth or by calling 267-426-9666.
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