Medical Services Many would like to hear numbers and statistics, but behind every number there is a child, a human being, and this is what counts to us at NPH. To share a few numbers, NPH cares for more than 500 children with chronic health conditions, some of which are quite severe. HIV/AIDS Dr. Pilar Silverman at NPH DR. children and youth account for 62, and 10 more who have left the homes but still rely on our support. There is approximately 1.5 to 2% with severe chronic malnutrition. More than 80 suffer severe disability with special needs, which means they require help for their day-to-day life: bathing, walking or going to school by using a wheel chair or support from a caregiver. When children arrive at NPH as newborns, they may have been abandoned at our front door, in a hospital or in another institution. They may be the outcome of a rape, adolescent or undesired pregnancy. Their mother could have died during labor or because of a disease such as cancer or AIDS. Another group of children who come to NPH are those that arrive in their adolescence. These are teenagers who have already been in several institutions and arrive at NPH with terrible stories too difficult to explain in detail, but a few example backgrounds include living on the streets, drug use, juvenile detention or subjection to prostitution, child labor and/or slavery. NPH is a place every child that comes through our doors can call home, and where they can recover their dignity and are treated with the utmost respect. One of the first places they go is the clinic, where they undergo a full physical exam, a comprehensive blood test to screen for diseases, and meet with the doctor who creates an individualized health plan. When necessary, we do extra testing and/or send children to a specialist. If the child is HIV+, we register them in the HIV/AIDS national program, and the same goes for children with type I diabetes mellitus. We are always looking to maximize local resources when available and trusted. Each year, Medical Services focuses in on a specific theme. In 2014 the local teams worked at improving the health education and disease prevention in their homes. In conjunction, we have reached 80% of the countries participating in the Global Handwashing Day promoted by UNICEF and the WHO, which advocates handwashing 10 NPHI 2014 Annual Report
as a way to prevent infectious diseases. In 2014, Nelly Fernandez, a psychologist from Spain, joined our Medical Services team as Coordinator of Mental and Reproductive Health. Both issues require full dedication from an expert as they are essential components in the aim of our work, which is to provide integral and comprehensive approach and care. There are several achievements that were either initiated by a NPH home or NPH International, but were ultimately accomplished collaboratively. Health: • Offered health education for both children and caregivers, which covered the topics of sexual education and preventing infectious diseases, skin transmitted parasites, avoiding drugs and alcohol, accident prevention, obesity and heathy eating habits Nutrition at St. Helene, NPH Haiti. • Offered professional training and continuing education for health local staff • Organized annual child visits to the doctor to screen for early detection of symptoms • Made great improvements in the quality of water that the children drink, offered deworming services twice throughout the year and educated kids on the importance of handwashing; all of which have contributed to a significantly lower number of parasite cases in the homes • Made advances toward closing the gap between the children’s actual immunization status and the one they should have, primarily due to receiving the funds needed for vaccines from private donors • Provided annual dental and vision screenings for the kids and corrective glasses as needed • In certain countries, NPH needs a permit from the court to perform non-life threatening or emergency surgeries. Due to our team’s persistence and follow-up, this past year we had far less children waiting for the permit to move forward with surgery. Nutrition • Multiple NPH homes started an extra nutrition program for children with low weight, anemia and chronic conditions such as cerebral paralysis, HIV and sickle cell anemia • Increase in the local home production of fruits, vegetables, fish and meat so that they can contribute to the home’s self sustainability and be part of the children’s weekly diet