Providing Palliative Care in Kenya

Jambo Palliative Care Supporters!

Best wishes for the New Year and thank you for supporting our efforts in Kenya. There were significant accomplishments in 2023 and we are looking for expanding our activities in in 2024.

The Clinical Officers working on their Higher Diploma in Palliative Care did very well in their first semester exams. They continue splitting their days with hospital rounds in the morning and active learning and didactic lectures in the afternoon. Dr. Hussein Elias and other members of the faculty in the Department of Family Medicine in Eldoret are doing the bulk of teaching, and I chip in frequently with virtual meetings from the US. I am looking forward to April when I will visit Eldoret and help in administering the year end clinical exams. Dr. Clarissa Johnston from Dell Medical School will also be visiting in April, and we will have trainees from Dell and Brown University on the ground.

Our plans for this year are to expand our Telehospice work to assist cancer patients in rural areas who lack access to hospice care. We are continuing to provide clinical care to inpatients in Eldoret and will complete the third year of our monthly Palliative Care ECHO. The ECHO program is a virtual program that combines education on important palliative care topics and a case presentation and discussion from clinicians throughout Kenya. A new goal will be an ECHO program focused on pediatric palliative care. We will also be following community health volunteers providing symptom assessment and education to patients with sickle cell anemia.

So, a lot on tap for 2024. Your continued support is both needed and greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Ken

Jambo Palliative Care Supporters!

Hope you are well and had a pleasant summer. We’d like to share a few notable items with you in this, our Fall update.

Our 2^nd class of Clinical Officer students are now well into their first year. They are on their clinical rotation, seeing patients on medical, surgical, and pediatric wards. With your help, we were able to cover the cost of their first semester tuition. We ask for help again as they are now responsible for the final semester tuition. As I mentioned before, interns and residents in the US do not pay tuition and receive a stipend to cover living expenses. The Clinical Officers in this training program do not receive a stipend and must cover tuition costs, a significant challenge given that many of the trainees also have young families. Their willingness to attend the 18 months program shows their dedication to bring palliative care to those in need. Our goal is to raise $4,000 to help defer the cost of their tuition. I know they are highly appreciative of any support you can provide.

We are embarking on a new project. Our focus will be on individuals with sickle cell anemia, a genetic disease with possibility the highest symptom burden of all illnesses. Individuals with this disease experience severe pain crises and are at risk for stroke and other devastating complications. They can also have potentially fatal outcome from infectious disease, a particular challenge for those living in rural Kenya where malaria is common. Our project will focus on community health volunteers that provide local health services to those in remote areas. After they receive specific sickle cell care training, we will meet with them at 4 and 10 months to better understand the impact and challenges they identify in their community. Physicians and other health professions working in sickle cell will be part of the project to also foster better access to care.

We’ll keep you updated on our progress and as always, thank you for you support. You are making a difference!

Ken