Dear HHI Friends,
Exactly one year ago, one of the most fearful health crises of the 21st century began; which pushed many institutions to collapse, separated families, impacted the economy of the greatest world powers, but, above all, imposed in the lives of each one of us the fear of an evolutionary disease of which we knew nothing. In the midst of the tumult of the presidential elections in the Dominican Republic and the lack of interest on the part of the local authorities to mitigate the risks associated with the pandemic, our work team met a week before to decide the future of our institution, if we were willing to sacrifice our well-being for the community, and in case we did not receive any support, how we would navigate a completely unknown disease.
When the "I" is replaced by the "we", even illness becomes well-being.
A year ago, we decided to face adversity and fulfill our promise to serve our communities and make sure they had access to quality primary care services.
During a year, we had the opportunity to extend the coverage of clinical services to more communities and more people who were unemployed, disadvantaged and neglected as a result of the collateral effects of the pandemic; We implemented a series of programs and initiatives that managed to maintain the continuous flow of chronic care, the delivery of medications, and treatments without interruptions, and we provided responses to the increase in the prevalence of other chronic diseases as a result of the closure of medical institutions and the cessation of services by some providers. Our commitment extended to other spheres such as emotional support, nutritional support, and education and sanitation services to people in the most remote corners ... but beyond programmatic achievements, our most important mission was that at all times, in the ups and downs, HHI was there.
o 27 X-rays, sonographies and images
o 151 hemograms, urinalysis, and other labs were conducted
o 146 patients receive transportation support for clinics
o 178 monthly medications kits were prepared
We want to thank each of our collaborators, who have remained steadfast by our side during this journey, and we hope to continue counting on their commitment in future opportunities and other assignments to our institution.
Firmly,
Dr. Eliezer Lappots-Abreu, J.D., Hon.
Executive Director
Health Horizons International Foundation
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Dear donors,
I hope this letter finds you at ease and that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. As you know, the world is going through one of the most notable health crises, which has been amplified due to the impact of the coronavirus; and in developing countries, the gaps in health disparities due to socioeconomic variables such as lack of education, lack of employment, lack of hospital structures, political tension, violence and structural racism, among other factors. , continue to expand.
The pandemic has a discriminatory impact on various population groups and their response capacity. The impossibility of working from home, overcrowded conditions and lack of access to water and sanitation increase the risk of infection for the population living in poverty and vulnerability. Likewise, their risk of death is higher due to the higher incidence of pre-existing health conditions such as pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and due to the lack of adequate access to medical care.
In both the Dominican Republic and Latin America, the different socioeconomic impacts reflect the matrix of social inequality in the region, whose structuring axes are belonging to different socioeconomic strata or social classes, gender, life cycle stage, ethnic-racial condition and territory, to which are added other factors such as disability status, immigration status or street situation. These inequalities accumulate, strengthen and interact with each other, causing multiple discriminations that lead to differences in the exercise of rights.
Short, medium and long-term social protection measures to face the effects of the pandemic must consider the well-being of the entire population, especially that of groups that experience multiple forms of exclusion and suffer more acutely from the impacts of the crisis. For this reason, social protection and well-being must be seen from a perspective of universalism sensitive to differences, that is, taking into account the needs, deficiencies and discrimination of specific groups.
For Health Horizons International Foundation, the pandemic has validated our presence and commitment to the most vulnerable communities in the Dominican Republic. Hand by hand, we have supported the people we serve by providing continuous and uninterrupted primary care services, responding to the determinants that affect community health, strengthening and accompanying national efforts to tackle chronic non-communicable diseases, and empowering local leaders to build resilient communities and be self-managed in their development.
Traditionally, our medical operations, executed three times a year, are a platform that increases the accessibility and affordability of primary care services in the North Region of the Dominican Republic. Thanks to doctors, nurses, volunteers from abroad, we maximize our efforts to educate, defend and promote access to primary care as an undeniable and inherent human right. Due to the limitations imposed by travel regulations, for the third time in a row, we could not count on the presence of these special people who dedicate their time and commitment to patients, however, their support and love continue to prevail in each of the faces of the people in Villa Montellano.
This report, rather than presenting our quantitative success with respect to the services offered during the medical operation of last January 2021, reflects the unconditionality, transparency, and dedication of our work in ensuring that each person has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and happy life.
We want to take this space to thank each one of you for believing and trusting in our work, for your generosity; and to our work team for their impeccable work and commitment in each of our initiatives.
Sincerely,
Dr Eliezer Lappots-Abreu
Executive Director
Health Horizons International Foundation
The emergence of this new strain of coronavirus has imposed a challenge on access to public health throughout the world, but we cannot ignore the impact it has had on vulnerable communities in developing countries; which already face a series of barriers that prevented them from accessing primary care services. For us, the pandemic has had a significant effect on the performance of medical missions, the increased cost and unavailability of medicines, the emerging health crisis due to the closure of clinical centers and lack of medical personnel, as well as other determinants of health such as food sovereignty, housing, employment, education, and immigration policies that have amplified the gap in access to health.
Thanks to the generosity of the donors and supporters of this campaign, Health Horizons International Foundation has been able to:
1) Train 27 community health workers with the basic skills of primary care and chronic care, conducting home visits, and delivering medicines to hundreds of patients in impoverished communities impacted by COVID-19.
2) Purchase basic medical equipment and protective equipment (masks, disinfectant soap, protective clothing, among others) for our health promoters and clinical staff to continue providing clinical support and health education and prevention activities to hundreds of people in the community.
3) Purchase medication for people living with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, HIV, cancer, among other conditions.
4) Provide humanitarian aid, installation of disinfection stations, delivery of prepared food packages for more than 150 families facing hunger, among other initiatives.
5) Strengthen first level centers, provincial hospitals, and medical institutions to ensure that hundreds of people have access to surgery services, oncology services, among other complementary services.
In addition, thanks to the contribution of people like you, we have been able to make improvements to our community health center, which provides primary care services and health education to almost 900 families located in remote rural areas of the Dominican Republic. Our plan is that, with the continued financial support, we will be able to acquire the remaining medical equipment to inaugurate the center so that we can include dental, dermatological, psychological, obstetrics and gynecologic services, community support groups, among other medical services at no cost for the residents of the intervened communities who depend entirely on our work and efforts.
Although the gap in access to health for people facing social, economic and political disparities is wider due to this pandemic; People like you who support our work help us serve as a bridge for the people who need it most. We cannot compensate for the difficulties this global pandemic has created for non-profit organizations like ours whose work is more crucial now than ever; But knowing that we have the continuous support of people like you assures us that we are not alone.
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