PIH's Emergency COVID-19 Response

PIH-US collaborates with the New Bedford Health Department to vaccinate people against COVID-19 in New Bedford, Mass. (Photo by Zack D/ PIH)

Dear Friends, 

Thank you for your generous giving to Partners In Health! Your donation sustains our work as we partner with some of the world’s most vulnerable communities to provide high-quality health care as a human right.

We believe responding to pandemics and infectious diseases is continuous and collaborative work. Long-term investments in health systems are essential for responding to unpredictable diseases.

PIH's work begins at the community level where we implement feasible and practical solutions to healthcare challenges. Strong local and national relationships inform priorities and shape program design.

Our current response is based on four main pillars:

1. Protect patients, staff, and communities through ongoing disease surveillance; strong infection prevention and control programs; and training, mentorship, and support for community health workers.
2. Provide dignified, high-quality treatment for people with COVID-19, and all patients at PIH-supported facilities, and support equitable, affordable, and rapid access to testing, vaccines, and therapeutics.
3. Accompany public sector colleagues at each care delivery site; advocate for long-term health systems funding globally.
4. Incorporate early and comprehensive social support systems for impacted individuals and communities and engage with community outreach programs.

On behalf of our staff and patients in 11 countries worldwide, thank you for choosing to support Partners In Health! We are so grateful for your partnership and kindness.

In Solidarity,

Partners In Health

Links:

• COVID-19 | Partners In Health (pih.org)

Socios en Salud/PIH in Peru delivers infrastructure, equipment, furniture, materials and supplies to the Directorate of Integrated Health Networks Lima North - DIRIS Lima North, the implementation of new specialized services at the first level of care. Installation where a new post-COVID-19 rehabilitation and physiotherapy center is now opened. (Photo by Jose Luis Diaz / PIH)

Dear Friends,

On behalf of our staff and patients in 11 counties, thank you so much for your support of Partners In Health (PIH) to transform the lives of so many people in need of hope and health care worldwide.

When COVID-19 spread globally in early 2020, PIH responded to calls for assistance from health ministries, local administrators, and clinicians overwhelmed by this latest health emergency. We continue to lead an expansive global response to COVID-19 in partnership with national governments, ministries of health, and local stakeholders. 

We worked with our partners to help fill crucial gaps, such as: 

- Strengthened contact tracing in Mexico

-  Assisted the government of Lesotho in establishing an oxygen plant 

-  Trained contact tracers in Navajo Nation

-  Implemented a test and treat program in Peru

We are now focused on incorporating lessons learned from COVID-19 to prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks and advocate for equitable access to diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. This fight will be long, but PIH has a plan. PIH is mobilizing to support some of the most at-risk people around the world to: contain and control the spread of the virus, ensure that patients are provided with dignified care, and demonstrate to the world what aggressive action in vulnerable settings can achieve.

The best response is through a strong health system—one that has the necessary staff, stuff, space, systems and social support in place to be able to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease.

Dr. Paul Farmer, our beloved co-founder of PIH, believes, “We know how to confront the coronavirus pandemic — expert mercy.” He defines expert mercy as a mix of “compassionate fellow feeling with interventions that save the sick and slow down the spread.” Expert mercy can take many forms — from a meal delivered to someone unable to leave their home to an oxygen mask for someone in need of urgent medical care. “Social support includes safe and rapid transportation to hospitals for the critically ill, since COVID-19 can be a disease with a strong and unpredictable course. Strong social support, including the assurance that one’s loved ones will have access to quality care if they do fall ill, is the secret sauce of effective outbreak control.”

Taking lessons learned from the Ebola, AIDS, and cholera epidemics, Dr. Farmer highlights the need to strengthen our social supports, optimize our tracing and testing efforts, and protect our healthcare workers. All of us at PIH will never stop carrying out his vision and legacy for a more just and joyful world for all.

With your generous support, PIH can respond quickly to enable safe testing, provide high quality care, perform critical contact tracing, and support our public sector government partners in a time of urgent need. We are truly grateful for your contributions and dedication that make our work possible! No matter the challenges in front of us, with your support, we’re bringing hope and modern medicine to the world’s most vulnerable communities.

In Solidarity,

Partners In Health

Jean Bosco Bigirimana (left), oncology program manager for PIH in Rwanda; and Laurence Mukantaganda (right), social worker; walk to the home of a patient in Burera District. They are carrying a food support package, made up of oil, beans, sugar, corn, among other things. (Photo by Cecille Joan Avila for PIH)

Links:

• Dr. Paul Farmer Urges "Merciful and Humane" COVID Responses
• We know how to confront the coronavirus pandemic - expert mercy
• PIH's Five S's: Essential Elements for Strong Health Systems