By Meggan Ireland | Grants Manager
Driven by the vision, “A health worker for everyone, everywhere, every day,” Last Mile Health remains committed to expanding community health services in Liberia via a professional Community Health Worker (CHW) model. CHWs are trained, equipped and supported to provide lifesaving treatment to those living at Liberia’s ‘last mile’ – or those living beyond a 5 kilometer distance from a health facility. To date, Last Mile Health has deployed 283 CHWs in Rivercess and Grand Gedeh Counties, improving access to essential, quality healthcare for over 33,000 people across 300 remote communities.
In 2012, one of the first CHWs recruited by Last Mile Health was a woman by the name of Teta, who had experienced first-hand during her pregnancy the challenges of living at the last mile. When she went into labor, Teta had to travel 50 kilometers by motorbike over extremely rough terrain to reach Konobo Health Center, with her baby’s foot and ankle already delivered. Fortunately, Teta arrived at the facility in time to safely give birth to a healthy baby, and today the experience continues to inspire her. Teta now provides lifesaving health services to women and children in her remote community along Liberia’s border with the Ivory Coast.
Following rigorous training in Community Engagement & Surveillance, Child Health, and Maternal, Neonatal & Reproductive Health, with ongoing mentoring and supervision by Last Mile Health’s team of CHW Leaders, Clinical Mentors and Training Officers, Teta continues to grow into her role, developing the skills and confidence needed to successfully delivery primary healthcare services in her community. Thanks to this support, Teta and her colleagues across Rivercess and Grand Gedeh were able to treat more than 6,800 children under five for malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia in the last quarter alone.
Working in close collaboration with the government’s County Health Teams, as well as the Ministry of Health at a central level, LMH is afforded the unique opportunity to demonstrate the strength of this model. Over the past three months, work has continued with the Ministry’s Community Health Services Division to advance momentum for national scale-up of the CHW Program. This seven-year Program will expand the provision of primary health care to 1.2 million Liberian’s currently living more than 5 kilometers from the nearest health facility. Women and children currently without access to healthcare will benefit from the knowledge and dedication of inspiring people like Teta.
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