Global Partners in Care: Improving Access to Compassionate Care in Africa
Alexandria, Va (PRWEB) October 27, 2014 -- Global Partners in Care is pleased to announce that two U.S. organizations have signed partnership agreements with African health care organizations to improve access to hospice and palliative care in the countries of Tanzania and South Africa.
“The unique partnership model of Hospice and palliative care programs in the USA and Africa has improved health work exposure to best practice, positively impacted the quality of care and resulted in palliative care growth in Africa,” said African Palliative Care Association Executive Director, Dr. Emmanuel B.K. Luyirika.
Halifax Health-Hospice, located in Port Orange, Florida has partnered with Izimbya Lutheran Hospital Bukoba, Kagera, located in northern Tanzania.
“We are very pleased to be partnered with Izimbya Lutheran Hospital because like us, they work with people in their homes and are affiliated with a hospital that supports them and they work with children in an orphanage,” says Halifax Health – Hospice Social Worker, Brian Shea.”
Izymbya Lutheran Hospital is a small, rural healthcare organization with an average census between 60-80 patients per day.
“The reason we are doing this is because we understand we are fortunate,” says Shea. “Even though our resources to help patients in our community are limited we know we are blessed when we look at the resources developing countries are working with.”
Arm in Arm in Africa’s mission is to provide support to help improve issues like poverty and disease in South Africa. The non-profit organization, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will work with St. Luke’s Hospice located in Cape Town, South Africa to help address some of the challenges St. Luke’s faces including fundraising for their program, communication difficulties related to unreliable technology and limited email access and the lack of palliative care training.
St. Luke’s cares for, on average, 870 hospice patients each day. According to their 2013 Annual Review, the majority of their patients come from the disadvantaged communities of Cape Town.
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“Global Partners in Care is committed to supporting hospice and palliative care organizations in Africa and other countries, “ says Global Partners in Care Executive Director, John Mastrojohn. “A large percentage of the global need for palliative care is in low and middle income countries and we are eager to establish more partnerships in Africa and in other parts of the world where the need is great.”
To date there are more than 80 international partnerships between U.S. and international hospice and palliative care organizations.
At this time Global Partners in Care has hospice and palliative care organizations in Africa and India waiting to be partnered with an organization in the U.S.
To learn more about international partnership opportunities and other ways to support Global Partners in Care, please visit the website at http://www.globalpartnersincare.org.
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About Global Partners in Care
Global Partners in Care is an affiliate of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Its mission is building partnerships to enhance compassionate care globally and its vision is a world where individuals and families facing serious illness, death, and grief will experience the best that humankind can offer.
Anita Brikman, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, http://www.nhpco.org, +1 703-837-3154, [email protected]
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