CCWA Intl. Visitors: Public Health

Community Connections- Public Health

10 visitors from Ukraine will be visiting our city to explore our expertise in promoting public health in the community. The Government of Ukraine has recognized the value of health promotion and disease prevention in a number of laws recently enacted by the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). These include laws to combat tobacco and alcohol use, as well as the State Program “Reproductive Health of the Nation” through 2015 adopted into law by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2006. However, implementation of activities under these laws has proved challenging since government officials, private enterprises and even NGOs generally have very limited appreciation of health promotion. Clearly, the population would benefit from the adoption by the government of public health-based, prevention-oriented approaches in its current health programs, including those aimed at reducing infectious diseases and improving maternal and child health.

In the US, the NGO sector, professional associations, health insurance providers and governmental departments on the national, state and local levels have long been involved in promoting healthy life practices. There is an active and collaborative movement to increase health literacy in the population. Information is readily available to families and individuals, young or old, on ways of improving health and staying healthy, incentives for a healthy lifestyle, recommendations for reducing accidents and avoiding risks to health. There are support systems to help and encourage individuals to achieve life-long good health. Health promotion is integrated into school curricula, disseminated via mass media and advertising. It is a focus of medical and health care professionals and paid for through various funding sources.

The proposed region for participation in this program is Crimea which is scheduled to receive targeted USAID support in fiscal years 2009-2010, including funding for health programs. During FY 2010, the Together for Health project plans to work intensively in Crimea to increase the use of modern family planning methods and to improve reproductive health as a preventive measure in reducing abortions and sexually transmitted infections. There will also be focused programs undertaken in maternal and infant health, tuberculosis control and avian influenza preparedness with ongoing assistance in the area of HIV/AIDS.

Building on this assistance program, it would be beneficial for USAID projects and enormously valuable for both the Government of Ukraine and the population to have a cadre of professionals who are familiar with successful health promotion programs in the US and best practice health promotion methods. Such a cadre of professionals, together with the institutions they represent, would provide critical momentum to USG work on disease prevention with health policy makers, health managers and the population by reinforcing behavior change and promoting healthy lifestyle approaches.

OVERALL PROGRAM GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of this program is to prepare participants to advocate for, plan and implement health promotion/preventive health programs in Crimea.

The objective of the program is to provide participants with an understanding of:
a. The concept, methods and importance of health promotion;
b. Current US health promotion strategies and the role of health promotion activities/campaigns in contributing to improved public health in the US;
c. Strategies and priorities that participants can pursue when they return to Ukraine;
d. Ways to share information broadly with colleagues throughout Ukraine.

Participants will have the opportunity to experience health promotion first-hand. By “living” health promotion while in the US, the group will have the ability to learn about and participate in civic activism, explore the dynamism of the NGO sector and study the collaboration between the public and private structures – outstanding features of health promotion in the U.S..

Exposure to US culture and the approaches used in health promotion will help the group to better understand the concept of health promotion and health promotion methods. By studying concrete examples of health promotion programs, participants will recognize the critical role of health promotion in improving public health. They will return home equipped to apply similar ideas, concepts and examples in Ukraine.

For more information about the program please contact Gina Cirino at gcirino@ccwa.org