GCH Internationally Recognized for Research

International Child Care (ICC) has a long history of leadership in the Haitian health care community. Originating with the founding of Grace Children's Hospital (GCH) in 1967, ICC has developed a reputation for its prominent work with infectious diseases and its high standard of patient care. Recently, GCH was chosen to present at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The hospital's abstract, Reaching greater enrollment in HAART in resource-limited settings, Experience of Grace Children's Hospital, Haiti 2015," has been selected for poster display at the conference. The 2016 theme is: Call for Abstracts (HIV and AIDS). Posters will be displayed Wednesday 13 - Friday 15,  April 2016.

For this project, GCH researchers consisted of a multidisciplinary team, including a medical doctor, two social workers, a nurse, a pharmacist, and a community field worker. Together in June 2010, they sought to improve evaluation of adherence rates for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on highly active retroviral therapy (HAART). More specifically, their project aim was to ensure that 60% of PLWHA benefitted from an evaluation of adherence by December 2010, and 90% by June 2014.

Adherence assessment is crucial to delivering effective care, allowing proper decision making to avoid lost-in-care and the risk to develop resistance. The team identified many causes for low assessment rates. They included: lack of staff training on adherence evaluation; lack of staff motivation; lack of IT material due to destruction of site by 2010 earthquake; lack of respect for appointments by patients; and patient relocation to remote areas after the earthquake.

The team was able to surpass their goals, as 93.8% of eligible PLWHA benefited from adherence evaluation in December 2010 and 95.1% in 2014. This was achieved, in part, through: adherence education of staff and patients; accessibility of adherence evaluation in patients' files; enforcement of regulations (e.g. systematically entering evaluations into database); regular patient/provider communication; and tracking patients who missed appointments.

GCH has been honored multiple times in the past for similar research, and their high-quality patient care. In 2009, GCH won best prize at the National Forum for TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation). In 2011 at the All Country Learners Network (ALCN) in Namibia, Africa, and again in 2014 at the International Forum in Paris, the hospital was awarded best project for their TB screening work with HIV positive patients.

The primary focus of GCH continues to be, and will always be, quality and affordable health care for the children and families of Haiti. Through the generous support of our donors and ICC family, GCH has fully embodied this focus, becoming  a lifeline for the Haitian community. GCH is constantly working to improve the quality of patient care,  setting higher expectations for the Haitian health care community.

You cansupport the mission of GCH, and all the work of ICC, by making a donation today. Your support means a brighter and healthier future for the children and families of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.