223848 Champion communities: Achieving social justice through health in West Bank and Gaza

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Hadeel Al Qassis , USAID Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development (Flagship) Project, Implemented by Chemonics International Inc., Ramallah, Palestine
Suha Hussein , USAID Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development (Flagship) Project, Implemented by Chemonics International Inc., Ramallah, Palestine
Randa Bani Odeh, RN, MPH , USAID Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development (Flagship) Project, Implemented by Chemonics International Inc., Ramallah, Palestine
Damianos Odeh, PhD , USAID Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development (Flagship) Project, Implemented by Chemonics International, Ramallah, Palestine
Jihad Mashal, MD , USAID Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development (Flagship) Project, Implemented by Chemonics International Inc., Ramallah, Palestine
By creating partnerships for change among healthcare providers, citizens, and community-based organizations (CBOs), USAID is mobilizing grass-roots health sector reform in West Bank and Gaza. Chronic conflict, geographic fragmentation and isolation, and the historical absence of a state has resulted in a disconnect between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the local communities it serves. The lack of civic engagement in national health policy development has resulted in unmet community health needs, low public confidence in the national health system, and increased demand for costly referrals outside of the MoH health system. To mobilize civic participation in public health, the $86 million USAID-funded Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development Project introduced the “Champion Community” model. Champion communities in the West Bank are improving access to services through planning and policy making in healthcare governance and delivery. Diverse community groups throughout the West Bank (local village councils, religious leaders, schools, CBOs, NGOs, local businesses, etc) and local MoH clinics are together establishing community-clinic boards in marginalized areas to identify needs, engage underrepresented voices, mobilize resources, promote health status, and influence national health policies. In a region where democracy is a challenge, empowering communities to advocate for government health sector reform improves transparency, accountability, and democratic processes in health governance. Empowering community members and health teams in the West Bank to prioritize health needs and identify solutions within their specific socio-economic backgrounds strengthens the local health system to support wider health sector reform.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Identify best practices in empowering communities to advocate for health reform and improve health care quality and access through citizen advocacy and participation

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Community Involvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a memember of the USAID Flagship Project and MD, Dr. Jihad Mashal is qualifed to present at the APHA conference and has been vetted by the project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.