Champion Community Approach: Creating a viable Palestinian health-care sector based on transparency, accountability, international standards, and best practices

The Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development Project, funded by USAID, seeks to improve the quality of available health care by working with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, select NGOs, and select educational institutions, thereby creating a viable health-care sector based on transparency, accountability, international standards, and best practices. Through this Project, the Champion Community Approach was created as a means to strengthen the relationships between clinics, their communities, and their partner CBO's, ensuring the clinics are responsive to the needs of those they serve and that high-quality care is standardized. A vital component of the Champion Community Approach is the creation of community-clinic boards, comprised of representatives from diverse community groups (village council, religious leaders, educators, CBOs, NGOs and local businesses); these boards meet regularly to identify current health needs and to mobilize relevant community members to addresses these needs. Additionally, these boards work together to create strategic plans and policies for their clinics through open dialogues between community representatives and Ministry of Health staff, with a focus on improving accessibility to and equity of care. As a result of board interventions, stakeholders are already witnessing positive improvements in their clinics and subsequently becoming more actively involved. They have created volunteer networks to address current and future clinic needs, to assist in implementing services, and to help monitor activities and attitudes at their respective clinics and within their communities, creating a sense of pride and ownership that will promote sustainability and democracy within the Ministry's reform agenda.