USAID Announces $75 Million Program to Save Lives of Women and Families Worldwide
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Mothers and children waiting in a health facility. |
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A newborn rests while receiving quality health care. |
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The Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition is pleased to announce a new, worldwide cooperative agreement called Access to Clinical and Community Maternal, Neonatal and Women's Health Services (ACCESS), a five-year $75 million program to save the lives of mothers and newborns in developing nations.
ACCESS, a five year, $75,000,000 Leader With Associates
cooperative agreement, has been awarded to JHPIEGO.
The partnership team includes: Save the Children, the
American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Futures Group,
The Academy for Educational Development, and Interchurch
Medical Assistance.
ACCESS will be the centerpiece activity in support
of the Bureau for Global Health Maternal Health Strategic
Objective. ACCESS will also assist USAID and its partners
to develop strategic approaches and implement technical
interventions in the field to address neonatal morbidity
and mortality. Additionally, where opportunities exist,
ACCESS will integrate proven interventions to address
women’s health and nutrition as part of a platform
of essential maternal/neonatal and women’s health
care. The program’s main purpose is to support
missions to achieve maternal, newborn and women’s
health objectives. Specifically, the program is expected
to greatly increase coverage of women and their newborns – especially
those who are poor and underserved – with proven
interventions with high potential public health impact.
Proven technical interventions in which ACCESS staff
will be able to provide technical assistance and support
include:
- Birth preparation, including self-care, identification
of a skilled attendant, and a plan for emergency transport
and care
- Antenatal care, including interventions to prevent
and control malaria, prevention of mother-to-child-transmission
of HIV/AIDS, tetanus toxoid immunization, adequate
nutrition including micronutrient supplementation,
and identification and treatment of complications and
infections, especially sexually transmitted infections
- Safe delivery, including services to prevent postpartum
hemorrhage, infection, prolonged/obstructed labor,
and mother-to-child-transmission of HIV.
- Postpartum care, including maternal nutrition, hygiene,
and family planning.
- Treatment of obstetric complications, including post-abortion
care
- Normal newborn care, including drying and warming,
eye and cord care, early breastfeeding, vitamin A and
immunizations.
- Basic care for sick newborns including stimulation
and resuscitation, kangaroo care for low birth weight
infants, and treatment of infections
In addition, ACCESS will have on-demand capability
to respond to mission-requested targets of opportunity
to respond to priority women’s health problems.
These activities will be funded primarily through field
support or associate awards although a limited core
set aside will be made available for priority needs.
Priority areas include:
- Family planning and birth spacing, with special emphasis
on, but not limited to, postpartum and post-abortion
family planning.
- Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted
infections and HIV/AIDS.
- Prevention and treatment of micronutrient deficiencies,
especially anemia.
- Care and support of victims of domestic violence.
- Treatment of serious disabilities resulting from
complications of pregnancy and childbirth, e.g., obstetric
fistula.
- Prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.
A core set of activities are essential to the delivery
of the aforementioned maternal/neonatal and women’s
health provided in referral facilities, basic health
care facilities or in community-based programs:
- National level policy dialogue and promotion of internationally
accepted standards of practice, provider mandate, adequate
financing and fee policies, and functional referral
systems
- Quality improvement processes
- Upgrading facilities to meet standards
- Commodity and logistics support
- Human resource management
- Strategies to provide community-based delivery of
key interventions at household level, where appropriate
- Behavior change strategies to involve and mobilize
communities to improve self-care and use of services
- Strategies to increase the population reach and sustainability
of programs.
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