U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Announces a New Curriculum at the Regional Health Care Training Center for Latin America and the Caribbean

April 16, 2009 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expanding the curriculum of the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies’ Regional Health Care Training Center (RHCTC) in the Republic of Panamá.  Two new HHS sponsored workshops have been added to the training curriculum for health services professionals from Panamá, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

The first training on biomedical device regulations was a joint collaboration between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), both within HHS, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Panamá and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).  This workshop took place on March 2009 and was inaugurated by the Honorable Dr. Rosario Turner, Minister of Health for the Republic of Panamá.  The workshop strengthened the region health systems by providing guidance in developing regulatory guidelines enhancing the efficacy, safety, and quality of the medical devices utilized by the health care workforce.

The second workshop scheduled for the last week of May 2009 will focus on cavities prevention for communities and offers an adaptation of techniques developed by the HHS Indian Health Service (IHS).  The workshop will provide course participants with the skills and ability to return to their communities and organize community-based trainings to improve the oral health of young children, primarily through the use of oral health assessments, fluoride varnish applications, and promotion of fluoride toothpaste for children beginning when the first tooth erupts.  The overall goal of the course is to create community-based sustainable systems to prevent tooth decay.  Dentists and auxiliary personnel will be empowered to develop plans for improving oral health in their communities along with an understanding of how to recruit volunteers and implement training to get other community members involved in caries prevention.

The new workshops strengthen the local health systems with a workforce that is responsive and efficient to achieve the best health outcomes possible, given available resources and circumstances.  For more information about the Regional Health Care Training Center and other health diplomacy programs in Latin America and Caribbean region please visit http://www.globalhealth.gov.

Last revised: April 20, 2009