© 2010 Prithvi, All Rights Reserved.
Contact: prithvi10@vsnl.com
A Revolutionary, Patient-Centric, Comprehensive Rural Health Resource Facility
Empowering rural individuals, families and communities to participate pro-actively in their own health maintenance and care
Training Community Recruited Health Staff to become the core providers of basic health care services to their communities as Health Workers, Counsellors, Hygiene Activists, Nutritional Counsellors and Child Health Activists
Planned Opening: 2008 / 2009
The Wellness Center targets the primary health concerns of the rural population:
The Wellness Center seeks to develop an environment of learning, participation and healing for rural families and communities. From the moment participating families join the institution they become involved in a process of developing their knowledge of and responsibility for their own and their family’s health care:
Wellness Center participants evolve from passive recipients of whatever the medical system offers to active, informed and responsible health care consumers.
The Wellness Center, in line with Prithvi’s commitment to comprehensive rural empowerment, will draw its primary staff from participating local villages. Community staff members undergo an intense training program to become effective health educators and practitioners, as well as bridges between professional health care providers and program participants. Community staff also provides outreach and follow-up services.
The Wellness Center utilizes the best of western medicine, as well as traditional healing systems and alternative therapies, including Ayurveda, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal and nutritional supplements, counselling, yoga, massage, etc. Professionals working in the Wellness Center Clinics are part of a team that both offers treatment and trains patients to informed involvement in the process.
The Wellness Center is committed to a low-cost, low-maintenance, simple, and replicable building plan, that utilizes natural, local materials. Many of the activities, such as induction, counselling, Ayurvedic treatments, workshops, etc. will be held outside. Water treatment and waste management will be done using ecologically sound systems. Solar and wind power will be used for electrical power and water heating. Participants in the programs will also be required to participate in clean-up and simple maintenance, modeling responsible sanitation habits.
PROJECT POSITIVE HOPE (PPH) is one of Prithvi’s five targeted intervention projects, designed to generate holistic and participatory development and change at the village level. It has been operating as a Prithvi project in participating villages for 3 years. PPH currently offers:
These programs have laid the foundation for developing the Wellness Center. They have increased rural awareness of HIV substantially in Ahmednagar Taluka. They have encouraged an interest in health topics in participating villages. They have offered counselling and educational services to the villagers. They have encouraged the development of a more holistic approach to health care.
PPH Health Campaign
Designed to expand villager’s understanding of personal health responsibility and increase their resources, both internal and external, for dealing with health issues, as well as to develop infrastructure for Wellness Center participation and outreach. The theme of the campaign is: “80% of all health issues can be solved at home.” The campaign focuses on nutrition, lifestyle, yoga, stress reduction, hygiene and sanitation issues, basic health care, herbal and other remedies for simple complaints, etc.
Specialist Health Campaigns: These campaigns build on the basic principals of the Foundation Campaign and apply these to special needs:
The Wellness Center is a unique health care concept in that it is training villagers to be basic health care information, counselling, service and education providers. The principle here is that villagers are best able to act as role models for responsible health care, as well as the best communicators to other villagers. Thus, the community recruited health care providers are the heart of the Wellness Center.
Community Recruited Health Care Staff will fill 5 main functions:
Counsellors: running workshops and educational sessions, conducting social assessments and intake sessions, and helping participants to apply health knowledge in their personal lives
Health Workers: running workshops and educational sessions, conducting health assessments, and offering simple, basic health care, plus massage, yoga, and basic lifting and home care training to participants
Nutritional Educators: taking participants into the kitchen to improve nutritional content of meals and educate concerning special dietary needs for children, women, pregnancy, illness, etc.
Hygiene Activists: tackling the most stubborn issues of personal hygiene, clean water and clean environment with participating families, these workers will also be trained as environmental activists and public health advocates.
Child Care Providers: assessing children’s health and emotional and social development through involving children in a learning process to develop good health foundations while their parents attend the clinics.
Training of this vital workforce is currently commencing.
Out Patient Health Camps are designed to test the Prithvi model of Out-Patient Services, to introduce the participating villages to the Prithvi concept of patient responsibility, to provide training for the Wellness Center Core Team and to develop awareness.
The Prithvi Wellness Center is designed to be a low-cost, easily replicable, scalable and environmentally responsible health facility. Most of the activities, including intake, workshops, education, counselling, massage, yoga and stretch, will be held outdoors, or in temporary structures (tents) during the monsoon. Simple structures, which can be easily cleaned and maintained, will be designed for medical examination rooms, laboratory, records and pharmaceuticals and staff and administration offices. Facilities for laundry, sterilization, and normal as well as hazardous waste disposal will be developed in conformity with international standards, using simple and replicable and scalable models.
All participants will participate in the maintenance of the facilities under the guidance of the Hygiene Activists, who will be conducting awareness and cleaning campaigns during the Out-Patient Clinics.
Recruitment of Participants:
Prithvi is active in over 50 villages in Nagar Taluka, with programs for health, women, youth, environmental issues and farming.Information on Wellness Center activities and services are provided by Prithvi Community Representatives, and by mobile outreach teams.
Out Patient Day Programs
Each day program has a target population, including women, pregnant women, children, HIV affected families, common complaints, and farmer health. Member families who have paid their fees are welcome to attend any appropriate clinic days and to come as often as they can.
Each program provides:
Counselling
A minimal daily fee is charged. Medicines are at-cost.
Emergency Room Services: 24 / 7
ERs are frequently misused by Indian patients as an OP for the treatment of minor problems. This ER will work with all those seeking services to define what is proper use of the ER
This ER will be especially trained to deal with farm / chemical poison, venom cases and acute HIV / AIDS crises.
Live-in HIV Affected Family Therapeutic Community:
HIV is one of the most serious health threats of the 21st century. Prithvi treats HIV as a long-term chronic condition that affects the entire family, but can be controlled through diet, lifestyle, hygiene and appropriate care. Prithvi works with families and communities to reduce fear, stigma and discrimination.
The therapeutic live-in Community is a one-week program for HIV affected families. The community helps develop skills for living with a life-long chronic illness, and offers on-going support and community to HIV affected families.
In-Patient & Rehabilitation Unit:
HIV, TB, Poison, Chronic Conditions -
The In-Patient Unit provides crisis care, stabilization and rehabilitation for HIV positive people, those co-infected with TB, and, eventually, chronic chemical poisoning cases among farm-workers, as well as chronic conditions of all kinds. Family members are taught appropriate monitoring and participate in basic care.
Hospice:
Functioning as part of the In-Patient unit, the Hospice provides palliative care and a caring, respectful environment for the terminally ill.
Women’s Space:
A refuge and resting space for women, especially targeting widows, HIV+ women, abused wives, and women recovering from serious illness, the Woman’s space provides a safe environment, counselling, education and job training to women in need of a “time out.”
Professional Health Care Training
The Wellness Center will run Professional training on our holistic model of health care, as well as internships for young professionals.
Research:
There are a variety of Ayurvedic and Homeopathic interventions that may prove useful in many health conditions, especially HIV. Many of these substances enhance the immune system and delay the time when expensive Anti-Retroviral treatments must be taken. However, the necessary research into effectiveness has not been done according to international standards. An aspect of the Wellness Center’s commitment to responsible care includes double-bind testing with appropriate and informed consent from participants of such products.
© 2010 Prithvi, All Rights Reserved.
Contact: prithvi10@vsnl.com