Red Cross Presenting at Canadian Conference on Global Health

The Canadian Red Cross is presenting this week at the Canadian Conference on Global Health. The conference takes place from October 21-23, and brings together researchers, practitioners, policy makers, non-governmental and international organizations and community members to discuss emerging issues and challenges in global health.

The Red Cross is committed to improving the health and well-being of the most vulnerable populations around the world. This conference provides the opportunity to showcase some of our best work, both in disaster settings and in longer-term development projects.

One of the strengths of the Canadian Red Cross is working alongside ministries of health and local partners to create sustainable projects. This includes partnering with local Red Cross Societies to implement innovative Mother, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) programs in Honduras and Nicaragua. Unique among MNCH programs, these efforts engage men to participate in women’s pre- and post-natal care.

Our work in the Americas also includes co-authoring a new report on MNCH programs in the region. The report calls for an integrated approach to MNCH that tackles growing inequities by looking at broader issues such as food security and gender equality to improve the health of mothers and children in marginalized communities.

Another key strength of the Red Cross is our ability to use our network of community volunteers who have access to some of the most remote communities. Recently, the Canadian Red Cross undertook research in partnership with the Kenyan Red Cross Society, which showed that using community health workers improves access to malaria treatment in poor and remote villages in that country. The research demonstrated that these workers, trained by the Red Cross, can positively affect families’ health-seeking behaviours.

Lastly, the Red Cross provides vital health services during emergencies. This includes deploying our Emergency Response Unit (ERU) within 48 hours after a disaster. When deployed, the ERU fills local health infrastructure gaps while laying a strong foundation to rebuild the local health system as the region recovers from a disaster. The Red Cross also addresses the specific risks that arise when trying to provide health services during conflicts and emergencies, which include protecting health care personnel and those needing treatment from violence and harm.

The Red Cross is dedicated to providing critical health care to communities in need and will continue to implement innovating programming in this area.

Posted:  October 22, 2012