Community Health Program
Healthcare delivery in Nepal is through Health Posts provided by the government situated in each village. There are several potential barriers to accessing this healthcare - the greatest challenge being that healthcare in these villages is traditionally delivered by faith healers and there is little understanding of western medicine.
In order to overcome this challenge, it has been necessary to integrate traditional Nepalese medicine with our western medicine in a culturally-sensitive fashion. This has been successfully accomplished with the utilization of Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) - women in the local neighborhoods who are trained in the benefits of the medical care provided at Health Posts. Since these women are trusted members of their community, they can effectively convey this information in a culturally-sensitive way and serve as the first line of medical care and serve as a conduit for referring individuals to the Health Posts.
D2N believes increasing education and awareness by utilizing women who familiar and trusted members of their community (similar to the FCHVs in Nepal) can increase access to healthcare in Detroit neighborhoods. Initially invited into Detroit neighborhoods, Brilliant Detroit (BD) has community homes in 12 Detroit neighborhoods. This setting provided an excellent opportunity; these facilities have an established trusting relationships with the surrounding neighborhood. Read more about the program here.
Realizing the social determinants of health are multifactorial, an interdisciplinary team comprised of WSU School of Medicine students and members of Michigan Healthcare Professionals was also be a component of the program.
MHP has an agreement with Wayne State University of Medicine to mentor its medical students in community outpatient settings. This collaboration to improve access to healthcare is be one of their undertakings. D2N's Community Health Night Program featuring the students is held monthly in the Brilliant Detroit Cody Rouge and Osborne neighborhood hubs; topics are community-driven. Read about the program here.
