Scaling up the community-based health workforce for emergencies

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Emergency management ( lcshac )
Medical care ( lcshac )
Resilience (Personal trait) ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
This joint statement outlines the pivotal role of the community-based health workforce in building resilience to disaster; advocates the scaling-up, training and involvement of community health workers; and calls for reinforcing the community-based health workforce. Knowledge of local risks and the actual needs of the community; the prevention of risks at their source; the reduction of risks; and early rescue before the arrival of external help are the advantages of the front line involvement of prepared, active, and well-organized communities in emergencies. As community-based actions are becoming more vital, humanitarian agencies are increasingly emphasizing the scaling up of the community-based health workforce. The community-based health workforce includes community health workers, trained volunteers, community-based organizations, and actors in key sectors that contribute to promoting and improving the health of communities. The document continues on to discuss the contributions of community-based health workforces to healthier, safer, and more resilient communities by highlighting their work before emergency, actions taken during emergency response, as well as their efforts in promoting recovery and transition to development. It then focuses on actions that can help to reduce risks and prepare existing health systems for emergencies, while emphasizing the need to reinforce primary health care so that it is better prepared for emergencies. The final part presents examples of community-based health workforce programs from Pakistan, Uganda, Myanmar, and Yemen which respectively focus on emergency response, emergency preparedness, health risk reduction, and assisting urban refugees. The joint statement suggests that among many other things, countries can strengthen the capacity of the community-based health workforce force by strengthening existing health systems and health emergency risk management programs that emphasize local level action. Partners can support governments by disseminating and adopting actions pursued by governments, advocating for additional resources and increasing investments, and supporting capacity building within the sector. ( English )
Subject:
Disaster and Resilience ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2011). Scaling up the community-based health workforce for emergencies. Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA), World Health Organization (WHO), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction