CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Crystal Lander, Management Sciences for Health; Robyn Fischer, WaterAid America; Brandon Ball, PATH; Annie Toro, US Pharmacopeial Convention; Danielle Heiberg, Global Health Council (Moderator)
For decades the United States has been a leader in global health and foreign assistance in general, launching initiatives such as PEPFAR and PMI, and committing to an AIDS-free generation and ending preventable child and maternal deaths. Initial action from the Trump administration signals a shift in U.S. foreign assistance policy and the role the United States will play globally. Discussion from global health experts was heard on how the current political climate changes how we tell the story of what we do. Discussion focused on how to be a successful advocate, whether you work in Washington, DC or in the field, and how advocates and implementers can work together to tell a more powerful story on Capitol Hill and with the Trump Administration.
Next Steps from Institutionalizaing Community Health Conference: Community Engagement and SBV Linkages as Part of Health Systems Strengthening
Melanie Morrow, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, ICF; Ketan Chitnis, UNICEF; Tanvi Monga, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, ICF; Nazo Kureshy, USAID; Telesphore Kabore, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, Save the Children (Moderator)
This session provided general highlights and key commitments made during the Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (ICHC), followed by a focused discussion on the role of social and behavior change as well as community engagement in strengthening community-level health systems. The session drew upon a range of presentations from the ICHC such as the linkages with primary health care and communities, resilience and scaling-up models, as well as those focusing on social and behavior change interventions and engaging communities in social accountability around health. It also provided a forum to discuss post-conference next steps and ways for the SBC practitioners to be engaged in the broader community health systems global agenda.
Elena McEwan, THRIVE, Catholic Relief Services; Tom Davis, Independent (Moderator)
During this participatory session, we examined two models for integrating early child education/development (ECE/ ECD) with health, nutrition and WASH interventions: (1) PCI’s Education Cascade Group model, and (2) CRS’ THRIVE model. We also jointly developed a list of “ideal design specifications” (criteria) for integrated models that promote improved ECE/ECD along with health, nutrition, and WASH. Participants worked in small groups to generate a list of current barriers to the expansion of integrated models by CORE Group members, and to discuss resources (and resource people) that can help members to move forward with integrated programs. This session was intended to help organizations that want to do more ECE/ECD in integrated programs, and to take concrete steps to move forward with it, connecting them with those who are already promoting ECE/ECD as part of integrated programs for children.
Asayehegn Tekeste, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program Ethiopia, Save the Children; Qamar u Zaman Jamali, USAID’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program Pakistan, Save the Children; Pascal Musoni, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program Rwanda, Save the Children; Rachel Taylor, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, Save the Children (Moderator)
Participants learned about three country programs’ experiences in implementing SBC and community-based efforts aimed at improving newborn health outcomes. Specifically, participants gained information on a diversity of activities and in different countries: Implementing community empowerment centered demand generation for newborn services in Ethiopia; Community health workers’ role in chlorhexidine scale-up in Sindh, Pakistan; and community engagement and uptake of postnatal care services in targeted districts in Rwanda. Participants in this interactive session discussed the key challenges and opportunities for using SBC to strengthen newborn health programming.
PLENARY
Listen to a recording of the Plenary Session
Integrating and Adapting Social & Behavior Change: The Why, the What, and the How
Sanjanthi Velu, HC3, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs; Neha Shah, Accelerate, The Manoff Group; Joseph Petraglia, Pathfinder; Debora B. Freitas López, Chemonics International (Moderator)
Health programs deliver critical, life-saving interventions; however, these interventions may not always be integrated across technical areas or focused on common behavioral outcomes. In this interactive session, participants considered the complexities of social and behavior change and the challenges of monitoring and evaluating change across technical areas. Participants also got insights into how behavioral outcomes and logical pathways to changing behaviors might be used to better align and coordinate programs to maximize investments and accelerate impact. Finally participants also obtained guidance regarding strategic design, implementation, capacity strengthening, course corrections and adaptations during implementation, research for and evaluation of integrated SBC programs. Throughout, the moderator and panelists shared their experiences in using adaptive management and resources to guide whether or not to integrate, pros and cons of integration, mapping the landscape, engaging support and encourage audience members to offer their own concerns and resources.