Greetings and apologies for any cross-postings!

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (October 21, 2002) - The U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) has awarded Family Health International
(FHI) and its partners $35 million to lead a five-year program in the
Dominican Republic to address health issues in family planning, HIV/AIDS,
sexually transmitted infections, maternal mortality, child survival and
health sector reform.

Over the past several years, the government of the Dominican Republic has
made great strides in developing legislation and plans for a new health care
system.  However, the service delivery system is not prepared to address the
growing challenges of HIV/AIDS, problems in health facilities that
contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes, and childhood immunizations that are
not routinely provided.

FHI will implement the program, called ConectaSalud, through a partnership
with U.S.-based Abt Associates Inc. and the Dominican firm Agencia
Latinoamericana de Expertos en Planificación H (ALEPH), in collaboration
with numerous local community organizations.

"This award provides us with a tremendous opportunity to work with local
service providers to address the comprehensive and critical health needs of
vulnerable populations.  It also allows us to bring important 'lessons
learned' in other parts of Latin America to the Dominican Republic," says
Peter R. Lamptey, M.D., Dr.P.H., president of FHI's Institute for HIV/AIDS.
FHI now operates health programs in such countries as El Salvador,
Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, as
well as the Caribbean region.

The ConectaSalud team will bring together experts in management and
administration, with specialists in HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted
infections, reproductive health and family planning, behavior change and
communication, medical education, policy and advocacy, human services
research, strengthening of public and nongovernmental sectors, and
commodities logistics.  The program's strategies in designing, planning,
implementing and monitoring are:

*       Policy and structural reform - translating gains in health reform
into concrete policy
*       Continuity of care - integrating and actively referring between
services where feasible
*       Demand and community mobilization - mobilizing communities to demand
and use quality health services
*       Performance improvement - improving provider performances through
training and interventions
*       Sustainability and partnership - linking public and private services


"Nongovernmental, community-based and faith-based organizations will be key
to the successful implementation of these innovative activities to maximize
Dominicans' use of the health system," says Beverly Tucker, M.P.H.,
M.P.I.A., associate director of planning and development for FHI. "For the
most part, we expect to implement the strategies through local entities."

FHI has more than 30 years of experience developing and managing complex,
multi-country programs in family planning research, sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS prevention and care, adolescent and maternal
health, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic information dissemination.
With corporate headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C., FHI operates
management centers in Washington, D.C., Bangkok and Nairobi and implements
programs through offices in more than 40 countries, closely collaborating
with national ministries of health, community-based organizations,
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and various other agencies.  For more
information about FHI and its work, please visit its web site, www.fhi.org
<http://www.fhi.org> .

Abt Associates Inc. (Abt) is a client-focused, mission-driven,
employee-owned company, and is one of the largest government and business
research and consulting firms in the world.  Abt works in many markets and
sectors including poverty alleviation, child and family services, community
and development, social support systems and workforce development.  More
information about Abt Associates is available at: www.abtassoc.com
<http://www.abtassoc.com> .

Agencia Latinoamericana de Expertos en Planificación H (ALEPH) is a
Dominican private consulting firm devoted to sustainable institutional
development and participatory strategic planning.  ALEPH is widely
recognized for providing technical assistance principally to NGOs that work
in maternal and child health, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS/STIs.

To unsubscribe from CANCHID send: unsubscribe CANCHID to: [log in to unmask]  -  for help see http://listserv.yorku.ca