Synergy Online -- March 21, 2002

In this edition:
-CSIH PROGRAM UPDATE: SOUTH CAUCASUS HEALTH INFORMATION PROJECT
-HEALTH RESEARCH "LETTER OF INTENT" SIGNED BY CANADA AND MEXICO
-WHO RELEASES TOBACCO CONTROL REPORT
-LIFESAVING UNICEF HEALTH GUIDE GETS NEW WEB SITE
-GETTING READY FOR NATIONAL NURSING WEEK
-IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE WOMEN'S HEALTH IN CANADA
-PRISONERS IN GEORGIA AND TB: A DISEASE OF POVERTY
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CSIH PROGRAM UPDATE: SOUTH CAUCASUS HEALTH INFORMATION PROJECT

The second phase of the CIDA-funded South Caucasus Health Information
Project, which began in September 2001, got off to a good start.  The
CSIH team has undertaken three missions to Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan in order to formalize linkages with local partners, formulate
plans for training in Health Information Systems (HIS), and confirm the
location of demonstration project activities.  A demonstration project
has already been launched in a group of maternal/child health facilities
in Artashat, Armenia, by Canadian HIS experts, with field support by a
NetCorps intern.  Similar demonstration project sites have been
identified in Gori, Georgia, and Massali, Azerbaijan.

An HIS Certificate Course is being designed to train a core group of
people to build and operate health information systems in Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan.  This course will supply the skills necessary
for people to become information system managers in organizational units
within the health care system such as clinics, hospitals, and Ministries
of Health.  The course will begin this spring in Armenia and Georgia and
is expected to start shortly afterwards in Azerbaijan.

Equally interesting are the prospects for cooperation with various
international agencies already working in the South Caucasus, such as
the World Bank, USAID and Mercy Corps.  CSIH looks forward to pursuing
these contacts and opportunities, and the SCHIP team has been discussing
partnerships and activities with the Advisory Committee since the first
face-to-face meeting in Ottawa in early March 2002.  For more
information, please visit our web site at
http://www.csih.org/what/schip/schip.html
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WHO RELEASES TOBACCO CONTROL REPORT

Litigation and public inquiries can be powerful tobacco control tools,
according to a new report released by the World Health Organization
(WHO). Used properly, the law can help transform the paradigms of
tobacco control, awaken public outrage, strengthen public policies and
redress injuries. The WHO report analyses tobacco litigation as part of
global tobacco control efforts and its impact on public health.  Its
release is connected to the fourth round of negotiations on the proposed
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, held in Geneva on March 18,
2002.   In the report, WHO suggests it is time to make the law, and
inquiries into the behaviour of tobacco transnationals, an integral
component of the comprehensive global tobacco control agenda in a way
that advances both health and justice.  To download the report in PDF
format, visit:  http://tobacco.who.int/page.cfm?sid=69
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HEALTH RESEARCH "LETTER OF INTENT" SIGNED BY CANADA AND MEXICO

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) signed a "Letter of
Intent" with the Institutos Nacionales de Salud (INS) of Mexico on
February 1, 2002.  By working in a coordinated and catalytic fashion
with international partners, CIHR considers this as a unique opportunity
to achieve world leadership in health research, to share its experience
with the international community and, most importantly, to benefit from
international insight and foresight.  In the coming months, CIHR and its
partners will work with the INS to define priority areas and research
themes of shared concern.  As a starting point, CIHR is currently
compiling a list of Canadian researchers and trainees who are interested
in international research and training opportunities. Those interested
are requested to complete an online survey at:
http://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/4907/InternationalOpp.htm

For further information, visit:
http://www.cihr.ca/news/latest_info/mexico_e.shtml
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LIFESAVING UNICEF HEALTH GUIDE GETS NEW WEB SITE

One of the world's most widely-read books, Facts for Life (FFL),
itself gained new life with its first major revision in a decade and
new PDF and website versions.  More than 15 million copies of earlier
versions of the book are in use, and it has been translated into 215
languages.  FFL is a joint effort of UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP,
UNAIDS, WFP and the World Bank to provide families and communities
around the world with essential information on low-cost ways to help
prevent child deaths and diseases and to protect women during pregnancy
and childbirth.  To order or download a copy, visit the new website at:

http://www.unicef.org/ffl
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GETTING READY FOR NATIONAL NURSING WEEK

National Nursing Week takes place May 6-12, 2002.  Every May, National
Nursing Week recognizes and celebrates the contributions that nurses
make throughout the year.  This year's theme is "Nurses Always There For
You: Caring for Families."  The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
provides ideas for organizing activities to celebrate the nursing
profession on its web site. For more information, visit:
http://206.191.29.104/nnw/default.htm
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IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE WOMEN'S HEALTH IN CANADA

The Centres of Excellence for Women's Health has published "Advancing
Policy and Research Responses to Immigrant and Refugee Women's Health in
Canada".  This document presents an overview of Canadian research on
immigrant and refugee women's health, drawing upon the earlier research,
as well as the research conducted by Canada's Centres of Excellence for
Women's Health (CEWH) and Metropolis Centres of Excellence (MCE). The
report also presents preliminary policy issues, research questions and
policy implications arising from the research. It further suggests next
steps to advance a strategic dialogue in policy and research development
on immigrant and refugee women's health. It can serve as a tool to help
decision makers assess their policies and programs.  The document can be
downloaded in PDF format from the following site:
http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/resources/im-ref_health/immigration.html
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PRISONERS IN GEORGIA AND TB: A DISEASE OF POVERTY

A new cooperation agreement was signed on 12 March between the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Georgian
Ministries of Health and Justice, enabling the fight against
tuberculosis in prisons to continue.  Disease thrives amidst poverty,
violence, discrimination and indifference - conditions that are rife in
prisons. State authorities have an obligation to ensure that no one is
subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and
that prisoners enjoy the same standard of health care as the population
at large, yet health in prisons is often overlooked or given low
priority.  In Georgia, TB is the major cause of illness among detainees.
When the ICRC started its TB control programme in the country's prisons
in 1998, the "white plague" was 60 times more prevalent among inmates
than among the general population.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/c1256212004ce24e4125621200524882/2f316f1
2c98b2ffbc1256b7c0047ed8d?OpenDocument
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