PROGRAMS

The DRMP is constantly monitoring and evaluating their efforts in the Dominican Republic. They work closely with Dominican organizations and others to ensure that their efforts match the felt needs of the people. Currently, the DRMP focuses its efforts in four main areas:

HYPERTENSION STATION

Each of our medical clinics house a hypertension station, where patients with high blood pressure are shown a short educational video (in both Spanish and Kreole) on the ill-effects of hypertension, and then they are given a three-month supply of medication and a card with the date and their blood pressure.

Upon the DRMP’s return to that batey a few months later, patients are encouraged to return to the medical clinic and have their blood pressure taken again so that medications can be adjust accordingly.

The DRMP, in collaboration with Light A Candle, monitors these patients consistently throughout the year to ensure they are receiving the best quality of care.
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The data collected from the last two years of hypertension station show that since 2012, 40% of patients that the DRMP monitors have reached healthy levels of blood pressure.

CHILD HEALTH PROMOTION
A Collaboration of DRMP and Light a Candle Foundation (Fundacion Enciende Una Luz)

Overview

Families living in the villages among the sugar cane fields of the Dominican Republic face many challenges. 

The small children are especially vulnerable to the effects of poor nutrition and limited access to health care. 
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DRMP of Village Church collaborates with Light a Candle to monitor the growth of the children and discover those dealing with malnutrition and related health issues.

Light a Candle consists of multiple physicians and other trained staff members who weigh and measure the children, record and interpret data on growth charts, provide counseling, report data, and make recommendations for child health promotion to DRMP.

The families receive counseling on good practices in nutrition and prevention of illness. Many times, just changing the practices contributes to a child’s improved growth. 
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The children discovered with significant problems receive special interventions such as pediatric referrals, needed medications and sometimes emergency food assistance to be followed by a long term plan to empower the families to sustain good nutrition for the children.
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The Health Promoters in these villages also play a role in supporting the families and serving as a health resource to them. Training is provided to the promoters to improve their capacity as health resources.

Measurable Outcomes

A curriculum of growth monitoring from the World Health Organization is utilized in this program.   Correct ages are calculated and correct techniques are employed for weighing and measuring height.  This data is recorded on WHO growth charts over time to observe positive or negative trends of growth for each child.  Growth problems are identified using WHO growth standards.  One-on-one counseling is provided for the parent(s) of each child with a growth problem.  General community education is also provided to larger groups of parents during the batey visits.

Important Topics for Counseling

Often growth problems can be addressed by increased understanding and implementation of
good practices by the parents.

One of the most universally recognized problems in childhood nutrition is lack of diversity in the diet. 
In this program, the families are counseled about the importance of a diverse daily diet, including foods from the protection group (yellow, green, orange fruits and vegetables), from the energy group (rice, potatoes, bread) and growth/strength group (eggs, milk, chicken, beans).  Often a neighbor may have a chicken who lays eggs and there may be a nearby tree that yields mangos or avocados.  If parents understand the essential need for these foods, it is often feasible to incorporate these foods into their child’s diet even within limited resources.
 
Good feeding practices such as exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and patient supervision of the toddler while eating are also presented to the parents.
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Emphasis on good hygiene practices is included in the counseling on topics such as the 3 critical times for hand washing, options for purifying water and safe food handling practices.

Children with Severe Problems

The Dominican team works with the village Health Promoter and the family to develop the most
appropriate plan of intervention for children with severe growth problems.

Malnutrition and illness contribute to the other.  A malnourished child gets sick more often.  A child who is sick does not eat well.   These conditions may perpetuate a child’s growth problems.  Children with severe growth problems may need a referral to a pediatrician who provides a physical exam, and possible lab work and medication. 
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Occasionally a family will require emergency food assistance to stabilize the growth of a child.  This assistance is always followed by a conversation with the family, promoter and team to explore ways that the family might be able to develop a sustainable plan to earn the income needed to provide adequate nutrition for their family.

EDUCATION

The DRMP has recently expanded their efforts to include education stations in each of their medical clinics.

The Nutrition Station
The Nutrition Station is an educational station specifically targeting young adults (current or prospective parents). In this station, participants learn about balanced nutrition for meal preparation that will increase the health of their small children in order to allow them to have more energy, strength, growth, and protection from disease.
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The Hygiene Station
The Hygiene Station is a new educational segment that was introduced to the bateys in the Spring of 2015. It targets young children (ages 5 to 12) and teaches them proper hand-washing technique as well as the ill-effects of not washing hands with soap. ​

HEALTH PROMOTERS

​The Health Promoter program is a DRMP-initiated program that has now been adopted by the Good Samaritan Hospital. This program supports one “Health Promoter” in each batey and provides them with training, supplies, and a small stipend that allows them to serve as a constant health and medical resource for their community. Health Promoters assist with such areas as medication distribution, family planning, and general health counseling.
 
Since the inception of this program, we have seen the health promoters become respected members of their community, and we’ve seen changes in their communities as the promoters disseminate the information they learn to their families and neighbors.
 
The Health promoters also play a prominent role in much of the work of the DRMP. They secure locations for our medical, clinics, alert their communities to our arrival date(s), and assist with follow-up care for patients seen by multiple teams.
 
This program is making a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people, and we are delighted that its reach continues to expand to ever more bateys.

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CONTACT:
Lora Garrison
Director of International Mission
Email
913-671-2390