The Community Health Network Meeting
Day One: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Daily Facilitators Rabia Mathai (CMMB) and Ann Hendrix-Jenkins (CORE Group)
Keynote Panel: What’s New in Community Health? 9:20-10:30
Richard Greene provided an overview of new directions within USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, and an update on the vision and principles of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative and how it will build upon the successes of existing USG health programs. Presenters offered a brief overview on the continuing evolution of Community Case Management, Newborn Home Care, and Nutrition and Food Security.
Presentations:
- Directions in Health: USAID/GH Bureau - Richard Greene (USAID)
- Community Case Management Takes Off! - David Marsh (Save the Children)
- Newborn Health: Burden of Disease and Evidence for Community-Based Interventions - Abdullah Baqui (Johns Hopkins University)
Concurrent panels 11-12:30
1. Malaria: Progress and Process in Reaching Universal Coverage.
This panel began with an overview of the methodologies behind “The Net Mapping Project” and progress toward Universal Coverage targets. Following the broader overview, the panel focused on country-level needs, integrated approaches, considered resource mobilization strategies for impact, and discussed local net production technologies in Africa. Participants had an opportunity to discuss challenges, solutions and the larger community health implications of meeting these targets.
Presentations:
- Net mapping project - John Milliner (USAID/Africa Bureau - Net Mapping Project)
- Malaria: Progress & Process in Reaching Universal Coverage - Lessons from 10 Years of NetMark - Willard Shaw (AED/NetMark)
- Technology Innovation & Commercialization - Andrew Butenhoff (Anovotek)
2. Community Maternal/Newborn Care. Massee Batemen, Save the Children; Judy Lewis, HHF; Abdullah Baqui, JHU; Joseph de Graft-Johnson, Save the Children/MCHIP
This session addressed person-centered care for mothers and newborns and discussed integrated community-level approaches to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. Effective care focuses on the mother/child dyad and requires integrated action from the home, community, facility and hospital. The panel included discussions of the recent WHO/UNICEF Joint Statement on Home Visits for the newborn child: a strategy to improve survival; the continuum of care; new initiatives with CORE and Home Based Life Saving Skills and community-based newborn interventions.
Presentations:
- Continuum of Care – The Links That Save Mothers and Newborns - Massee Bateman (Save the Children/Saving Newborn Lives)
- HBLSS—Mobilizing Families and Communities for Mothers and Newborns - Judy Lewis (Haitian Health Foundation/CORE Group Safe Motherhood Working Group Co-chair)
- Newborn Health: Burden of Disease and Evidence for Community-Based Interventions - Abdullah Baqui (Johns Hopkins University)
- Reaching newborns before they die: WHO, UNICEF and partners recommendations - Joseph de Graft-Johnson (Save the Children/MCHIP)
Lunchtime Roundtable: mHealth collaboration for m-proved community health programs.
James Bon Tempo (JHPIEGO) and David Cantor (MACRO) held an informal discussion—what progress is being made in mhealth? What is holding it back? How might CORE Group members get involved?
Working Group Planning Time. 1:30-3:00
Working Group technical discussion and planning time.
Concurrent Sessions. 3:30-5:00
1. The Science of Persuasion, Part II. Tom Davis (Food for the Hungry)
During this session (part two of a series), participants learned key principles from the persuasion literature (on social proof, reciprocation and attribution) that are useful in bringing about behavior change in child survival, HIV, and other public health programs. After hearing these principles, participants created lists of how to use these persuasion principles and techniques in project design and discussed the usefulness of each for programming.
Presentation:
2. Community Case Management of Sick Children. David Marsh (Save the Children); Nancy Newton (CORE Group); Steve Hodgins (MCHIP); Asha George (UNICEF); Emmanuel d’Harcourt (IRC)
This 3-part session featured (1) a panel to present CCM experience from Asia (monitoring), Africa (quality assurance), and Latin America (policy); (2) participants joined one of three similarly themed tables for a facilitated discussion on lessons learned, best practices, and challenges from their own CCM experience; and (3) brief plenary reports from each table.
Presentations:
- Introducing CCM in Nicaragua: Lessons in Fostering Policy Change and Catalysing Implementation (Asha George, UNICEF)
- CCM M&E (David Marsh)
- CCM Essentials Section V: Increasing the Quality of CCM (Emmanuel d'Harcourt)
3. Equity: We are all working toward it: What do we mean, and how can we improve our efforts? Jennifer Luna (MCHIP); Todd Nitkin (Medical Teams International); Michelle Kouletio (Concern Worldwide); Laban Tsuma (Plan International); Alan Talens (CRWRC)
Participants furthered their understanding of equity and contributed to the process of better defining how community-oriented programs should address the issue. This is part of a process that ultimately will result in recommendations for the PVO community, CSHGP projects and MCHIP country programs.
Presentations:
- Equity: We are all working toward it. What do we mean, and how can we improve our efforts?
(Jennifer Luna and Todd Nitkin) - Integrating Equity Assessment in a Child Survival Program (Alen Talens)
- Local District Experience in addressing equity in Child health in Kilifi (Laban Tsuma)

