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Spring 2003
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The Vice-Chancellor of Unitra, Prof. Nicky Morgan, visited Boston in early March during his wider trip to the US. The aim of this leg of his visit was to strengthen the relationships Unitra has established with Massachusetts institutions and explore further collaboration possibilities. The visit provided an opportunity for Prof. Morgan to met with members of the Academic Working Group, as well as leaders of the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
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The Codman Academy Charter School is preparing to take its first group of students to South Africa in January 2005. SA Partners has been supporting this initiative by participating in some of the school's international awareness activities, including a Model United Nations event in late January and a presentation on South Africa in late February.
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| Partnership Project Updates |
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| Academic Partnerships with the University of Transkei |
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Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (MGH/IHP)
The MGH Institute is in the process of adapting its clinical investigation curriculum for use by the University of Transkei. MGH/IHP received funding from the Lloyd Foundation to hold a Nursing Round Table held in March 2003. Nurses from around South Africa, including the Eastern Cape, participated in this meeting held in Benoni, outside of Johannesburg. At the Round Table nurses from the US and South Africa discussed HIV/AIDS research, education, and care-for-the-caregiver initiatives. In addition, MGH/IHP is developing an International Clinical Option for senior nursing students enrolled at the Institute, which will include 3 to 5 students traveling to the Eastern Cape with a professor for 3 weeks during the summer. Efforts to arrange educational and clinical observational experiences for Eastern Cape nurses at the Institute are also in the works.
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University of Massachusetts Medical School
UMASS Minority Research Program is gearing up for its fifth year of student research collaboration with Unitra. Under this program, 4-6 minority students from UMASS will join Unitra or Umtata General Hospital students for 10 weeks during the upcoming summer to do HIV/AIDS related research. The course will start with about 2 weeks of lectures in virology, immunology and molecular biology to prepare the students for the research.
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Massachusetts Medical Society
MassMedical is in the process of initiating an electronic transfer of the New England Journal of Medicine to sites and facilities in the Eastern Cape. Furthermore, MassMedical has identified one medical student and one resident from the US who will be supported to do work in the Eastern Cape this coming summer. Ultimately, MassMedical would like to explore the possibility of a rotation of health professionals serving in the Eastern Cape for short periods of time to provide in-service training and clinical support.
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| Departmental Partnerships |
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HIV/AIDS
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health AIDS Bureau continues to support the Eastern Cape's HIV/AIDS Directorate. Priorities remain (1) integrating people living with AIDS (PWAs) into decision-making and (2) the establishment of a procurement system that will allow for the contracting of HIV/AIDS-related services through local NGOs. As part of this effort, AIDS Bureau is inviting 3 - 4 people from the Eastern Cape to attend a Massachusetts Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Consumer Advisory Bureau-sponsored conference in May. The visit will also allow for further discussion of best practices in Massachusetts and how they might support the development of new systems in the Eastern Cape.
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University of Transkei Community Health Workers Training Project
Both the Massachusetts Department of Public Health AIDS Bureau and the Eastern Cape Department of Health HIV/AIDS Directorate provided technical support to the University of Transkei Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences for its successful proposal submission to the World AIDS Foundation. This project, to develop and pilot an experiential HIV/AIDS community health-worker (CHW) training model and evaluate its impact on the target communities, is already underway. Two meetings were held in December and January to decide on the curricular to be used for this project. Furthermore, a trainers' workshop was held in March. By the end of the project 20 CHWs will be working in their respective villages, with support from local health clinics and centers. This pilot and evaluation also supports the HIV/AIDS Directorate initiation of a "Step Down Care Unit" at Umtata General Hospital, which is also already underway.
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Northeastern University School of Pharmacy - Eastern Cape Department of Pharmacy
The Pharmacy Department of the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) is expanding the number of pharmacists working in the province. This expansion and the growing need for pharmaceutical management and logistical support has prompted discussions between the Pharmacy Department and the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy. More broadly, ECDOH is also hoping to receive management training for its new pharmacists and also technical assistance with pharmaceutical logistics. As an immediate next step, a team from ECDOH Pharmacy Department is hoping to visit Northeastern University over the summer.
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| NGO Partnerships |
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Codman Square Health Center- Masimanyane Women's Support Centre
Building on the Twinning Agreement that Codman Square Health Center and Masimanyane Women's Support Center signed in March 2002, several staff exchanges have taken place between the two institutions, the latest one being in December 2002. The two institutions recently received a grant from the US State Department Office of Cultural Exchanges to support their ongoing partnership. Among the priorities will be peer leadership development and health professions training, with an overall emphasis on addressing issues related to domestic violence and sexual assault, including programs that work with men, families, and communities. The grant will also support the development of a Technology Center at Masimanyane that will partner with the Codman Technology Center.
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Cambridge Health Alliance - Port Elizabeth Hospital Complex
Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, and the Port Elizabeth Health Complex (PEHC) in the Eastern Cape, held a video teleconference in February as part of their ongoing exploration of collaboration opportunities. The two institutions prioritized the following four areas of interest:
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Management;
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Clinical training;
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Human resource development; and
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Information technology.
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Working groups are now being formed for each of the four areas, with representatives from each institution to further define specific areas of technical assistance and training.
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South Africa Partners serves as technical support to the Massachusetts - South Africa Health Task Force. South Africa Partners (SA Partners) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the establishment of mutually beneficial institutional partnerships between the United States and South Africa, in the areas of health, education, and economic development. Working with state and local government, academic institutions, and community organizations, SA Partners is creating a model for international development that is based on long-term commitment and sustainability. Partnerships supported by SA Partners bring together practitioners from the United States and South Africa who are committed to addressing social, political, and economic needs in a manner that strengthens communities, builds institutional capacity, and gives voice to those who have been previously excluded from public discourse.
Send feedback to South Africa Partners at: info@sapartners.org
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