amy_ltfhc

yes - thanks for the correction

Healthcare systems in sub-Saharan Africa typically operate as a tiered system: health centers (often made of mud and thatch) serve ultra-rural populations, referring more serious cases to Regional hospitals. In the basin, this system completely breaks down. Difficult terrain and an absence of reliable roads and cellular signal prevent the majority of the basin’s 12+ million inhabitants from receiving care -- not even the basic skills of healthcare workers at local dispensaries due to lack of a supply chain. What is needed is the basin is a coordinating regional hospital. The ship will have operating rooms, intensive care, a lab, eye and dental care, etc., as well as a small inpatient ward.

Our vessel will serve that role described above and help to create a functional healthcare system where there previously was none. The ship will empower local health centers providing primary care while providing access to specialty care and healthcare worker training and oversight. With 12+ million people living in the basin being treated for preventable diseases, as well as the direct impacts of improved maternal health, the construction of the hospital ship translates to saving hundreds of thousands of lives over the next 10 years. Through investments in healthcare worker training and community education in nutrition, public health, and specialty services, the ship will be a tool for long-term wellbeing for communities in the basin.

The ship’s communications capacity will allow for effective networking, data gathering and logistics in the basin. Coupled with the LTFHC’s advocacy, these capabilities will transform the ship into a regional economic anchor; boosting local commercial dynamism while simultaneously preventing reckless exploitation and protecting Lake Tanganyika as a biological resource.

This is a model for environmentally and culturally relevant healthcare delivery in transboundary areas. We are currently writing a new white paper on water-based healthcare, redefining what healthcare capacity means, and we are eager to see this model replicated.

yep, I hear you!

I was a Dominatrix in College to earn extra money, actually. I went to Medical and Business school simultaneously, and was also a single mom later. No time for dominating!

We are going to be engaging in some WASH programming this upcoming year, both collecting data and deploying a bridge strategy for access to clean water. As I mentioned, we love to partner with other organizations that have expertise in a variety of areas, so we are working with P & G and others. Access to sanitation services is really crucial in this area.

This organization is my full time occupation.