The info hub for the hub of global health
Change your habits, not the climate
Climate change is more than just the weather. The Global Health Council shared how waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid will likely become more common as water sources become less safe. Then, pile on the effect on crops, livestock, and even the air we breathe—all of which directly impact our health.
These are a few of the WGHA members doing their part to support a healthy environment.
Providence shared its plans to be carbon negative by 2030 through several environmental stewardship initiatives such as powering clinics using solar energy, composting hospital food waste, and even switching to more environmentally friendly anesthetic agents.
PwC supports several carbon offset projects including the preservation of forests and critical watersheds in the US, along with pivoting its own business practices.
World Vision is partnering with communities to regreen over 15 million hectares, with each eliminating more than a ton of CO2 per year, as part of the Generation Restoration campaign.
Native wellness
The pandemic has been especially devastating for Native communities in the US, as it was layered on top of the oppression, racism, and ongoing legacy of colonization that Native communities already face.
To address the mental health needs of children and families in these communities, UNICEF USA partnered with the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to provide mental health training for COVID-19 frontline workers and create a first-of-its-kind adaptation of the Psychological First Aid guide tailored for American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Look through the guide for yourself to learn cultural values and support strategies through resources, storytelling, and culturally relevant visuals.
Nominate a winner!
On October 14, WGHA will present the first ever Global Health Impact Awards. These new awards recognize WGHA members working to improve health equity around the world. Nominate a rising star, luminary leader, or organizational impact awardee today!
Finalists will be announced this summer, and winners will be revealed at the event. Submit your nominations by Friday, July 16 at 5:00 pm PT. Tickets coming soon!
Sharing is caring
The longer it takes to deliver COVID-19 vaccines globally, the greater the risk of new variants emerging. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to increase access to safe and affordable COVID-19 vaccines in lower-income countries.
The foundation is also calling on high-income countries to share at least 1 billion excess COVID-19 vaccines with lower-income countries ASAP. Sharing vaccines = saving lives.
Nurse oasis
Nurses are essential, and with the surge of COVID-19 in Nepal, nurses struggle to find safe places to rest and sleep while protecting their loved ones from the virus. Adara and partners came together to open a quarantine center for nursing professionals in Kathmandu where nurses can eat healthy meals, sleep, and get medical attention for their own physical and mental well-being—all for free. It’s critical to take care of the caretakers.
Pain-relieving pinwheels
A flower can be more than just a pretty face. RTI International and Luxembourg Institute of Health discovered that conolidine—a natural painkiller derived from the pinwheel flower—interacts with a newly identified opioid receptor in the brain. This could lead to painkillers with fewer side effects (like addiction, increasing tolerance, and respiratory problems) than current opioid drugs. Better pain relief while tackling the opioid crisis…that’s an easier pill to swallow.
Power to the people
Amplio is giving its partners something that all nonprofits want—more control over their own programs. It launched a new Talking Book feature—a self-service platform for organizations to manage their own knowledge-sharing programs. The online portal guides users through the steps to design their own customized program and grants access to easy-to-use supporting software to upload audio content, view analytics, and more. Amplio even created an online learning portal so users can watch training lessons at their own pace and convenience.
People on the move
Susan M. Coliton was named interim president and CEO of Washington Research Foundation.
Zoomin’ around town
June 15: Attend a virtual roundtable on reducing health disparities and increasing diversity in research with Fred Hutch.
June 23: Join GlobalWA and Lynden International for Q2 Final Mile: International Travel after COVID-19 Vaccinations.
June 23: Get tips on physician recruitment in an unprecedented health care season with Fox Rothschild.
June 24: Join yours truly and Women in Global Health Seattle’s Q2 gathering on building equitable partnerships. Also, nominate yourself or other outstanding women to serve on the Women in Global Health Seattle Advisory Panel by 5:00 pm PDT on June 28.
July 1: Attend Leveraging Technology to Scale Outcomes in Global Health hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance.
Anytime
Listen to the latest Partners In Health Unchain podcast on the path forward for Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in the face of mental health stigma.
Get tips from Seattle Children’s on supporting youth mental health as people start transitioning to post-pandemic life.
Explore the Tableau Viz Gallery to see interesting data visualizations, and be sure to head to Gallery B for an exhibit about the global LGBTQ+ community.
“As you look around the world, the thing that seems to be true to me is that, of the countries that have done well across these crises, they have been able to find and coalesce around a common purpose, a common sense of society, and a common mission.… We’re all in this journey together. And it’s going to take all of us to get out of it.”
–Lynda Stuart, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in her article on working against COVID-19