ICEHA in the News

ICEHA launches clinical mentor initiative to scale-up Ethiopian health workers’ clinical HIV/AIDS expertise

New York, NY – June 12, 2006 – The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) announces deployment of its first team of clinical mentors for short-term field assignments in Ethiopia to scale-up local clinical expertise in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Bethsheba Johnson, an Adult Nurse Practitioner of Crete, Illinois, will spend 12 weeks, and Carmel Hippias, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Douglaston, NY, will spend 6 weeks in Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahar Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

“The lack of practical clinical expertise has been identified as a major barrier to scale-up of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services in developing countries”, explains Marie Charles, MD, President and Founder of ICEHA. “This team is the first of a series that will deploy to medical settings throughout Ethiopia to transfer their expertise directly to their counterparts and to prepare the health system with practical expertise to manage the growing patient load on their own.”

Felege Hiwot Hospital provides family based care for the community. The combined pediatric and adult clinical mentoring that Ms. Johnson and Ms. Hippias provide will immediately strengthen HIV/AIDS services provided to Felege Hiwot Hospital’s catchments area. Ms. Johnson has 9 years of clinical HIV/AIDS experience in Chicago, IL. Ms. Hippias has 5 years of clinical HIV/AIDS experience.

"I am very excited about having the opportunities to impact the life of children and families infected and affected by HIV,” said Carmel Hippias. “I feel privilege to be part of the first ICEHA team in Ethiopia. My goal for this trip is to educate pediatric providers and families about HIV care, antiretroviral medications and ways to improve the health of children". As a clinical mentor, individuals can have an immediate impact on the AIDS pandemic.

Ethiopia has at least 1.5 million people living with HIV and less than 10% of the people who need antiretroviral therapy (ART) actually receive it. ICEHA’s partners in Ethiopia are The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health.

ICEHA announces that short-term volunteer clinical mentoring positions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Lesotho are available throughout 2006-2007 for doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, and social workers. Volunteer assignments are 6-12 weeks (4-12 weeks for pediatric providers), all expenses are paid. Stipends are available for longer placements.

About The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access

The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated since in New Jersey and a registered charity n the UK. The organization has operations in New York, USA and London, UK. ICEHA's clinical mentoring programs are designed to rapidly scale up the skills of local caregivers they need to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS within the existing resource limitations in their clinics. Typically within a few months hundreds if not thousands of patients have access to care when none existed before. Ethiopia represents ICEHA’s 5th country program. ICEHA clinical mentors will enter four additional country programs in 2007 sending clinical mentors to 7 countries around the world.