Subject: April 2014 IHD E-letter
From: Diana Silimperi <[email-masked]>
Cc: Sarah Armstrong <[email-masked]>, Liz Nugent <[email-masked]>, Christina Ramey <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:14:41 +0000

Dear IHD Colleagues,

Below is our monthly IHD update outlining recent happenings in the Division. We look forward to receiving any feedback you may wish to share with us.

Invest in the Future – Defeat Malaria – World Malaria Day 2014

April 25 marks World Malaria Day, instituted by WHO in 2007, to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. Abt’s Africa Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) project is working to reduce malaria deaths by carrying out indoor residual spraying (IRS) – the application of insecticide to the walls and ceilings of houses to kill mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Funded by the USAID-led President’s Malaria Initiative, AIRS is active in 15 countries. In commemoration of World Malaria Day, AIRS is involved in the following activities:

·         On April 24, AIRS will hold a Vector Control brown bag at USAID to introduce AIRS innovations in operations, entomological monitoring and evaluation, and environmental compliance. AIRS has developed several tools and innovations such as a mobile soak pit, entomological monitoring database, smartphone environmental assessments, and mobile mosquito labs to make IRS a more cost-effective and sustainable malaria intervention.

·         AIRS Epidemiologist Dereje Dengela and Operations Manager Allen Were showcased AIRS innovations at a US Global Development Lab on March 30 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.

·         Abt was selected to serve on the judges’ panel with The Against Malaria Foundation, PATH, ONE, and the WHO, for the Peace Corps Malaria Heroes contest to honor individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty in malaria prevention. Nicole de Gier, AIRS Technical Coordinator, is representing Abt on the panel.

·         In March, Beth Brennan and Jennifer Burnett, AIRS M&E specialists, presented “Innovations to an M&E System Improves Data Quality and Speed of Malaria Prevention Program Results” at USAID’s Mini-University, highlighting new M&E tools and the e-mobile data collection pilot in Angola, both of which have contributed to high-quality data and IRS campaign results.

Creating Business Opportunities in Healthcare in East Africa: What Works, What Doesn’t

Speaking at the East Africa Healthcare Federation conference March 2-4 in Nairobi, Agnes Gatome-Munyua of the Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project/Kenya, outlined existing stakeholder needs and SHOPS interventions to expand access to private health financing mechanisms and Alma Okudo spoke on harmonizing stakeholder objectives to achieve health care services provision goals. Contact: [email-masked].

Abt Presents at 3rd African Health Economics and Policy Association Conference (AfHEA)

Joining some 260 attendees from 42 countries, Agnes Gatome-Munyua and Sean Callahan of the SHOPS project presented two posters, Saving Money, Saving Lives: An Inquiry into a Micro-Savings Maternity Product in Kenya and Understanding the Role of the Private Sector in National HIV Spending: A Snapshot of Four Countries, at the AfHEA conference in Nairobi in March. Laurel Hatt of Abt’s Health Finance and Governance (HFG) project presented on How to Measure Universal Health Coverage Based on Ongoing HFG Work. Contact: [email-masked].

Ethiopia Scales Up Community-based Health Insurance

Piloted in 13 districts, community-based health insurance (CBHI) has been well received since being introduced in Ethiopia in April 2012. More than 144,000 eligible households have enrolled and more than 650,000 beneficiaries have accessed health services. The Ethiopian Health Insurance Agency (EHIA) decided to scale up CBHI to an additional 161 districts with technical support from Abt’s Health Sector Finance Reform/HFG project. To inform more people about CBHI and its financial protection benefits, the EHIA recently launched a national communications campaign inviting the media to visit the CBHI scheme in Tehuldere district in Amhara. Contact: [email-masked].

Integrated Community Case Management for Improved Child Health – Evidence Symposium

Integrated community case management (iCCM) extends case management of childhood illness beyond health facilities, utilizing community health workers (volunteer and paid) so that more children have access to lifesaving treatments. The iCCM package can differ based on local need, but it most commonly includes treatments for diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria, the three leading causes of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Six representatives from Abt were among over 400 individuals from 35 countries and 59 international partner organizations at the iCCM Evidence Symposium 2014 held in Accra, Ghana in March. The symposium sought to review the state-of-the-art iCCM implementation and assist African countries move forward with best practices.  Attending from Abt were: Joseph Addo-Yobo (SHOPS Ghana), Dennis Buluma (SHOPS Uganda), Boubacar Guindo (Abt consultant, Mali), Lara Hensley (Bethesda), Bernard Kasawa (ZISSP Project), and Elijah Mvula (ZISSP). Contact: [email-masked].

Fiscal Year 2014 Successfully Brought to Closure

Congratulations and thanks to all for going above and beyond to put the IHD FY 2014 financial house in order. Staff did an amazing job dealing with outstanding subaccounts, expense reports, tuition reimbursement accounts, and excess holiday days. The division looks to be even more diligent in FY15 making sure all expense reports are completed within 30 days of return from travel, timesheets are to approver by noon each Friday, etc. Together we can make sure accounts are clean for improved all-around operations across the company.

Performance Review Evaluation Plan (PREP) Season!

PREP 2014 opened March 31 and will close on May 9.  PREP, which includes goal setting, regular feedback, and recognition of staff progress, contributes to the success of our work.  Direct any questions to [email-masked].

Upcoming Conferences: Abstract Due Dates and Acceptance Notification Dates

If you plan to submit an abstract or have an abstract accepted, please notify Liz Nugent.

14th World Congress on Public Health (February 11-15, 2015, Kolkata, India) – Abstracts due May 15, 2014

45th Union World Conference on Lung Health (September 30-October 3, 2014, Barcelona, Spain) – Abstract notices late June

Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (September 30-October 3, 2014, Cape Town, South Africa) – Individual abstract submitter notices April 30

American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) (November 2-6, 2014, New Orleans, LA) – Abstract notices late August

APHA (November 15-19, 2014, New Orleans, LA) – Abstract notices June 3

Goodbyes – A Sampling

Goodbye: Lisa Matt

April and Upcoming Events

April 24 – AIRS Vector Control brown bag at USAID [see write-up above] ([email-masked])

May 12 – IHD Quarterly Report to MAG

May 20 – Society for International Development-Washington 2014 Annual Conference

SAVE THE DATE!

May 21 – IHD Quarterly Update

June 9-12 – Abt 2014 Chief of Party (COP) Conference

June 18 – Global IHD Staff Meeting