ABOUT US
Innovating Health International (IHI) is a non-profit dedicated to treating chronic diseases and addressing women's health issues in Haiti, Somaliland and Malawi.
What we do
Working with local partners, we aim to increase access to treatment and education services for chronic diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and injuries. Current projects include a Women's Cancer Center, a large cancer awareness program, opening a pathology laboratory, and helping to build a national comprehensive cancer program.
What Innovating Health looks like
Collaboration and discovery are at the heart of our practice and guide our organization’s ethos. Innovating Health means learning with others to bring our expertise in medical care, social engagement, community based research and problem solving into different contexts. We strive to create new and hybrid models of healthcare and engagement that do not seek to simply ‘build capacity’ but respond to local needs through constant iteration and consultation.
OUR APPROACH
Empathize. Collaborate. Build.
Understanding people's needs,
skills and perspectives
In order to build solutions, we start with stepping into other people's shoes. This can take the form of joint research, consultations and spending time with professionals and communities.
OUR PROJECTS
Women's Health
Women's Cancer Care
We offer life-saving surgery, chemotherapy and hormone therapy and facilitate access to radiation therapy for all of our patients regardless of their ability to pay. We have treated over 900 women with breast cancer and 2000 other patients with other types of cancers.
Cervical Cancer Prevention
Working with the Haitian government and sponsored by the Jack Brewer Foundation, we have screened more than 15,000 women since 2016. Located at the 8 regional hospitals of Haiti, women everywhere now have access to basic screening services. With support from Qiagen, we are testing women for HPV on a massive scale.
Capacity Building
Training Tools
For doctors and nurses, we have 15 videos in French on basic cancer prevention, diagnosis and care available here. We also have awareness videos and pamphlets in Creole available here.
Implementation Services
IHI can train your team in cervical cancer prevention, breast cancer care, or awareness and engagement. We have consulted with partners all over the world.
Research
IHI's team has extensive epidemiology and program-building research experience. Our published papers on cancer care, chronic disease, surgical care, disaster relief and trauma are available here. Please contact us to learn how we conduct our research or to discuss collaboration.
Outreach and Design
Women's Cancer Awareness and Engagement
We continue to reach out and explore why communities in Haiti do not engage with cancer care services provided until the disease is at a very advanced stage. Through research and human-centered design, we designed Creole tools for women's cancer awareness, available at KanseAyiti.com. The percentage of women coming in with metastatic breast cancer has decreased from 39% in 2014 to 22% in 2018.
Partnerships
