Partners In Health
Partners In Health (PIH) is an international nonprofit public health organization founded in 1987 by Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White,[1] Todd McCormack, and Jim Yong Kim.[2][3]
Not to be confused with Partners HealthCare.Founded
1987
Paul Farmer; Jim Yong Kim; Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White; Todd McCormack
Humanitarian
Worldwide
Sheila Davis, CEO
18,000
Partners in Health provides healthcare in the poorest areas of developing countries.[4] It builds hospitals[5] and other medical facilities, hires and trains local staff, and delivers a range of healthcare, from in-home consultations to cancer treatments.[6] It also removes barriers to maintaining good health, such as dirty water or a lack of food, and strengthens the rights of the poor.[7] The approach trades charity for "accompaniment," which is described as a "dogged commitment to doing whatever it takes to give the poor a fair shake."[8] While many of its principles are rooted in liberation theology, the organization is secular.[9] It forms long-term partnerships with, and works on behalf of, local ministries of health.[10] PIH currently holds a 4 out of 4 stars rating from Charity Navigator, a nonprofit evaluator.[11]
History[edit]
Partners In Health began in 1987, after Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl helped set up a community-based health project called Zanmi Lasante ("Partners in Health" in Haitian Creole) in Cange, Haiti.[12] The organization initially focused on treating people with HIV/AIDS in rural Haiti. PIH now embraces a holistic approach to tackling disease, poverty, and human rights[13] in a variety of countries.[14]
In 1993, Farmer used the proceeds from his John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award to create a new arm of Partners In Health, the Institute for Health and Social Justice. Its mission is to analyze the impact of poverty and inequality on health, and to use findings to educate academics, donors, policy makers, and the general public. PIH's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joia Mukherjee,[15] directs the institute.
Current work[edit]
Partners In Health collaborates closely with Harvard Medical School[16] and the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
At the invitation of local governments, it strengthens and sustains public health systems in remote, rural areas.[17] It trains and hires local healthcare workers,[18] many of whom actively find patients in their communities and help them get care. It helps local experts conduct academic research that leads to clinical innovation.[19][20][21]
Notable supporters include Hank and John Green,[22] entertainer Madonna,[23] actor Meryl Streep,[24] Ryan Lewis,[25] Win Butler,[26] Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire,[27] and Matt Damon.[28]
Other locations[edit]
Perú[edit]
Since 1996, PIH's sister organization in Peru, Socios En Salud (SES), has been providing medical services in Lima. Based in the northern Lima district of Carabayllo, SES is now Peru's largest non-governmental health care organization, serving an estimated population of 700,000 inhabitants, many of whom have fled from poverty and political violence in Peru's countryside. As a valued partner to Peru's Ministry of Health, SES has also influenced national policies for prevention and treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV and provides important training and support to help implement those policies nationwide.[39]
SES also provides a variety of services. SES provides food baskets, transportation, lodging and other forms of support for impoverished patients.[40] The project also provides opportunities for income generation projects, job skills training, and small business loans.[39] One example is Mujeres Unidas ("Women United"), a cooperative workshop that participates in crafts fairs in Peru and has sold handicrafts as far away as the United States, Japan and Switzerland.