Project Background
Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change.
The organization originally developed as a community health project in Haiti and has since expanded to several countries around the world, including Mexico. Since 2011, Compañeros En Salud (CES), Partners In Health in Mexico, has operated as a non-governmental organization that collaborates with the local Ministry of Health to strengthen healthcare delivery. To achieve comprehensive healthcare delivery, CES provides follow-up care for non-communicable diseases and maternal health patients with community health workers, known locally as Acompañantes.
Definition of Opportunity
Acompañantes care for members of their own community who have complex medical and social situations; the impact of their work on their own mental health – both its emotional burden and its therapeutic role – was highlighted in a CES quality improvement project to inform the creation of a comprehensive mental health pathway to care for the acompañantes. Programmatic changes suggestions done by current Acompañantes are being taken into consideration to allow wellness and professional growth opportunities for the whole team.
The Acompañantes program coordinators at CES are looking to develop a curricula through the fall of 2022 to later be implemented in 2023 - 2024 with the Acompañantes and Acompañantes supervisors to improve the personal and collective wellbeing of the current teams through techniques such as mindfulness and relaxation, gratefulness, purpose, creativity; as well as reinforce adequate team dynamics and communication that will allow for each CHW to feel as supported by CES as they care for their patients. Because supportive supervision plays a critical role in ensuring CHWs feel well-prepared to do their work, it is also important to expand training of CHW supervisors to enhance their current activities by gaining more knowledge on 1) other CHW programs, 2) popular education techniques and 3) practical use of Microsoft Office package; as well as developing more leadership skills such as team building and group dynamics, assertive communication, opportune feedback, etc.
Definition of Success
Development and creation of training materials and a work plan on the proposed subjects that can be delivered to the 9 groups of Acompañantes and 3 Acompañantes supervisors during the period of July 2023 – June 2024.