Increasing access to health interventions in economically vulnerable communities

Global Ministries’ vision of abundant health for all focuses on efforts to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The Global Health unit therefore aims to create abundant health in economically vulnerable communities by protecting children and disadvantaged adults from preventable causes of death and disease. To achieve this, Global Health will enable the church to partner with thousands of communities and health workers through its community- based health programs, while also supporting United Methodist hospitals and clinics around the world. With more than 300 United Methodist health facilities around the world and various funding opportunities for health programming—including those that target HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, malaria, and more—The United Methodist Church has clearly demonstrated a long history of supporting healthy communities, both locally and globally. To effectively respond to the health challenges of individuals, communities, and countries where we work, a systematic approach to our global health efforts is required. Our programmatic areas of Health System Strengthening, Maternal and Child Health, Malaria, and Congregational Health allows Global Ministries to have an integrated holistic approach to health globally.

Our programmatic emphasis over the next four years is to protect children from preventable causes of death and disease. As a sign of this commitment the UMC has pledged to reach 1 million children with lifesaving interventions by 2020. Global Ministries has joined our forces to the coordinated international effort called “Every Woman Every Child,” a global initiative to reach 15 million children by the year 2020. The Global Health unit aims to meet three major objectives as part of its work to help reach this goal. First—scale up existing programs on community health education, how and when to seek care, and using the health services that are available. Second—increase coverage of health interventions for the people who are most at risk for disease and early death. Interventions might include activities like the promotion of breastfeeding and use of mosquito nets; the importance of immunization and oral re-hydration therapy; seeking treatment for malaria; and the use of antibiotics for treating pneumonia. Third—improve the quality and scale of health-care services offered through UMC hospitals and clinics. This work would seek to ensure the availability of diagnostic and sterilization equipment, drugs and essential supplies, safe water supply and waste disposal to prevent infection, surgical supplies, as well as improving treatment facilities.