Healthcare refers to the services and care provided by health professionals to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate diseases and injuries. This includes medical consultations, diagnostic examinations, treatments, surgeries, and rehabilitation, among others. Healthcare can be provided in various settings, such as clinics, hospitals, general care centers, medical offices, primary care centers, specialty centers, and more.
Currently, many hospitals and health centers lack specialized medical staff, equipment, and basic supplies, which directly affects the quality of care and treatment for diseases and ailments. When a community does not have good healthcare, it can have serious consequences for both individual health and overall well-being. It is estimated that 249 million children under the age of five in low- and middle-income countries, such as the Dominican Republic, survive but do not reach their full developmental potential due to poor nutrition. This is why at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) Dominican Republic, we have adopted an initiative focused on Health and Well-being.
Our Health and Well-being Initiative focuses on providing equitable access to health services, promoting adequate nutrition, and ensuring access to mental health services to foster healthy lifestyles. By focusing on these key aspects, we aim to create a positive and lasting impact on the health and well-being of vulnerable children. This initiative includes three essential programs: Primary Care Program, Nutrition Program, and Mental Health Program. The goal is for all children and adolescents to enjoy good physical and emotional health. At NPH Dominican Republic, this initiative has been implemented since 2008 when the clinic named Santa Margarita María Alacoque was built.
In the Primary Care Program, free access is provided to a network of primary healthcare services that include general medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry. With this program, we aim to serve children and families by facilitating access to quality healthcare and addressing urgent health issues.
In addition to Primary Care, NPH ensures access to balanced nutrition by offering a rich and nutritious menu every day in our home, providing three meals a day to each child and adolescent. Furthermore, to support our food self-sustainability, NPH invests in food production through farms and gardens that help strengthen our nutritional program.
We also have a Mental Health Program that provides services to children and young adults in vulnerable situations. In our clinical area, we have the assistance of a psychologist who offers mental health services at home, school, and in our family reintegration program to support appropriate cognitive and emotional development in our children.
The Health and Well-being program not only offers services to our resident children but also provides services to the most vulnerable individuals in nearby communities.
Although implementing this task is not easy, NPH is committed to supporting and providing quality healthcare services to every child facing various health conditions and food insecurity. Good health is the driving force that moves us as human beings every day and is an essential requirement for overall well-being.
Would you like to collaborate in our Health and Well-being area? For NPH, helping our children enjoy good health and happiness is key since every human being inherently desires happiness as an essential goal.