It is with the greatest respect and admiration that I acknowledge and thank Laura McNulty for having done a superb job in providing leadership for HHI through to August 2012. On November 3rd, in Cambridge, MA, many in the HHI Community were able to come together to collectively thank Laura. Also I must congratulate all staff and volunteers, past and present, on your amazing contributions. Most importantly, I salute the numerous Community Health Workers in our work area who have proven time and again that through commitment and integrity anything is possible.

This year has been one of reflection for HHI, and as the year closes, we are looking forward to evolving in 2013 to better fulfill our mission in both quality and capacity. While continuing to seek to ensure access to quality health care services in the four communities where HHI works, we are seeking to build the local capacity of the communities and health care delivery system, all the while attracting new strategic partnerships with other institutions, and also expand our resource base.

Of course, without the continued support and energy by our friends and partners like you, none of HHI’s work would be possible. Thank you so much for your continued support of HHI. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Paul

This Holiday Season, help them keep doing the wonderful work they do every day of the year with a gift – in your name, or someone else’s - in one of following categories:

1. First Aid Kit: $45.00
This gift provides Community Health Workers with antibiotic cream, gauze and bandages, medical tape, sterile gloves, antibiotic hand gel, soap, and a thermometer to provide basic first aid.

2. “Healthy Hearts” Kit: $75.00
Each Community Health Worker monitors blood pressures, pulse, and respirations, as they provide support and education to community members at risk of, or living with, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Diabetes. The kit includes a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, and a watch.

3. The Complete Package: Kits plus Continuing Education $300.00
This gift combines First Aid Supplies plus the Healthy Hearts Kit listed above, and also funds year-round training for a Community Health Worker. They attend monthly training courses related to chronic and transmittable illnesses in children and adults, nutrition, and the promotion of community health via clean water and sanitation.

Click below to make your gift securely through PayPal.

Thanks so much for your special gifts this holiday season! Your gift will have a huge impact on many lives. Happy Holidays!

*If you are giving a gift in someone else’s name, HHI will gladly send a thank you e-card describing the Gift given to the person whose email address you indicate. To do this on our PayPal page, please write "Gift: gift recipient’s name, email@email.com" in the window marked “Purpose”. If giving more than one gift, simply separate the email addresses and name of the recipient with a comma.

Estela “Sara” Sanchez is the only Community Health Worker in the 100 member mountain community of Negro Melo. She hikes more than 20 minutes through fields of tall grass, across creeks, and down muddy ravines to visit her hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy and asthma patients in their homes. Always laughing and making jokes, Estela keeps her patients laughing too while she seamlessly weaves into the conversation direct advice about med compliance, symptom reduction, and healthy lifestyles. As the only person trained in first aid in her community, Estela cleans and bandages injuries, and serves as the first-responder for acute medical issues throughout Negro Melo–a community that at times is cut off from medical services at the regional hospital due to heavy rains making the road impassable. If you visit Negro Melo you will hear “Sara said…” or “Sara helped me with…” repeated with respect throughout the entire community. She is an example of how laughter, knowledge, and a steady hand are great medicine.