Du Noon and Albow Gardens Community Outreach
Projects Info
Project Manager: Mike Levin
Tel: +27 (0)21 686 9710
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Anova works with the New Somerset Hospital (NSH), a secondary level hospital with a large drainage district, including the West Coast and a large peri-urban township area.
The highest burden of disease in this catchment area is in Du Noon and Joe Slovo. This is measured by a disproportionate number of admissions and more severe diseases presenting in more advanced stages in these areas. Many of these are opportunistic infections in HIV-positive patients.
In order to redress this burden on disease, an effective response would include focus on child health, HIV and ARV care, case-finding for ARVs, prevention of mother to child transmission, early detection of illnesses, training, education and the support of existing healthcare providers, including clinic and community-based staff and the development of rapid transfer protocols.
The project’s activities at the Albow Gardens and Du Noon clinics thus include:
- Paediatric outreach services to affiliated community-based clinics at Du Noon clinic
- (Du Noon) and Albow Gardens (Joe Slovo);
- Assisting with case management and identifying sick children for referral to NSH. Follow up of NSH patients;
- Case-finding of children with HIV;
- Enhanced clinical support to accelerate the rate of work-up for ART and for the initiation of
- therapy for children;
- Training and support of primary care workers at clinics (medical and nursing);
- Training and support of home-based community workers;
- Research that enhances the above aims;
- and community-based health drives.
About Du Noon
Du Noon is a typical South African “township,” a shanty town where most buildings are shacks made from wood and corrugated iron. It lies just north of Cape Town and borders a predominantly industrial area. About 60-80 000 people live there and children under 12 years constitute 22 percent of the total population, with 56 percent of those children being under the age of five. Water supply and sanitation is inadequate.
The health services in Du Noon struggle to keep up with the demand in this poor community. The clinic comprises two small prefabricated buildings, serving adults as well as children. About 80-100 children are seen every day. Space and staffing limitations make it impossible to follow up cases of concern, to complete nutritional assessments, conduct regular growth monitoring or deliver health promotion services.
Through Kidzpositive, the Du Noon paediatric community outreach project, funded by USAID/PEPFAR, has had a major impact on the health of the Du Noon community. It has provided an example of excellent service delivery and worked with local health partners to co-ordinate and improve child health in the area.
When the project first started, a fragmented, disorganised and demotivated service was struggling with the burden of disease. Children could not be followed-up close to where they lived and very few children had been assessed for HIV and started on ARVs.
Although the project is staffed by only one full-time doctor, one community health worker and a researcher, it has had a far-reaching (and sustainable) impact by assisting in the skills development of staff - notably doctors and nurses from the two local clinics, HIV counsellors and community health workers from other non-profit organisations and socialworkers.
The project continues to work closely with the two clinics in Du Noon. It relies on access to their practical resources and infrastructure to improve child healthcare. The project integrates as much as possible with these sites and assists in practical ways, such as providing updated paediatric protocols, managing HIV and TB guidelines, and providing help with difficult cases.
The staff endeavours to ensure smooth referral pathways between these two clinics and their referral hospitals, subspecialist services and social services. Regular meetings are held with the facility managers and their supervisors to ensure that quality control is achieved. These meetings provide an opportunity for transparent discussions and problem-solving.
Related News
Therapy now within reach of positive children, 5 April 2011.
