Join us for the highly anticipated RELAB-HS kick-off event on February 24th at 8:00 AM EST. Register now to access the event and hear some of the best speakers in the world.
We live in a time of rapid demographic and epidemiological change. Improvements in health care mean people are living longer. The proportion of the population over the age of 60 will double in the next 30 years and they will live with the simultaneous diseases and disabilities that are part of the aging process . About 150 million children and young people are disabled. COVID-19, a disease that in many cases appears to manifest itself as a long-term chronic disease, has shown that we now live in a world where both communicable and non-communicable diseases need to be combated at the same time.
Rapid urbanization and the simultaneous increase in motorization make people vulnerable to injuries. In addition to the influence of diseases and their consequences, we live in a world that is exposed to political, economic and ecological changes and shocks. Conflicts and wars have many arenas.
Already stretched health systems in low and middle income countries face challenges, including poor infrastructure, few specialized service providers and trained professionals, and insufficient financial resources.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded consortium Learn, Do, and Build for Health System Rehabilitation (ReLAB-HS) is a global project that supports health development becomes systems that respond to the growing need for rehabilitation in the population. The aim is to help shape and implement innovative, comprehensive and cost-effective measures to strengthen health systems for the provision of rehabilitation, including assistive technologies.
Join us as we take off
Rehabilitation and assistive technology
Rehabilitation is an essential part of general health and wellbeing. According to the latest estimates every third person worldwide will have to be rehabilitated at some point in their life.
However, many people do not have access to much needed assistive technology or rehabilitation services, which makes their condition worse and can lead to further complications and life-long consequences. Lack of access to rehabilitation and assistive technology not only affects people's functioning, quality of life, and well-being, but also affects their families and communities. A lack of rehabilitation support can keep people trapped in a vortex of poverty due to a lack of educational and job opportunities as well as social isolation due to stigma and discrimination.
Building better health systems
To build better health systems, context-specific solutions are required so that local factors can be overcome with sustainable, realistic and collaborative work programs. Work that puts people at the heart of health systems.
In many low and middle income countries, rehabilitation and assistive technology are often offered as stand-alone services. However, it is necessary to rethink the organization of rehabilitation services as an integral part of health systems in order to achieve better outcomes for the health and wellbeing of the population.
Solutions must be contextualized, demand-oriented and informed by principles of systems and implementation science. It is unlikely that there will be a one-size-fits-all solution . This requires a better understanding of local needs, the current organization and functioning of rehabilitation services and health systems, and the barriers to integration that need to be addressed.
Potential patients need to understand what services they need and where to get them from. People are the center of the health system .
Working with non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector is key to successfully implementing and launching interventions.
The establishment of such health systems requires cooperation at the primary, secondary and tertiary level as well as between different sectors within and outside of government. The road ahead is not easy, but it is necessary to meet the needs of citizens and communities facing acute and long-term challenges.
To explore these topics in more detail, you are invited to Learn, Do and Build for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) to our launch webinar.
There will be an opportunity to hear from keynote speakers from the World Health Organization USAID, the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and a group of key contributors to implementation. Please join us and raise your voice as we begin further evidence-building and programming for change.
The ReLAB-HS consortium consists of the International Injury Research Unit of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Nossal Institute for Global Health of the University of Melbourne, Humanity and Inclusion, MiracleFeet, Physiopedia and UCP Wheels for Humanity.
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