Since mid-April, the Central America CCPD and its implementing partners have organized two web conferences per week for nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals who treat or research the Covid-19 virus.
Interested parties can participate in the program, available in Spanish, from anywhere in Latin America and the United States.
Four thousand people participated in the first eight sessions. Almost half of the participants are from Central America, where the virus has caused a strain on local resources.
“This platform is giving health professionals in the region the opportunity to ask experts about Covid-19 case management,” said Dr. Diana Forno from the Central America CCPD.
Each session lasts one hour and focuses on emergency response and case management. The sessions are organized by two technical experts, each giving a 20-minute presentation. Participants can ask specific questions during the following 20 minutes, based on their firsthand experience.
The topics covered include: epidemiology, infection control, case management in adults, case management in children and pregnant women, mental health of patients, resilience for health professionals.
“This program is very important,” said a participant through a feedback survey. “The initiative provides us with the context of Covid-19 to convey to our nursing school community and society involved in education to promote hygiene measures aimed at preventing and controlling the pandemic.”
The CCPD established the Central America CCPD office in Guatemala in 2005. The series of web conferences on Covid-19 is a modified version of the Community Health Outcomes Extension program of the centers.
The Echo program was implemented in 2017 to combat diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV in the region, Dr. Diana Forno said.
The web conference program is one of the ways the U.S. government is helping Central and South America manage Covid-19. To date, the U.S. has donated more than $22 million to Central America and $30 million to South America to help countries combat the virus.
Source: Shareamerica