JHPIEGO TrainerNews™ |
Haitian Cyber Centre for Health
Professional Strengthened
(November 2001)
In March 1999, the Institute for Health and Community Action (INHSAC) a non-governmental, public health training institution in Haiti, established an on-site electronic resource center with technical assistance from JHPIEGO. The purpose of the center is to support the network of INHSAC trainers and health professionals and link them, via the Internet, to up-to-date health resources and to other health professionals around the world. The center also offers a small library of health-related CD-ROMs for self-paced learning.
In September 2000, INHSAC partnered with Comsanet/Alliance, a private cyber cafe, to manage the center. Comsanet/Alliance, covers all the day-to-day expenses, manages the center and provides introductory computer training on behalf of INHSAC for health professionals and students. Further, health professionals can access this center and two additional locations of the Comsanet/Alliance cyber cafe in the Port-au-Prince area at a reduced cost.
To strengthen the center and promote it among Haitian health professionals, JHPIEGO provided technical assistance to establish an INHSAC website and helped develop a brochure. The website, http://www.inhsac.org, provides information about INHSAC and its activities with the Ministry of Health and nongovernmental organizations and about the benefits offered to health professionals at the cyber center. The website also includes a virtual library that includes links to other websites on four priority health topics: reproductive health, maternal and child health, child survival, and infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS. Finally, INHSAC announces important upcoming events (e.g., its World AIDS Day activities 30 November-2 December 2001).
These latest efforts will expand INHSAC's reach by making cutting-edge health information more easily available to health professionals.
For more information, contact INHSAC director Harry Pierre-Louis or Wendy Voet.