Healthcare the Mainsprings Way

March 14, 2018 10:44 am Published by

In continuation of our dive into the various pillars of Mainsprings, this week we would like to cover our healthcare programs. There are many things about Mainsprings that are different from other organizations around the world. For one, the diversity and holistic nature of our programs are extensive. After all, who would be crazy enough to run a school, clinic, girls’ home, permaculture farm and lodge all at the same time (and think about replicating it all). But, when you take a closer look at each of these individual programs, there are several things that set us apart as well. Over these next couple of months, we are going to continue to offer a series of blogs to help highlight some of these differences in our various ‘pillars’. And today, we are going to uncover just a few things that make our healthcare programs here at Mainsprings so unique…

Healthcare, while being the last piece of the Mainsprings model to form, has taken great leaps and bounds in the past couple of years, and is starting to take off in even greater ways. While we all know about going to the doctor and getting treatment when you are sick, there are a few things that we do at Mainsprings to make sure our community STAYS healthy, as well as the traditional forms of treatment.

1. Prevention, Prevention, Prevention: Each month throughout the year has a different health focus. From maternal health, to mental health, to heart health, we make sure that our community has the knowledge it needs to understand a variety of diseases and health topics, and how to prevent or treat those issues. Every month, based on the health topic at hand, our nurse, OSD team, and sometimes partners from other hospitals and organizations provide age-relevant education and screening for that particular topic. And, on a quarterly basis, we partner with the Tanzanian government to have an educational day for the entire community. This past December, we welcomed 8 government doctors and other health professionals to educate people about HIV/AIDS and were able to provide free testing for over 200 people from our village of Kitongo. This April, on World Malaria Day, we will be doing the same thing- making sure that people in our community know how to prevent and detect this often deadly disease. By understanding these health topics and more about these various diseases, we hope our students, staff and neighbors can lead healthier lives and not need to see a doctor quite so frequently!

 

 2. Partnering with the Tanzanian government: With all of our programs in healthcare (and many other departments), we try to partner with the Tanzanian government as much as possible. With our clinic, the Tanzanian government sends a MD to work with our nurse at least twice a week, diagnosing and treating any ailments that come his way. Our full-time nurse covers the clinic on the other days, but it is a much needed addition to have a MD come to look at some of the more serious cases on a regular basis- ultimately preventing a sick person from having to travel far to go to a hospital. And, in our community-wide seminars, we partner with the Tanzanian government to provide education and free health screenings for things such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and other diseases.

 

3. Partnering with doctors and health organizations: Organizations like CURA for the World (the sponsors of our clinic) and other doctors from around the world send teams of doctors with a variety of specialties to treat, educate, and volunteer on our campus. Specialists in cardiology, allergies, mental health, and general practitioners help to take our healthcare programs one step further, ensuring that everyone we work with can lead a healthy life and focus on the things they need to- like providing for their families, getting an education, and working their way out of extreme poverty.

 Photo courtesy of CURA for the World

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