Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s ability to effectively and sustainably impact the health and well-being of communities abroad and here in the United States is connected directly to its unique Community-Based Impact-Oriented Methodology (CBIO). For Impact Global Health Alliance Global, developing relationships with in-country partners and the local communities to be served is foundational to determining the most urgent health concerns, the long-term solutions, and the necessary steps to saving and improving lives.

A Relational-based Approach to Hope and Healing.
A tangible example of this relational-based approach towards what the organization calls “hope through health” is the partnership between Impact Global Health Alliance Global and the Guatemalan Consulate in Raleigh, NC. This endeavor started three years ago when the consulate approached Andrew Herrera, MPH, the Executive Director of Impact Global Health Alliance Global, with the urgent need to provide access to healthcare for Guatemalans living in the Carolinas.

In 2019, they launched the Ventanilla de Salud (Window to Health) Program offering health screenings, collecting information on the communities’ healthcare needs, and distributing information on how to access health care providers at a reduced or no cost at all.

Since then, the program has benefited hundreds of Guatemalans and continues to increase the community’s knowledge about their health, preventative health care, and what resources they have available close to their home.

The Power of Adaptability, Urgency, and Systems.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone everywhere. When such life-altering circumstances occur, the ability to adapt and act urgently and strategically by leveraging existing resources and systems has been pivotal for Impact Global Health Alliance Global to move from crisis to sustainable change.

As soon as COVID-19 emerged, Impact Global Health Alliance Global and the Guatemalan Consulate in Raleigh joined efforts, one more time, to intentionally design a strategy that would generate measurable impact. That’s how they created a community outreach campaign designed to reach a goal of 15,000 Hispanic families across the Carolinas, by phone in their native language, Spanish. To provide education, connect families to vital resources, and serve as an ally for this often-forgotten community, are some of the campaign’s objectives.

Five Months of Milestones: Time to Celebrate!
Success takes purpose, passion, and perseverance and must be celebrated! Here are three aspects that have contributed to the campaign’s success:

  • Volunteers exceeded expectations. More than 400 volunteers have donated their time and talents, helping reach out to 10,000 Spanish-speaking families. These volunteers went through hours of self-paced training and have learned how to use scripts, flow charts, and FAQs to effectively connect, engage, and support these families. Nicolas Hernandez is one of the volunteers who stepped out to make a difference.
  • Integration with existing systems has led to sustainability. The campaign’s integration to the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services efforts has been a strategic way to ensure its viability into the future. Working within existing local systems has been paramount to Impact Global Health Alliance Global ability to save lives and transform entire communities, one person, one family at a time, here and abroad.
  • Serving with compassion and dignity. The focus of the campaign has been to reach as many families as possible, but with genuine care and deep understanding of their physical, emotional, and social circumstances. By speaking with the families in their native language, they have felt seen, heard, and embraced for who they are, not what they lack.

Since 1983, during the global, COVID-19 pandemic, and for the years to come, Impact Global Health Alliance Global will continue to work tirelessly to reach forgotten communities around the world. Remote places where access to vital healthcare and resources are scarce and no other organization is present, Impact Global Health Alliance Global will be there.

If you’re interested in supporting the mission of Impact Global Health Alliance Global, visit curamericas.org for more information. Volunteers and donations are always needed.