Sustainable Community Health
Providing Learning Opportunities for the Local Communities to Sustain their Well‑Being
When communities become empowered to take health and wellness issues into their own hands, they become self-sufficient. Through classes and hands-on learning, International Medical Relief mission missions provide sustainable community health learning opportunities for members of the local communities to sustain their well-being beyond our visits. Additionally, we provide technical expertise to local medical professionals through a partnership with them in diagnosis assistance and a mutual exchange of ideas. Clean water, basic hygiene and nutritional tips can go a long way to saving lives and stopping the spread of disease.
Improving the overall community health
Prior to each medical mission mission, IMR conducts thorough assessments of each community where we volunteer. Our goal is to improve the overall community health status in each location in which we work around the globe. This assessment includes detailed data gathering in many areas including:
- overall health status
- epidemiology of current regional health issues
- quarantinable diseases
- emerging infectious diseases summary
- communicable diseases summary
- recent outbreaks and epidemics
- morbidity and mortality report
- community approaches to diagnosing
- occupational health methods
- emergency service and triage capabilities
- lab capabilities
- physical infrastructure
- clinical and personnel capabilities
- resource availability
- health system
- nutrition
- environmental health including sanitation
- water supply and pollution
- preventative measures
- training capabilities
The Vision: Self‑Sustaining Communities
Unlike medical teams that go into a community every year and provide basic medicinal support, IMR looks into improving the overall health through medical partnerships with institutes, research, and education programs customized to fit these community needs. With each visit, the services and overall program scope advance until the community can become self sustained.
IMR moves the communities from basic health and wellness, to customized specialty and surgical teams designed to fit their needs. Treatment and diagnosis are only one component of each visit. Prevention, education, community health factors, nutrition and environment, as well as disease management are all dynamics that IMR researches for every community.
Building Relationships Here and Overseas
For years, IMR staff have been working to build relationships with public officials — both here in the United States and overseas — to support our mission. We are committed to these partnerships, and our medical mission mission efforts are supported by those countries where we serve. IMR works with health department officials, customs officials and others to ensure safe passage of our clinic supplies into each country as well as to ensure support for our services in each community.
Creating Long‑Term Relationships
IMR offers a variety of programs and services with every medical mission mission that we provide. These services are provided in stages according to the amount of service and teaching that has taken place over the years. IMR creates long-term relationships in every community so that it can improve the overall health status of each community.
Join Us in Making a Difference.
You can join an IMR medical mission team or donate today!
