News and Stories
Celebrating the Network’s First Five Years
Five years. Twenty-nine countries. Over a hundred PEN-Plus clinics. More than 14,000 patients. Together, the many collaborators that compose the NCDI Poverty Network deliver hope and healthcare to children, adolescents, and young adults navigating the dual challenges of poverty and severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. And this is just the beginning.
PEN-Plus in the (Other) Spotlight During UNGA Week
During the opening plenary of the Sept. 25 High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, at the UN General Assembly in New York City, repeated mentions of PEN-Plus as a successful strategy for addressing NCDs formed a show of unity in a week often noted for dissension.
Health Leaders Commit to Accelerating PEN-Plus in Africa
At the second International Conference for PEN-Plus in Africa, recently held in Abuja, health leaders, policymakers, and development partners across Africa renewed their commitment to an accelerated implementation of the PEN-Plus to significantly expand access to care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Webinar Series Solidifies PEN-Plus Collaboration Among Francophone Countries
Health officials from several French-speaking countries in western and central Africa have begun meeting in a new webinar series to share—in French—their challenges and successes in expanding care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. The new series solidifies a groundbreaking collaboration that began with a February study tour in Sierra Leone.
WHO AFRO Publishes Landmark PEN-Plus Report
The WHO Regional Office for Africa recently published a landmark report that details the impact and momentum of the PEN-Plus model, providing a valuable tool for advocacy and information about integrated care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Health Officials from Francophone Countries See PEN-Plus Firsthand
A “game-changing” study tour of a PEN-Plus clinic in Sierra Leone introduced Ministry of Health officials from six other Francophone nations to the role integration can play in providing quality care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Network Publishes French Edition of Clinical Handbook on PEN-Plus
The NCDI Poverty Network has published a French edition of PEN-Plus Clinical Tools and Programmatic Standards, a document that defines the diagnostic, treatment, and patient support services that compose PEN-Plus. Several francophone countries have already initiated PEN-Plus.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo Publishes Its Final Report
The NCDI Poverty Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has published its final Phase 1 report.
From Words to Action
The first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa provided a platform for health experts, policymakers, civil society organization representatives, donors, people living with noncommunicable diseases, and community advocates to expedite political and financial backing for PEN-Plus.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Commission Members Meet to Set Priorities
The NCDI Poverty Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo convened in late October to review noncommunicable disease data as part of a priority-setting meeting.
Center for Integration Science Joins Africa CDC for Workshop on Noncommunicable Diseases
The Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity participated in an Africa CDC/African Union workshop, “Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries, and Mental Health Surveillance: Situational Analysis and Peer Learning,” in July 2023 in Ghana.
Helmsley Charitable Trust Supports WHO Regional Office for Africa Work in Severe Noncommunicable Diseases
Efforts to expand PEN-Plus across sub-Saharan Africa received a major boost today, when the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced a $9 million grant to the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa to expand care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
DRC Commission Convenes for Situation Analysis Meeting and Prepares for Priority-Setting
The NCDI Poverty Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo met for its first technical meeting in Kinshasa in late September to review national NCDI data as part an initial situation analysis.
Ghana NCDI Poverty Commission Holds Launch Meeting
The Ghana NCDI Poverty Commission held its kickoff meeting on 5 October 2022 at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana.
Democratic Republic of the Congo NCDI Poverty Commission Holds Kick-Off Meeting
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s NCDI Poverty Commission convened for its first meeting in Kinshasa in August 2021.
Learning Workshop Focuses on Assessing NCDI Service Coverage and Availability
Thirty-seven people—including delegates from all seven countries that are joining the NCDI Poverty Network in 2021, as well as representatives from the Network Secretariat and WHO AFRO—participated in the second Learning Workshop for Phase 1 countries.