News and Features
PEN-Plus: A Holistic Approach to Healthcare
“It is inconceivable that a 20-year-old man would weigh only 55 pounds,” said Bright Mailosi, a specialist in noncommunicable diseases. “So much could have been done to intervene when he was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Although I wish PEN-Plus had arrived in Karonga years earlier, I’m excited that we’ve changed the narrative of how complex NCDs are managed in rural areas.”
Uganda Ministry of Health Celebrates PEN-Plus Launch
The Uganda Ministry of Health, the local government of the Kumi District, and the Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Noncommunicable Diseases hosted a celebration of the launch of PEN-Plus in Uganda on 23 November.
Experts Showcased PEN-Plus in Southern Africa at the International Conference on Public Health in Africa
The NCDI Poverty Network and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) hosted a side event, “PEN-Plus Partnership: An NCDI Poverty Network Initiative in Partnership with WHO/AFRO,” on 29 November at the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa, held in Lusaka, Zambia.
CPHIA Side Event to Focus on PEN-Plus in Southern Africa
The Southern Africa Regional Hub of the NCDI Poverty Network and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) will co-host a side event during the Third Annual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA), which will take place at the Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka, Zambia, on 27–30 November.
Ethiopia Plans for PEN-Plus Scaleup
PEN-Plus partners and stakeholders met in Addis Ababa on October 19 to discuss Ethiopia’s national scaleup of PEN-Plus. This scaleup will expand the accessibility and availability of quality noncommunicable disease care at the country’s primary hospital level.
Network Team Aligns with the Ministry of Health and PEN-Plus Partners in Nepal
A team of NCDI Poverty Network technical experts recently traveled to Nepal to align with partners following the Ministry of Health’s decision to expand PEN-Plus to four more district hospitals. The Network group spent the week collaborating with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the Kathmandu Institute of Children Health (KIOCH) to understand how the success of PEN-Plus initiation in Nepal can be replicated nationally.
João Mindo: A PEN-Plus Success Story
For three years, João Mindo had difficulty walking, eating, and even breathing. It wasn’t until a PEN-Plus clinic opened in rural Mozambique that he received his diagnosis: rheumatic heart disease. Following mitral valve repair surgery in Maputo, the 14-year-old now receives care close to home.
The BMJ Highlights Opportunity to Save Lives Through PEN-Plus
An opinion article published this month in The BMJ spotlights the PEN-Plus strategy as a new hope for improving chronic disease care in sub-Saharan Africa.
Undaunted Spirit Despite Dual Diagnoses
“Tawonashe is exactly the kind of patient for whom PEN-Plus was designed,” said Dr. Alvern Mutengerere, project manager for noncommunicable diseases at SolidarMed, the implementing partner for the PEN-Plus clinic in Masvingo.
PEN-Plus Partnership High-Level Advisory Group Convenes in New York City
The High-Level Advisory Group of the PEN-Plus Partnership met in New York City on 19 September to discuss the progress and future of PEN-Plus, an integrated care model that diagnoses and treats severe noncommunicable diseases in rural areas of low- and lower-middle-income countries, where more than 90 percent of the world’s poorest people live.
Center for Integration Science Participates in Africa CDC 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,” from 24 to 28 July in Ghana.
Center for Integration Science and WHO Regional Office for Africa Plan Joint Collaboration to Achieve PEN-Plus Regional Implementation Targets
The WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity (CIS) met in Accra, Ghana, from 17 to 19 July to discuss the region’s PEN-Plus implementation strategy.
Rwanda Makes Strides in Cardiac Care Capacity
In March and May, the Ministry of Health of Rwanda offered two weeks of practical training for 24 nurses and doctors from a dozen PEN-Plus district hospitals. The training, which was offered in partnership with Team Heart, Partners In Health Rwanda, and the NCDI Poverty Network, focused on developing the skills needed to diagnose and treat heart failure in rural district hospitals.
PEN-Plus Providers in Zimbabwe Receive Heart Failure and Echocardiography Training
In May, eight PEN-Plus providers in Zimbabwe received initial training in performing and interpreting echocardiograms. Those eight providers—along seven others—were also trained in managing heart failure.
Building Solidarity for Severe, Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases: Team PEN-Plus Runs in Support
“I run in support of the millions of people worldwide who live with type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate advocacy director of the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “I’ve run a marathon before and fundraised in the past. Still, this event was special because of the person who motivated my fundraising.”
Kenya Ministry of Health Celebrates PEN-Plus Launch
The Kenya Ministry of Health, the county government of Vihiga, and NCD Alliance Kenya hosted a celebration of the launch of PEN-Plus in Kenya on June 19.
Helmsley Charitable Trust Grants $9 Million to WHO Regional Office for Africa for 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).
High-Level Advisory Group Visit to Mozambique Highlights Need for PEN-Plus Clinics
The stark realities of living with severe noncommunicable diseases in extreme poverty became clear to members of the High-Level Advisory Group of the PEN-Plus Partnership when they convened in Mozambique in March to discuss strategies for supporting initiation and scale-up of PEN-Plus in resource-poor countries.
New Lancet Commentary Highlights Feasibility of Decentralizing Care for Severe, Chronic NCDs
A commentary published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology in early May showcases the power of PEN-Plus and the PEN-Plus Partnership to bring lifesaving care for severe, chronic NCDs to first-level hospitals in poor, rural areas of lower-income countries.
“Help for Life and Health for All”: CUAMM and Ministry of Health Open PEN-Plus Clinic in Sierra Leone
“Help for life and health for all!” wrote Dr. Giacamo Marro of Doctors with Africa CUAMM on the Italian NGO’s blog. “With this message of hope and commitment, chosen by the health personnel, the PEN-Plus clinic for chronic non-communicable diseases at the government hospital in Pujehun was officially opened in a facility rehabilitated by CUAMM. This is a big step forward, achieved thanks to the PEN-Plus project, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, with funds from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the NCDI Poverty Network.”