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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CCP Part of New Effort to Strengthen Primary Health Care in AzerbaijanBAKU, Azerbaijan — A new collaborative project designed to help strengthen primary health care in Azerbaijan was launched this month in Baku. Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this two-year project will focus on assisting Azerbaijan as it develops health policies designed to build a more accessible, affordable, and effective primary health care system. It will also help the country develop health system financing policies that ensure maximum resource effectiveness. The project will implement programs to educate the public about health issues, promote healthy lifestyles, and improve the quality of primary health care services. It is managed by a consortium of U.S. health organizations, including International Medical Corps, Abt Associates, Curatio International Foundation, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP). CCP's role will be to improve the capacity of the Ministry of Health to develop and manage strategic communication programs and use behavior change communication and social mobilization to generate demand for primary health care services. The strategic communication programs directed at the Azeri family will be designed to encourage them to take charge of their own health care. The project will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health to test critical interventions in selected “pilot demonstration” districts. If these interventions demonstrate their effectiveness, they will be used nationwide to create broad improvements in the health care delivery system. The project is now working with the National Coordinator of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine, as well as with the Department of Family Medicine and the Doctors' Advancement Institute. It recently organized expert working groups on primary health care and health financing. With representatives in more than 30 countries, CCP partners with organizations worldwide to design and implement strategic communication programs that influence political dialogue, collective action, and individual behavior change; enhance access to information and the exchange of knowledge to improve health and health care; and conduct research to guide program design, evaluate impact, and advance knowledge and practice in health communication. |
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