Newswise — The University of Colorado School of Medicine today released baseline health assessments recently conducted of communities in proposed gold mining regions in Ghana and Peru. Newmont Mining funded an independent evaluation by the medical school prior to initiating mining operations in those regions.
Copies of the executive summaries are now available for review.
Dr. Richard D. Krugman, dean of the CU School of Medicine, said, "As with many developing countries, these assessments identified common health challenges in impoverished regions. Our team recognizes that health concerns may extend beyond vaccinations and access to health care. These assessments illustrate that issues such as illiteracy and poor sanitation services can place a great threat on a community's health."
The communities assessed were those near the prospective Minas Conga operation located near the communities of Encañada and CelendÃn in the northern Peruvian Andes and the Ahafo project, which sits in the Brong-Ahafo region of western Ghana, about 180 miles northwest of the capital city of Accra.
The CU School of Medicine teams independently developed the scope of work and the specific areas to be assessed based on interviews, observation, evaluation of local capacities and community health needs. They independently conducted the assessments in the target communities, working closely with these communities and their leaders, local health providers, governmental health institutions, non-governmental organizations, universities and others to develop the baseline health assessments and subsequent recommendations.
CU's reports identify the pressing health issues and the need to develop sustainable health care improvements. The reports specifically focus on key areas of importance including access to water, sanitation, health education, and targeted investigations focused on specific needs and local issues.
Teams consisting of six members visited each location for approximately 14 days. Members of the teams were drawn from the medical school's departments of internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, family medicine, and preventive medicine, as well as the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences School of Business and department of anthropology.
Through a rapid assessment method, the CU team identified 10 health-related interventions in Peru that could make a significant impact on the region including:
o Commission a household health study to establish a reliable health baseline in the target communities, and repeat this survey every two to four years. o Assist selected communities in attaining a safe and sufficient water supply and effective sanitary facilities. o Assist health centers and communities to develop a sustainable communication infrastructure that improves their health care, by facilitating the installation of sufficient cell phone relays to cover the Minas Conga area of influence. o Help communities train and retain local health care personnel. o Support education and health education in communities by encouraging female literacy and education, supporting the training and retention of teachers and by using teachers as resources for health education and through radio broadcasts.
In Ghana, the CU team used the same rapid assessment method and identified 15 health-related interventions for the region including:
o Support and expand interventions to reduce malaria. o Support the Regional Health Directorate in surveillance and treatment of HIV/AIDS. o Strengthen training and implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Diseases.o Improve and expand maternal audits for the prevention of maternal mortality.o Increase accessibility to clean water in target communities.o Provide support for home latrines development and maintenance, and for improved garbage collection and landfill sites.
Project financing, provided by Newmont (approximately $730,000) covered the costs of the independent health assessments in Peru and Ghana. The CU team will now focus on working with both Newmont and the local stakeholders in each project area to evaluate the recommendations and develop criteria for implementation of the recommendations.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Newmont will continue to work together along with the local communities, NGOs, and relevant governmental authorities to advance these projects.
The reports were completed in July; presentation to the Newmont regional offices in Ghana and Peru was completed recently. All data is open and available to the public.
CU School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Denver Health Medical Center, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The School is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/sm/.
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