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ChisinauNorfolk

Chisinau, Moldova / Norfolk, Virginia

2000-2004


Focus: Telemedicine, Community Health, Medical Education, Primary Care



The Partners

US Partner: The lead organization is the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), a community-based, nonprofit medical school located in Norfolk, Virginia. EVMS has formed a consortium with the Portsmouth Family Medicine Residency Program, the Norfolk Department of Public Health, and the Portsmouth Community Health Center, Inc., the Ghent Medicine Residency Program Sentra Health care, the Portsmouth Community Health Center Inc., The North Carolina Partnership for Peace Program.

NIS Partner: The consortium of Moldovan partners includes the Ministry of Health of Moldova, the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Nicolae Testemitanu" of (SMPU), the City of Chisinau Department of Health, the Botanica District Health Administration and the Consultative Diagnostic Center of the Botanica District.


Partnership Objectives

The partnership’s overall goal is to improve health status in the Republic of Moldova by expanding community-based primary health care and family medicine training programs. Specific objectives are to:

Primary Care

Establish a model community-based family medicine center in Chisinau’s Botanica district, focusing on primary healthcare delivery, health education, health promotion, and disease prevention.

  • Establish a model community-based family medical center on the campus of the SMPU “Nicolae Testemitsanu.”
  • Develop and link a center for telemedicine and distance education in medicine at the SMPU main campus, with eventual links to smaller hubs at the Botanica and SMPU model centers that will facilitate family medicine training activities at the two remote centers.

Community Health Education

  • Promote the concept of family medicine-based primary care among the community and healthcare providers and involve the community in the governance and operation of the two model centers through community advisory boards.
  • Develop a health education and disease prevention program

Medical Education

  • Utilize the two model centers to train trainers and residents, and to re-train physicians and other healthcare professionals in family medicine
  • Establish a model clinical Skills Teaching and Assessment Center at the SMPU model family medicine center.



Key Events

  2000

  • Partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

  2001

  • In June the partnership opened a community based family medicine center “Pro-San” located in the Botanica district of Chisinau.

  2002

  • At the Pro-San Center patient education groups were established for patients with diabetes and hypertension.
  • Two Community Advisory Boards were established in Botanica and Buyucan districts. They focus on sustained community and business involvement in the development of a high quality health care service delivery system.

  2003

  • In March, a Computer Skills Laboratory was established at the SMPU.
  • In April the partnership opened the University PHC Clinic and the  Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center.
  • A website for University FMC clinic was developed and contains patient education information and several useful links for health consumers.

  2004

  • The University PHC Center and Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center were selected by the World Bank as an implementing partner in Moldova.


Achievements

Family Medicine

  • Partners opened the “Pro San” Family Medicine Center (FMC) in the Botanica district in June 2001. The center is fully equipped and staffed by physicians and nurses who have received clinical skills training. The center offers primary health care services, family medicine education programs, health education, health promotion and disease prevention programs and serves a population of 12,500 people.
  • The University Clinic of Primary Health Care FMC was opened in the Buiucano District in April 2003 .The center is fully equipped and staffed by physicians and nurses who have received clinical skills training. The center offers primary health care services, family medicine education programs, health education, health promotion and disease prevention programs and serves a population of 12,000
  • The SMPU Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center was opened as part of the University Clinic facility. The Center contains three examination rooms specially equipped with video camera and microphones to provide clinical skills training to SMPU medical residents and medical students and to retrain community providers in family medicine skills
  • The SMPU Computer Skills Laboratory resulted from the donation of over 50 computers and servers from the U.S. partners and was completed solely with U.S. donations and funds provided by SMPU. The laboratory will allow SMPU faculty, medical residents and students to view the DVDs of Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) Grand Rounds lectures provided by the U.S. partners and to access medical databases and information worldwide


Community Health Education

  • Community health education teams comprised of family medicine physicians and residents, medical students, and nurses from Pro San and the SMPU center have been created to provide continuing community education and outreach. The Pro San clinic offers weekly lectures for pregnant women and their families, and regularly holds classes for patients with hypertension and diabetes.
  • Pro San Center staff regularly conduct educational classes on healthy diet, family planning, STI prevention, substance abuse prevention. The classes are designed to reach various groups – students, elderly people, schoolchildren and women of reproductive age.
  • Partners assembled an active community advisory board for Pro San that fosters business involvement in the center.
  • University PHC clinic, together with the Department of Family Medicine developed child birth education program and a smoking cessation curriculum for patient education.

  Medical Education

  • The Partners established a residency training program in family medicine at both Pro San Center and University PHC Clinic.
  • Rotations at the Pro San FMC for first and third-year family medicine residents were initiated.
  • The University PHC Center and Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center were selected by the World Bank as an implementing partner. The center is training for 700 physicians and 1500 nurses from across Moldova in family medicine.


Participating Institutions





Updated on September 16, 2004