1999-2001


Focus: Community Health, Medical Education

• The Partners
• Partnership Objectives
• Key Events
• Achievements
• Participating Institutions

The Partners

US Partner: The lead partner was the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network, an organization of integrated delivery systems that includes hospitals, primary care health centers, community physicians and senior centers. The network also includes the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

NIS Partner: The NIS partners included the Ministry of Health of Belarus, the Minsk City Health Administration and Polyclinic #36 located in Shabany district of Minsk. The polyclinic serves a catchment area of 27,000 people.

Partnership Objectives

Cardiology

• Establish a cardiovascular wellness center (CWC) to promote cardiovascular health screening and healthy lifestyles.
  
  
• Provide training and education for the CWC staff members in screening, early detection, practice management, education methodologies, case management and evaluation.
  
  
• Develop the clinical, educational and case management tools to be employed by the CWC.
  
  
• Analyze and present the efficiency of the CWC model.

Community Health

• Develop outreach activities and a process for the replication of the program after the opening of the center.

Key Events

• 1999

  • A Memorandum of Understanding signed on November 11.
    
    

  2000

  • The Minsk Wellness Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (CWC) opened at Polyclinic #36 on October 6.
    
    
  • A Health Fair was conducted October 7 on conjunction with the opening of the CWC.
    
    
  • The partners conducted a seminar on cardiovascular disease prevention, patient education, the US healthcare environment and elements of clinic administration for health care organizations in Minsk in July.
    
    

  2001

  • The partners conducted a seminar on cardiovascular disease prevention, patient education, the US healthcare environment and elements of clinic administration for health care organizations in Minsk in July.
    
    

Achievements

Cardiology

• The Cardiovascular Wellness Center (CWC) at Polyclinic #36 in Minsk, opened as part of the partnership in October 2000, and offers integrated services in cardiovascular disease screening and early detection, education, and counseling services to 27,000 people from the catchment area. It is the first such center in the country.
  
  
• The partners developed job descriptions for physicians and nurses and processes to move patients through the primary care system to insure efficient use of personnel.
  
  
• A self-administered screening questionnaire to assist nurses to triage patients and a referral guide for physicians were developed and fully implemented.
  
  
• Partners developed a computerized data collection system for patient records at the CWC. The US partners provided a personal computer for use in the center and a database expert developed the data forms and reporting functions.
  
  
• As a result of increased patient satisfaction with services, the annual number of patient visits to the Center rose from 5903 in 2001 to 7030 in 2003.
  
  
• In 2003, three replication centers were opened in other districts of Minsk by the Minsk City Health Administration. The staff of the replication centers received training at the Minsk Wellness Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
  
  

Community Health

• The partners distributed educational cardiovascular disease and health promotion brochures for patients developed through the partnership at the CWC and referral sites at local factories.
  
  
• A series of health fairs for the population of the district was held. The Center model was introduced to patient population and community. People learned about services provided at the Center as well as patient referral system. Visitors also received information on smoking cessation and participated in blood pressure screening, blood sugar testing, and weight-to-height ratio determination. Pamphlets and booklets on cardiac risk factors were distributed.
  
  
• Nurses at the CWC conducted health classes for groups of 8-12 people. Participants discussed healthy lifestyle issues and steps necessary to develop healthy lifestyle habits. The Center staff conducted a study of levels and prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among 547 course participants, 186 males and 361 females. The results indicated a decrease in the incidence of high blood pressure from 33.9% to 28.8% was observed in women who attended the classes in 2001-2002. They also found that four percent of men who participated in the classes quit smoking during 2002.
  
  

Participating Institutions

• Belarus Ministry of Health
• Minsk City Health Administration
• Polyclinic #36, Minsk
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick
• Robert Wood Johnson Health Network, New Brunswick
• Brown University Center for Primary Care and Prevention
• Primary Care Fellowship Society
  

Updated on October 29, 2004

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