Meet our nurses – Christina and Rachel!
From staff member Sam Kifuko: “The total number of individuals that they follow up with on a regular basis is over one hundred people. Since becoming full-time staff members of ROWAN they have been able to visit all 114 people in our programs and have gathered important information. These two women, with the aid of other staff members have been able to compile each patient’s ARV drug regimen, nutrition status, common illnesses they struggle with, and standards of living.”
We finally have files for each patient with pertinent information relating to their specific case. This enables ROWAN to be able to continue to monitor various situations and know how to best serve our people and give the best care available. This is a huge step toward continuity of care and introducing the concept of managed care.
Rachel and Christina have also had many opportunities to speak the love of Jesus to men, women and children in Mawanga and surrounding communities.
By doing this, they have gained trust from the people and are building relationships in order help promote zero discrimination and stigmatization for those who are HIV positive. They have also been able to speak to many others who will soon be part of our program, because they have disclosed their health status.
One of the biggest issues for clients in our programs is the lack of basic medical care because healthcare facilities are so far away. Many times, they do not have transportation, and it is a long way to walk to get to a health clinic. So part of the vision of the nurses and ROWAN is to build a clinic on our new land with medical supplies and be able to care for our client’s basic health needs.
Looking ahead to next year we anticipate the need for more medications, local sensitizations and further nurse training so that we can continue to improve our care for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
