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WiRED International's Community Health Information Center (CHIC) project in Kenya has received renewed funding from the Office of AIDS Research (OAR), a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. With this funding, WIRED will continue its research and information programs at 17 Centers throughout Kenya and the main Medical Information Center at the University of Nairobi School of Public Health.
The Community Health Information Centers are developed in cooperation with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and integrate health information programs into the daily activities of each community. Each Center houses four or more networked computers and an extensive medical CD-ROM collection. Five trained staff members at each Center help visitors access information about HIV/AIDS and other health care topics. They also educate visitors about basic computer operations so the visitors can independently search for information on topics of interest.
In addition to the daily operation at the Centers, the CHIC staff continues to explore innovative new ways to reach people with the HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention message. In response to the needs of their communities, they have developed a number of innovations including these:
- Disabled program — This unique program delivers information about HIV/AIDS/STDs to disabled people and to their caregivers. In addition, this program sponsors discussion groups that examine the special needs of people with disabilities and look at ways to integrate them into existing health education programs.
- Outreach program — Although many thousands of visitors find their way to the Centers each month, there are many more eager to benefit from the services. To address this huge demand, the Centers sponsor outreach programs that dispatch staffers to hospitals, schools, and rehabilitation centers where they present information about HIV/AIDS. They also inform the institutions and their clients about the health care information services available at the Centers.
- Pack 'N Go program — The Pack 'N Go program was developed to bring the AIDS treatment and HIV prevention information to people who cannot make the journey into the Center. Sturdy boxes specially designed to hold a computer have been built to fit into the trunks of cars and onto the carrier rack of bicycles. Health educators then venture from the Centers to deliver life-saving information to out-lying communities.
- CD-ROM development — The CHIC staff, in coordination with medical professionals, community groups and traditional healers, is developing a five-part series about HIV/AIDS titled From the Kenya Perspective. Tailored to meet the unique needs of residents throughout Kenya, the information will be delivered in English and Kiswahili.
To date, the WiRED CHIC program, through the sponsorship of the Office of AIDS Research at NIH, has reached many hundreds of thousands of Kenyans with information about HIV/AIDS and other health-related topics. The OAR provided funding for the installation of WiRED's first five Centers in 2002 and has continued to support WiRED's vital HIV/AIDS education services and research to date.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health's Office of Aids Research is responsible for the development of an annual comprehensive plan and budget for all NIH AIDS research. The OAR promotes collaborative research activities in both domestic and international settings.
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