Transcript Promoting Health through Organizational Change

The Ethiopian –Israeli Jewish
Community and Its Health Care
Issues
By Seffefe B.Ayecheh, M.P.H.,
Ph.D.
Tene Briut
The main objectives of this organization can
be summarized as
• a. strengthening community health care
promotion, research and documentation
and
• b. health care advocacy for improved
heath care for the community by calling for
appropriate and pragmatic health policy
developments.
The size of the Ethiopian –Israeli Jewish Community in
Israel to-day is estimated to be 110,000, of which about
30% were born in Israel. The majority of Ethiopians are
settled in permanent housing in the larger cities. The
migration process is still continuing; however, only a very
small number of people (about 300 persons on the monthly
quota basis) are allowed to come. They are waiting to
come
In general, our life has changed drastically from its
traditional village life style to an urban –westernized style of
life: the change of the familiar extended family, and its
hierarchical structure and customs, the changes of the role
play in the families, and even the gap created between the
parents and the younger children (due to children's
capacity for faster adaptation),and to certain extent the
discrimination, aggravated the problem and led to a state of
cultural shock To these effects the divorce rate, violence in
the families, the youth delinquency and even suicides and
homicides are increasing.
The tremendous resource investment and efforts done by
the government, the general society and the overseas
donors has of course brought about mid-term successes
for the younger- aged population of the community. To cite
a few, the integration in the Israeli defense force by
achieving even higher military ranks, the higher education
opportunity in universities and colleges growing to over
3500 students and graduates, and the establishments of
several social, educational and political lobbyist
organizations of the community are vivid and encouraging
examples that can give very optimistic feelings for all the
devoted actors.
However, regarding the health of the community, all those
compounding factors mentioned above as a whole, have
brought about negative changes in the community's health
conditions. In their past health experiences, the main health
problems of the Ethiopians were infectious and parasitic
diseases due to uncontrolled environmental conditions,
and diseases and conditions caused by under-nutrition and
lack of health care services.
The Tene Briut Health Care Association was formed with
new concepts and perceptions and developed a culturally
sensitive model and approach which could also brought
about the direct and active involvement of the community
and the health and other professionals from with in the
community, aiming at empowerment purposes.
.
The Tene Briut Health Care Association has
accomplished the following key objectives
1. Held National Health Conference of Ethiopian-Israeli professionals in
the year 2001 with 220 participants to develop new initiatives and
establishment of network for professionals.
2. Recruited and trained more than 25 Ethiopian-Israeli professionals
as “health trustees” to improve community based diabetes
improvement activities and advancement of health promotion
missions.
3. Installed personal responsibility and increased community
awareness of health promotion and its importance to disease
management, and disease prevention. We provided lectures in
Amharic to more than one hundred groups all over the country.
4. Developed culturally sensitive instructional materials such as
educational booklets, educational film, posters, computerized lecture
slides etc. to facilitate health promotion activities.
5. Developed a monthly radio program in Amharic language running
regularly to address the community on selected diseases and heath
conditions
Our specific objectives in the
coming year are
• 1. To strengthen and continue those achieved goals mentioned
above, by broadening the coverage and increasing the quality of the
services. Specifically, we are placing “health trustees” in one
community and, in cooperation with the health system, plan to follow
five hundred diabetics (in cooperation with the local Kupahs) with
the objective of improving their understanding of the disease
together with its management.
• 2. Once we are able to document the cost-effectiveness of the
health trustee intervention in several sites, we plan to work
collaboratively with the government and health care system to
disseminate this key way of preventing and managing the emerging
epidemic of chronic disease in our community.