Home / Public Health Initiatives
Public Health Initiatives
HANDS ACROSS THE AMERICAS aims to educate people on how to improve their health and decrease the risk of contracting preventable illnesses through our Healthcare Outreach Programs. These services include: prenatal, general gynecology, pediatric and general medical care; vaccinations; HIV and sexually transmitted disease testing; de-worming to entire families and medicine and vitamin dispensing. We also provide safe drinking water kits to protect families against parasites and help install safe eco stoves to prevent lung disease caused by smoke inhalation from cooking in "open-fire" stoves.
Our work has the potential to relieve many men, women and children from pain and suffering, and allow them to live healthy and productive lives. These programs can also help the countries economy by allowing people to go back to work and provide better care for their families. The programs also help children stay healthy so that they can do better in school and receive an education that will give them the chance to succeed.
We are currently focusing on the following programs:
Healthy Start
Neonatal Care: Especially in underdeveloped countries, too many pregnant mothers have miscarriages or die during childbirth having contracted sexually transmitted diseases. Many are unaware that their well-being and that babies are placed at higher risk for complications. Hands Across the Americas provides free medical care to expectant mothers to help maximize their chance of having healthy babies.
Safe Drinking Water Project
More than 100,000 children die each year from drinking contaminated water that causes diarrhea, dehydration and parasite infestation. Hands Across the Americas educates the entire family on the importance of drinking clean water through our safe drinking water project. Each family is given a safe drinking water kit and all family members are tested and treated for parasites.
De-worming Project
Hands Across the Americas has de-wormed over 20,000 children throughout Latin America. This is an on-going project that is performed in local schools in each community.
Other On-going Partnerships
Hands Across the Americas also has other partnerships to help organizations with missions similar to ours. These include:
Peru: Siervas del Evangelio: A shelter and school for 350 orphans and 250 seniors in Peru. Our financial support helps this center provide medicine, vitamins, surgeries, school uniforms, shoes and clothing to the children.
Puerto Rico: Punta Diamante: A health clinic that provides medical care to 275 people in Puerto Rico.
One of the leading causes of lung disease in women and their families in Latin America is smoke inhalation from cooking with logs in a room without proper ventilation. For a small cost of $60 per home, Hands Across the Americas will install a safe eco stove that provides three essential benefits: 