Content Resources

Most healthcare providers from the US or Europe that are planning to work in
the developing world lack knowledge and experience with even the most common tropical diseases. A variety of excellent courses have sprung up to meet this need but the choice of which course to take can be daunting. This session will help you choose which option is best for you.

Modern travelers are very fortunate in having an array of very effective vaccinations to prevent many travel-related diseases. The judicious use of these vaccines is now an essential part of travel preparation. New vaccines in particular will be emphasized.

Doing development work in
a restricted access country
is extra difficult due to
the conflict and security concerns that go hand in hand with the dire economic and political situation in the country. But the restrictions do not necessarily restrict a Christian from being the salt and light in these areas. In this session we will explore the foundations of community health and development that allow us to achieve sustainability regardless of the restrictions that surround the Kingdom development work.

In this session we will discuss case presentations demonstrating effective diagnosis and care of cardiac conditions with limited resources.

The session focuses on the use of the Holistic Worldview Analysis (HWVA) tool and explains how it is used to understand a community’s worldview, analyze it, identify gaps in their current survival strategy, and engage the community actively in addressing health and development issues. If you are looking for a way to empower a community to be able to solve most of its own problems, then this is a session for you!

The Community Health Model Village is also known as the Total Health Village or the ‘THV-50-40-10(R)’. This model of healthcare looks at not only providing healthcare for those who are sick, but focuses a great deal on prevention of disease (through focus on water, sanitation, vaccination, deworming) and also on holistic well being (food security, livelihood security, education and skill building). The strategy involves modern participatory techniques for carrying out needs assessment, gap analysis,
and intervention planning. Development is facilitated through the community’s own resource persons and geared towards empowering the community to solve most of their own problems. The model goes way beyond integrated development to address both the empirical and spiritual needs of the community through balanced holistic development.

There is an increase in morbidity and mortality for trafficked victims based upon circumstances while being trafficked and preexisting conditions that led to
their vulnerability to being trafficked. It is known that most healthcare professionals do not know how to identify and help trafficked victims. This session will discuss the health problems that may present, the reasons for these conditions, and the clues
that may lead to recognizing these victims as trafficked and ultimately to help free them.

Community Health Screening & Education aims to assist communities, both urban and rural, in the US as well as developing countries, in their efforts to resolve their most important healthcare problems. It is based on national and international evidence-based standards and guidelines which were often developed and/or strongly influenced by our Christian missionary mentors. Although primarily focused on the 70% of the disease burden that is preventable, it enables high quality assistance in curative care areas as well. All of the materials and guidelines referenced are available free for downloading through www.hepfdc.info and related links, and most are available in multiple languages. So although the healthcare problems addressed remain the leading causes of premature death and unnecessary suffering in nearly every community in every country, it is emphasized that organizations and communities already have access to the resources to begin to resolve those problems. There is much that qualified STM doctors, pharmacists, and other providers can do to assist communities in this collaborative, Biblically-based approach which also preserves the benefits of the provider-patient healing relationship, without the harmful effects due to drugs.

This session will explore the distinctive characteristics of Christian medical missions compared to humanitarian missions. It will look at biblical guidelines for ministering in Jesus’ name and examine practical applications for those engaged in Christian medical missions.

Resilient, balanced, resourceful, and culturally sensitive expatriates galvanize cross-cultural ventures. Mental health is the bedrock; yet, a surfeit of narrative disparages global enterprise because of misfortune provoked by psychological maladies. Expectations
are realigned when the epidemiology of mental health disorders are considered
in the context of complex cross-cultural transitions. Predisposing attributes, demands and awareness of risk foster a resolve to care. Evidence-based practice aligns expertise; care combines “best practice” with sensitivity to points of access on the substrate of the recipient’s worldview.

This session will give a brief overview of the problem of macronutrient malnutrition (protein-energy malnutrition), its pathophysiology as a “metabolic disorder,” its diagnosis, and best practices to ensure optimum outcomes highlighting the WHOs ten step approach.