Introduction
The Caribbean Women’s Health Association, Inc (CWHA) has grown into a non-profit organization, whose role is to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and the community at large. This helps to strengthen and empower communities. The CWHA was initially a community-based health organization, offering its services and support at the grassroots level. The CWHA is involved in eradicating poverty by creating safety nets and establishing leadership initiatives. The CWHA has served as an advocacy and service provider in communities for over twenty years. Participation by community members has been the key principle governing its successful operations. It is accredited by the United Nations Economic and Social Council because of its efficient and excellent mode of service delivery.
Various women professionals involving doctors, nurses, and social workers, together formed the CWHA. CWHA does not concentrate on a particular culture but its services are enjoyed by various cultural communities. However, these services are culture-sensitive to avoid conflicting with the people’s cultures. The CWHA was founded after the realization that a large number of immigrants, and especially from the Caribbean, faced many and serious barriers when accessing health care services. This negatively affected their health outcome (Gilchrist, 2007)).
Role of CWHA
CWHA provides immigration, health and social services to a heterogeneous population. Its operations take place within five community service centers situated in Brooklyn and Queens. It also accommodates new immigrants to enable them to adjust to their new environment. It does not target a particular group but rather, it targets every group based on its specific needs. It engages itself in research studies to find out the reasons behind health disparities. It also offers services related to domestic violence, maternal and child health, teenage issues and health insurance. All this is done to ensure that all communities in the Caribbean have equal opportunities for health care. This move by CWHA bridges the gap that prevails between minority and non-minority groups in the Caribbean. It builds bridges across communities with diverse cultural affiliations, and subsequently opens doors to citizenship.
Guiding Principles
According to Bayne-Smith et al (2005), four principles are attributed to the successful operations of CWHA. The existence and leverage of these principles have led to participation, sustainability, and development, of the health keepers model within the ethnic communities in the Caribbean and especially, within the immigrant communities. In addition, the health status of the populations has significantly improved. The four principles are as follows:
- Multi-factorial/Multipronged approach
- Networking and collaboration with other partners
- Participatory approach
- Extensive and broad health care services that target the individual as a whole
The Health Keepers Model
It is precisely for its remarkable role in health delivery that CWHA, is referred to as a health keepers model. The table shown below will demonstrate how the CWHA has gradually achieved this.
Conclusion
CWHA is a very important organization within society. Bridging the gaps that exist amongst various cultures helps in understanding and appreciating other cultures while integrating health care delivery. The health keepers model illustrated above shows how the CWHA works at its best to achieve improved capacity, management, efficiency and effectiveness of grassroots and faith-based organizations, ethical behavior, organizational development, governance, and accountability.
References
Bayne-Smith, M. et al. (2005). Community-Based Health Organizations: Advocating for Improved Health. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gilchrist, C. (2007). Yvonne Graham: on her work, her writing, and coming back home. Web.