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FOR PROFESSIONALS
In August 2008,
Texas Children's Newborn Center and Texas Children's Hospital received
designation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to be the WHO
Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Perinatal/Neonatal Health in the
Americas. Texas Children's
is the only pediatric hospital in the nation to receive this
notable designation.
As
a WHO Collaborating Centre, Texas Children's Hospital is part of the
inter-institutional, multinational
collaborative network set up by WHO/Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) in support of its programs at a regional, national and global
level.
The partnership
targets regions in the Americas of greatest need to address and
improve maternal and child health. The WHOCC plans to create globally replicable models for maternal and
child interventions aimed at advancing child health and reducing
child mortality worldwide.
Our Focus
The primary focus of
the WHOCC for Perinatal/Neonatal Health is to make a significant
positive impact on maternal and child health in Latin America and
worldwide through the following:
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Operational Research
We are conducting operational investigations and research in the treatment of low birth weight infants in
resource-limited settings.
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Education and Training
We are developing and implementing national and
international training workshops as well as
practical exercises designated to educate physicians, nurses and dietitians on issues relevant to perinatal/neonatal
health.
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Tools and Products
We are collaborating with the WHO in designing tools for complete assessment
of neonatal intensive care units in resource-limited settings, as
well as developing, writing and editing neonatal guidelines on
select topics.
Our Programs
The WHO
Collaborating Centre for Perinatal/Neonatal Health strives to create
locally sustainable and highly-effective operational interventions
that translate clinical best practices into action, consider
cultural and environmental specificities, and have a measurable
impact on maternal and child health. Of the programs that
fall within the scope of the WHOCC, a few select programs are
described below.
The WHOCC is seeking to partner with leading institutions
to conduct operational investigations and research on the
growth of premature infants and how to fortify milk for
optimal growth. Our aim is to
improve the nutritional
management and increase the rate of growth among low birth weight
infants in resource-limited settings.
The WHOCC provides on-the-ground training of local
clinicians and community health workers on the principles of the
neonatal component of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) and best practices
in neonatal care. The WHO Collaborating Centre also maintains a
speakers bureau for clinical topics relevant to perinatal/neonatal
health and offers a competitive, onsite, one-month training
opportunity to leading neonatal physicians from around the world.
The WHOCC is establishing clinical and educational
relationships with hospitals to provide training on an enhanced,
adapted version of the WHO ETAT guidelines, including a
neonatal component. The training goal is to improve assessment, triage and
initial management of acutely ill newborns and children
younger than 5 in resource-limited settings, focused on
reduction of child
mortality.
For more
information, please contact Texas Children's Hospital –
International Operations at (832) 824-2885 or at
whocc@texaschildrens.org. Or download this
informational brochure.
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