|
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:
- Operational
Research
We are conducting operational investigations and research in the treatment of low
birth weight infants in resource-limited settings.
- 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.
- 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.
Please
contact us at (832) 824-2885
or at
whocc@texaschildrens.org
or
download this informational brochure.
|
