Dominican Republic

Better, Stronger, and Thankful: HIV Peer Counselor in the Dominican Republic Shares Impact of His Work

Sarah Dwyer — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 19:18:25 +0000

Alfredo Felix is a peer counselor with the Department of HIV at Jaime Mota Regional Hospital in Barahona, Dominican Republic. “I’ve always felt motivated to work in the community to inform people,” he says. The area shares a border with Haiti and has a large immigrant population at risk for HIV.

Peer counselors like Alfredo play an important role in countering the effects of stigma, which can make it hard for people to seek information about HIV and follow through with treatment. Alfredo tells a story about someone he helped:

Author's name:

Alex Collins and Sarah Dwyer

Publication Date:

September 2014

“I Can Improve Things”: An HIV Peer Counselor in the Dominican Republic

Carol Bales — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 18:17:07 +0000

“It was very, very bad treatment that I received,” recalls Mercedes (not her real name), a young mother living with HIV.

Five years ago—at one of the largest maternity hospitals in the Dominican Republic—she was diagnosed as HIV-positive. Although she enrolled in the hospital’s program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), she felt discriminated against for her status, and that the health workers’ actions toward her lacked compassion.

But she decided her experience as a victim of stigma would not stand in her way of helping other HIV-positive pregnant women.

Author's name:

Ángela Diaz Fermin and Alex Collins

Publication Date:

June 2014

Andrew Brown of People that Deliver: Share Your Stories on Strengthening the Supply Chain Workforce

Carol Bales — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:12:31 +0000

Andrew Brown is eager to spread the word about what countries are doing to bolster their supply chain workforces. He’s the new executive director for People that Deliver. This global initiative helps countries plan, support, and retain their health supply chain workforces, which are critical for ensuring medicines and other health commodities reach the people who need them.

As part of the CapacityPlus team supporting our activities to strengthen the supply chain workforce, I had the privilege of interviewing Brown as he assumed his position.

Author's name:

Alex Collins

Publication Date:

February 2014

Empowering HR Staff in the Dominican Republic to Play an Active Role in Improving Health Services

Carol Bales — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 19:43:05 +0000

When I came to work at the Directorate of Health for Region V, I was very shy and afraid to express myself. I thought that my opinions, my ideas, my views, might not be well received.

But everything changed after the training I received from the CapacityPlus project that has taught me to grow as a person and as a professional.

The project has taught me to believe in myself—that I can do quality work, I can defend my views and negotiate with my superiors, the human resources manager and regional director of health, particularly about HR processes. When something is not right—that is, not according to laws and regulations—I have to point it out and be able to explain why.

Author's name:

Diana Santana, guest blogger

Publication Date:

August 2013

El Proyecto me enseñó a comprender el rol del área de recursos humanos en la calidad de los servicios de salud

Carol Bales — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 19:42:30 +0000

Cuando vine a trabajar a la Dirección Regional V de Salud, era muy tímida, tenía miedo de expresarme. Pensaba que tal vez mis opiniones, mis ideas, mis puntos de vista, no iban a ser bien recibidos.

Pero todo cambió a partir de la capacitación que recibí en el proyecto CapacityPlus, que me ha enseñado a crecer como persona y como profesional.

El proyecto me ha enseñado a creer en mí. En que sí puedo hacer mi trabajo con calidad, a defender mis puntos de vista y a negociar con mis superiores: la gerente de Recursos Humanos y el Director Regional de Salud, principalmente en lo concerniente a los procesos. Cuando algo no está correcto, es decir, apegado a las leyes y los reglamentos, tengo los argumentos para señalarlo.

Author's name:

Diana Santana, guest blogger

Publication Date:

August 2013

Country-Led Health Workforce Planning and Implementation in the Dominican Republic

jennifer — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:52:06 +0000

I was delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate face-to-face with Dr. Sonia Brito-Anderson recently. She leads CapacityPlus’s efforts to facilitate the development of a human resources strategy framework and implementation plan for the Ministry of Health in the Dominican Republic.

Along with other CapacityPlus colleagues—including Wilma Gormley, Mesrak Belatchew, and Dana Singleton—our task is to work with a national technical group, established by the Ministry of Health, to identify the key HR challenges and help to produce a strategy framework and implementation plan that is both feasible and doable.

Where are the health workers?
The Dominican Republic has a comparatively high number of health workers, yet maternal mortality rates and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV coverage remain poor.

Author's name:

Paul Marsden

Publication Date:

January 2011