Baltimore, MD—The Laerdal Foundation has awarded Jhpiego $790,000 to galvanize scale-up of Helping Mothers Survive (HMS), an innovative skills-building program designed to reach 1 million frontline health care workers and prevent the needless deaths of women and newborns during childbirth.
In partnership with Laerdal Global Health, Jhpiego created Bleeding after Birth, the first simulator-based training package in the HMS program. The Bleeding after Birth package is designed to help frontline health care workers improve their clinical and decision-making skills to prevent, detect and manage postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. More than 700 health care workers from 48 countries including India, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia have attended HMS Bleeding after Birth training since the program debuted in 2012.
With the new grant, Jhpiego will provide technical oversight and support to multiple countries that are already committed to implementing the HMS program. Evidence gained from these countries will be used to guide global dissemination of HMS best practices led by Jhpiego and its implementing partners—the International Confederation of Midwives, the International Council of Nurses, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the United Nations Population Fund, Survive and Thrive and Laerdal Global Health.
As part of HMS, Jhpiego also plans to expand the Helping Babies Breathe training program, recognizing that it is often the same provider who cares for a mother and her baby at birth. In addition, the Laerdal Foundation grant will be used to create new instructional modules on other leading causes of maternal death, such as pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.
“The Laerdal Foundation grant is an important step forward in preventing the needless deaths of women and children globally,” said Leslie Mancuso, CEO and President of Jhpiego.
About Jhpiego
Jhpiego (pronounced “ja-pie-go”) is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. For 40 years, Jhpiego has empowered front-line health workers by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and their families. For more information, go to www.jhpiego.org or contact Melody McCoy at 410-537-1829.
