VillageReach

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in improving health outcomes. They have the unique ability to bring information and thus influence social change and the reduction of health disparities in underserved communities. CHWs need adequate and uninterrupted supply of health commodities to render health services. It is critical that vital information about service delivery and utilization of commodities is available to support decision-making and prevent stockouts of essential commodities. Most information management processes at the community levels are paper-based and prone to human error. We propose an OpenSRP-based application for the integration of supply chain management into a proactive, task-based, digital CHW tool. This tool will innovatively simplify existing processes and improve visibility into the Supply Chain for CHWs by digitizing data collection and supporting CHWs by proactively generating tasks to ensure effective SCM

CHW supply data is generally collected and reported through paper, in an ad hoc manner (or not at all) and the data are not routinely captured up to the national level for informed planning and decision making. The CHW supply chain data that is collected is routine, retrospective data, and issues of data quality, completeness, and timeliness persist. These systems prevent CHWs, supervisors, or others from proactively managing supply chains to prevent stock-outs, or from responding to them when stock-outs do occur. There has been recent recognition that CHW tools need to support programs and processes that are more responsive and client-centric. To be truly responsive to client needs CHWs must have the right equipment and supplies. The same responsive, client-centered approach, therefore, is needed for CHW supply chains and tools especially as one CHW serves approximately 350 people, who are directly affected when stock-outs occur at the community levels.

Our solution is an application for the integration of supply chain management into a proactive, task-based, digital CHW tool. The primary health care system of the future will be increasingly technology-enabled, integrated, and responsive, and CHW programs and supply chains are no exceptions. We propose:

Development of a robust Supply Chain Management (SCM) tool to run on an OpenSRP-based application for CHWs that serves as a global reference application. An OpenSRP-based reference application that is reusable and provides a model for the addition of proactive, responsive supply chain management capabilities to other CHW tools can support the transformation of CHW supply chain management from reactive and retrospective to proactive and dynamic. This proactive task-based approach could also be employed for various potential supply chain use-cases such as:

• Service delivery tasks prompt CHWs to ensure they have and bring the right supplies

• Integration of consumption data collection into task completion

• Recurring tasks for routine commodity management (reporting, stock takes, ordering, etc.)

• Automatically generate data analysis and event-based tasks to avoid stock outs (place emergency orders, project resupply quantities

• Built-in analytics and decision support provide insights and feedback to CHWs and their supervisors to support timely, effective supervision

Our Solution will directly serve CHWs, CHW supervisors, and national supply chain managers, and will support data-based decisions in the management of the Supply Chain for CHWs. It indirectly serves underserved households that receive health care through CHWs.

As a result of improved data quality and visibility into the supply chain, stock-out of essential commodities will be prevented at community levels, and as a result, effective healthcare service is assured to the population served by CHWs.

Lack of information on the CHW program service delivery and logistics information impacts health care access and equity for the underserved population. CHWs require the right type of tools to address health care gaps at community levels, as well as a supportive and responsive system. Our solution contributes to patient-centered health care, and improves data quality and visibility. The information generated through our solution enables decision-makers to plan response efforts in ensuring CHWs have adequate equipments (including PPE) needed for surveillance; as well as essential commodities to provide basic healthcare needs at community levels

We will be testing the addition of more robust CHW supply chain functionality to an existing CHW tool (OpenSRP)

The solution leverages technology to address critical gaps in data availability, quality, and timeliness. It is proactive and supports CHWs, CHW supervisors and Supply Chain Managers at higher levels of the Supply Chain to accomplish tasks needed to ensure Supply Chain resilience and responsiveness.

The solution has not been deployed at the moment. If piloted in Bomi and Margibi Counties of Liberia, a total of 329 community health assistants (CHA) and 33 community health service supervisors will use the solution towards serving approximately 115,150 population (each CHA serves approximately 350 population).

Data-based decision-making: Percent of districts/counties holding quarterly supply chain meetings where data are presented & action items determined

Stock availability: CHWs with life-saving commodities in stock

Data availability: Percent of Health Centers reporting CHW stock status.

Number of sick children treated: Average number of sick children treated for diarrhea, malaria and respiratory infections per month

6 full time staff

We have a motivated team of individual experience in implementing solutions to improve the Supply Chain for Community Health Workers. In Liberia VillageReach is partnering with Last Mile Health and the Ministry of Health to integrate the CHW supply chain into the national public health supply chain system. Our organizational values are: excellence, collaboration, diversity and inclusion and innovation. We apply these values across all our work.

One of our core values as an organization is diversity and equity. Some examples of how we embody this value is in the recruitment of our workforce. Our leadership team is a reflection of our diversity. Our operational and global technical staff are deeply rooted in Africa since our programs and solutions are domesticated in Africa.

To ensure inclusion, we operated a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Group (DIG) that ensures all organization plan are aligned with expected standards for DIG