BALTIMORE, Md., July 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Findings from Jhpiego's 20 years of experience leading maternal and newborn health programs have been published in the prestigious International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics (IJGO). The special supplement, "Advancing Implementation in Maternal and Newborn Health," is a first in the 42-year history of Jhpiego, a nonprofit global health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, and contains 11 peer-reviewed articles that share innovative strategies, key lessons learned and specific clinical evidence that can be used by the global health community to help end preventable deaths among women and newborns.
Through a broad portfolio of maternal and newborn health projects, most importantly those funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Jhpiego has worked with governments and communities, nurses and midwives, community health workers and physicians to improve maternal and newborn health in nearly 40 countries. The USAID-funded projects led by Jhpiego include the Maternal and Newborn Health Program (1998–2003), the ACCESS Program (2003–2008) and the Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (2008–2014).
The articles presented in the IJGO supplement are unique in that they not only address what is proven to work, but also how to make those lessons apply equally well across all contexts. The journal articles feature 53 Jhpiego authors, including 28 from the field, and cover health intervention and program management areas such as:
- Best practices for a successful maternal, newborn and child health partnership;
- Increased uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services through focused prenatal care;
- Policy and implementation lessons for utilizing task shifting;
- Evolution of malaria in pregnancy strategies; and
- Strategic engagement of community health workers to provide maternal and newborn health services.
"The readers of IJGO will find much to learn from the examples and lessons in this Supplement: the 'how,' the 'who,' and the 'what,'" said Dr. Timothy Johnson, Editor Emeritus of IJGO and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan, writing in a guest editorial. "I thank Jhpiego not only for its many contributions to our shared vision and goals, but for the partnership that it, as a nongovernmental organization, has shown to FIGO [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics] and professional organizations in achieving our mutual goals of a better world through improved women's health worldwide."
Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of Jhpiego, congratulated supplement guest editors—Harshad Sanghvi, Jeffery Smith, Koki Agarwal, Ronald Magarick and Blami Dao—and said the supplement reflects the mission and ongoing commitment of Jhpiego to prevent the needless deaths of women and their families.
"As an organization founded on sharing the latest women's reproductive health advances with our colleagues in low-resource settings, Jhpiego is honored that our work is represented in this important supplement in the respected International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics," she said. "In order to sustain the gains we've made in maternal and newborn health and address the challenges posed in the Sustainable Development Goals, we must focus our efforts on what it takes for health systems to reach every woman, every child, everywhere, every time. I hope our colleagues around the globe will use our experiences and the findings from this supplement to do just that."
For more information, please contact Melody McCoy, Vice President of External Relations and Communications, at Melody.McCoy@Jhpiego.org or 410.537.1829.
About Jhpiego
Jhpiego (pronounced "ja-pie-go") is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. For 42 years, Jhpiego has empowered frontline 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.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=34341
