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Beau De Rochars VM, Coreil J, Désir M, Mayard G, Michel MC, Milord MD, Carpenter R, Streit TG, Désir L, Noland GS, Addiss DG. Over 25 Years of Hope: Development of Lymphatic Filariasis Patient Support Groups in Haiti. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 111:89-92. [PMID: 38653215 PMCID: PMC11376109 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Support groups can create environments that are conducive to healing and well-being, particularly for persons with stigmatizing chronic diseases. In 1998, the support group concept was adapted in Haiti for persons with disabling lymphedema caused by lymphatic filariasis (LF). The project was developed with the expectation that the support group model conceived in the developed world be interpreted and modified by persons affected with lymphedema in the Haitian setting. Initiated with modest financial support within a research initiative to eliminate LF, a total of 50 "Hope Clubs" were formed from 1998 to 2023 across seven communes (districts) located in 3 of Haiti's 10 regional Departments. Documented benefits of the support groups included improved limb self-care, decreased incidence of inflammatory episodes (adenolymphangitis), enhanced self-efficacy, economic benefit through microenterprise, and improved quality of life. Despite challenges of funding shortfalls, natural disasters, and political insecurity, persistence of LF support groups in Haiti highlights the crucial role of group ownership by affected persons and the freedom to reinvent the support group concept in light of local social, cultural, and economic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Madsen Beau De Rochars
- Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hôpital Sainte Croix, Leogane, Haiti
| | - Jeannine Coreil
- Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | | | - Gladys Mayard
- Hôpital Sainte Croix, Leogane, Haiti
- Centre de Recherche et Service Social Humanitaire, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | | | | | - Rand Carpenter
- Mennonite Central Committee, Akron, Pennsylvania
- IMA World Health, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Thomas G Streit
- Hôpital Sainte Croix, Leogane, Haiti
- University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Luccène Désir
- The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hôpital Sainte Croix, Leogane, Haiti
| | | | - David G Addiss
- Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics, The Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, Georgia
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Dean L, Eaton J. People, power and participation: strategic directions for integrated person-centred care for NTDs and mental health. Int Health 2024; 16:i1-i4. [PMID: 38547347 PMCID: PMC10977956 DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dean
- Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Julian Eaton
- Community Mental Health, CBM Global, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
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