Care Now Foundation

Community Clinic Model

Healthcare professionals in most developing nations are government employees. Due to a lack of infrastructure healthcare professionals desiring to locate in rural areas are likely to be left without any support including medicines, equipment, instruments or even salaries. Therefore, healthcare professionals typically do not go to remote locations and, as a result, those areas are essentially without adequate healthcare services.

The CareNow Community Clinic Model (CNCC) addresses this specific issue by focusing on providing the support needed by healthcare professional to remain effective and leveraging their skills and talent to serve the needs of a remote community.

Description of the CareNow Community Clinic Model
The CNCC assumes a suitable building will be available to be used as the location for a community clinic. The cornerstone of the CNCC is a professionally trained medical Doctor in charge of one or more clinics in the local area or community depending on the population to be served. The doctor will oversee the activities of the staff at each clinic which will consist of up to 6 Nurses and one Administrative Assistant. Each Nurse will be supported by 10 to 20 Community Volunteers recruited from the local area.

Duties, Activities and Responsibilities of the Community Volunteers
In most communities, towns and villages in Africa, an informal support system already exists which is designed to take care of those in the community who are sick and dying. Typically, the leading women of the local church visit the sick and provide what comfort they can. They attempt to ensure the sick and dying have adequate food and are as comfortable as they can be. Typically, they have no medical training and no access to even basic medicines such as pain relievers.

The CNCC will provide Community Volunteers training in basic first aid and basic medical care. Recruitment will rely initially on input from community leaders and be limited to mature members of the community who are already serving the needs of the sick as described above. As part of the CareNow team, they will be trained to provide basic medicines and first aid as part of their scheduled visits with the sick in their community. In addition, they will be able to call on the Nurse who oversees their activities for any situation they are not trained to deal with. Each Community Volunteer will have a regular schedule of individuals to call on. These will be individuals with a known healthcare issue that has been diagnosed at the clinic by either the nursing staff or the Doctor. The Community Volunteer will check to see that these individuals are following the treatment regime they have been given as well as providing follow up with their support Nurse on any developments or complications that may occur.

Duties, Activities and Responsibilities of the Nursing staff
Each member of the nursing staff will be assigned 10 to 20 Community Volunteers to work with and oversee. Each Nurse will be responsible for the training of their assigned volunteers in basic medicine and first aid. They will develop visitation schedule assignments for each volunteer and will accompany their volunteers on initial visits to ensure their training has been adequately understood. The nursing staff will be the first contact that individuals with medical needs will make on their first visit to the clinic.

All individuals in need of medical attention must be evaluated by either the nursing staff or the Doctor to be enrolled in the clinical program. All medical conditions of a significant nature must be evaluated by the Doctor.

The nursing staff is responsible for providing oversight and support to the Community Volunteers. They will also be responsible for the day-to-day activities at the clinic including patent evaluations, triage and treatment recommendations under the Doctor’s direction. If 3 or more nurses comprise the nursing staff, the Doctor will designate a Head Nurse for the clinic. The function of the Head Nurse is to provide more efficient liaison with the Doctor and immediate decisions in emergency situations. The Head Nurse will also be responsible for ordering supplies, medicines, and equipment as well as coordinate with local leaders regarding the volunteer program. The Head Nurse and the Administrative Assistant will be jointly responsible for all financial matters relating to the operation of the clinic. They will prepare monthly summaries of the activities of the clinic and quarterly reports. The Doctor will be responsible for reviewing and approving the monthly summaries as well as the quarterly reports. Quarterly reports will be forwarded to the CareNow Foundation home office.

Duties, Activities and Responsibilities of the Doctor in Charge
The Doctor has the overall responsibility for the operation of the Community Clinic and for ensuring the overall level of care supplied by the clinic is maintained. The Doctor is responsible for evaluating every patient with a significant medical condition and prescribing a treatment regime. The Doctor is responsible for the continuous training and skill improvement of the nursing staff working under his or her direction. The Doctor is the responsible person for the activities of the clinic. He or she will be the primary liaison for all visiting doctors and will coordinate all administrative and financial issues with the CareNow home office through the Administrative Assistant.