About Us
REACH Ghana stands for the Representatives of Equal Access to Community Health-care in Ghana. The organization came into being after a discussion at the first ever BarCamp Diaspora, held in Washington DC on July 25, 2009. Perhaps prompted by the ongoing analysis of US healthcare, a group of young Ghanaians expressed concern about the state of the country's healthcare system. While much of the discussion focused on problems with the quality of and access to healthcare in Ghana, the group went beyond and came up with solutions that they perceived to be feasible and immediately implementable. A few of the participants later got together to begin working towards some of the broader solutions discussed and thus was born the founding Executive Board of REACH Ghana.
REACH is committed to improving the health-care system in Ghana and promoting equal access to quality health-care for all by:
· supplementing health-care resources
· engaging and empowering members of the community, and
· advocating for, and helping to develop sustainable approaches to health-care delivery.
REACH believes that local community involvement is integral to its mission. We work in partnership with stakeholders in improving the Ghanaian health-care system through sustainable projects while building capacity in communities for long-term success. All our programs are grounded in the values of integrity, efficiency, transparency, accountability and respect for human rights. Our vision is to see a health-care delivery system in Ghana that provides access and quality care for all.
Our functions are as follows:
Research
· To establish and maintain a resource bank and information exchange system between health professionals and students in Ghana and abroad
· To act as a clearinghouse: collecting, storing, and disseminating information, data and meta-data on health-care in Ghana and serving as a resource for individuals and groups with interests related to health-care in Ghana
· To conduct research aimed at identifying health-care needs in Ghana for publication in peer-reviewed journals
· To develop health policy solutions and implement them in conjunction with the Ghana Health Service
Education
· To facilitate the education of health-care professionals in Ghana by providing resources such as books and scholarships.
· To provide opportunities for continuing education programs for professionals in the health-care industry.
· To provide volunteer and internship opportunities for foreign and local students to impact the Ghana health-care system.
Community based initiatives
· To deliver medicine, equipment and funds to needy hospitals and under-served communities.
· To carry out regular campaigns to provide health-care services such as diagnostic tests, vaccinations and counseling.
· To establish permanent health-care centers where such services will be provided for free or at a subsidized cost.
· To work with the government at improving the National Health Insurance System.
· To support and collaborate with other health-care organizations in Ghana.
· To build a business model for providing sustainable, cost effective health-care in Ghana by creating avenues for small-scale enterprise.
About our logo
The REACH logo (designed by Deborah Owusu-Bonsu) combines the acronym REACH and the Adinkra symbol "Boa me na me nboa wo" (Twi for "Help me help you"). The symbol embodies the organization's belief that local community involvement is integral to the achievement of equal access to quality health-care.
Ms Owusu-Bonsu's website is www.deborahvanessa.com and she can be reached at deborah@ deborahvanessa.com
