Health

Dianne and Lillie Foundation health facilities focus on improving access to primary care services in underserved rural communities and utilize a team approach to health care delivery within a community.

Our health facilities are located in rural areas where the recipients face a number of challenges in accessing health care, through a lack of healthcare professionals and access to providers. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural residents have to travel much farther to access healthcare services.

The tragedy of disease in developing countries is that many of the most serious problems are either preventable or curable by simple, inexpensive, safe methods. About 16 million children under age 5 died in 1979 in developing countries; 5 million of these deaths could have been prevented by immunization against measles, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and typhoid.

Dianne and Lillie Foundation health facilities seek to provide two-thirds of the needed services of these preventable safe methods including supervision of pregnancy, midwifery, care of new-born children, treatment of endemic diseases, and emergency care for injuries.

Early experience has taught the Foundation that it is more important for the community health worker to have practical experience and the respect of the people (s)he serves than formal education.

Improvements in nutrition, hygiene, clean water, and sanitation are needed to reach the full health potential of most communities.