Merck Foundation Grant Expands Project ECHO® in Vietnam and India
January 18 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Project Increases Access to Specialty Care
for Complex, Chronic Conditions
The Merck Foundation (Foundation) and the Extension for
Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Institute™ at the University
of New Mexico Health Sciences Center announced today that the
Foundation has provided a grant of $7 million over five years to
support the expansion of Project ECHO® to improve access to
specialty care for complex, chronic conditions, such as: hepatitis
C, HIV, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases, including
diabetes and mental health conditions, in underserved communities
in India and Vietnam.
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Project ECHO® is a telementoring model that links expert
specialists with primary care providers through virtual clinics
(teleECHOTM clinics), where the specialists mentor and share their
knowledge through case-based learning and guided practice, enabling
primary care providers to develop the ability to treat patients
with complex conditions within their own communities.
Given the substantial need to improve health care and build
health care providers’ capacity throughout India and Vietnam, this
project has four central goals:
- Further develop ECHO superhubs in India
to provide training and technical assistance for ECHO projects
throughout Asia;
- Develop and expand ECHO hubs (specialty
teams at academic medical centers or other care centers) across
India and Vietnam in targeted communities;
- Work with hubs in India and Vietnam to
develop and implement training programs for community health
workers to further improve the quality and availability of
treatment and care; and
- Document the impact of the ECHO model™
on improving access to specialty care for patients in rural and
underserved areas in India and Vietnam.
“At Merck, we value and support our partners who are
experimenting with new health care models and technologies aimed at
solving complex health problems,” said Dr. Julie L. Gerberding,
chief patient officer, Merck and chief executive officer, Merck
Foundation. “Project ECHO® will help to make a meaningful impact on
patients living with chronic conditions in India and Vietnam by
empowering local providers with the specialized medical knowledge
they need.”
“We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation from the
Merck Foundation,” said Dr. Sanjeev Arora, creator and director of
Project ECHO®. “Strengthening the skills and capabilities of
primary care providers in rural or remote settings helps to ensure
patients receive the right care at the right place and the right
time.”
As part of the initiative, a community health worker program
will be developed to further expand access to appropriate care in
rural communities. The community health workers will join the more
than 3,000 doctors, nurses and community health workers currently
enrolled in Project ECHO’s comprehensive disease management
programs. To date, more than 110 partners have launched their own
ECHO hubs for more than 55 diseases and conditions in more than 20
countries.
About The Merck Foundation
The Merck Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable
foundation. Established in 1957 by Merck, a global health care
leader, the Foundation is funded entirely by the company and is
Merck’s chief source of funding support to qualified non-profit
charitable organizations. Since its inception, the Merck Foundation
has contributed more than $870 million to support important
initiatives that address societal needs and are consistent with
Merck’s overall mission to help the world be well. For more
information, visit www.merckgiving.com.
About the ECHO Institute
The ECHO Institute, based at the University of New Mexico Health
Science Center, is a groundbreaking approach to increasing access
to specialty care that started in 2003, in New Mexico. ECHO is a
lifelong learning and guided practice model that revolutionizes
medical education and exponentially increases workforce capacity to
provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities.
Learn more at echo.unm.edu and on Twitter @ProjectECHO.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170118005366/en/
Merck Media Contacts:Claire Gillespie, 267-305-0932Jeanine
Clemente, 908-236-5059orProject ECHO Media Contact:Andrea Bradford,
505-272-5513
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