The health care innovation center launches an open-education initiative to empower the public to save lives and reduce suffering.
BOSTON, Nov. 16, 2022 – Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is pleased to announce it has launched a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action called “Trusted, Equitable, Open Access Humanitarian Health Education.” Ariadne Labs is collaborating with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, International Medical Corps, and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
At the CGI 2022 Meeting, held in New York City in September, President Bill Clinton announced Ariadne Labs’ commitment to produce 45 educational videos – across three regions – on medical and public health topics that are relevant to conflict situations, mass casualty medical situations, and environments supporting refugees and displaced people. In addition to videos, novel measurement and evaluation tools will be developed and utilized in order to understand and improve the videos’ impact.
The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that “more than 100 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes globally.”[1] Refugees and displaced populations may not be able to visit health providers and get medicines and medical supplies, laboratory tests, and other life-sustaining health services due to distance, safety, language, policy, or financial barriers. Humanitarian relief efforts have an enormous impact for many; however, these efforts are limited by geographical, financial, and logistical constraints, leaving many without aid.
This Commitment to Action builds on a body of work developed by Dr. Eric Goralnick, MD, MS. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Dr. Goralnick and a team at Mass General Brigham developed novel, open access online videos to educate the public on bleeding control techniques, care for traumatic injuries, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threat preparedness. The videos have reached more than 1.2 million viewers in Ukraine and have been highlighted in The Washington Post, BBC News, and other media outlets.
“We have an opportunity to empower individuals living in areas of conflict to save lives and reduce suffering by teaming with community trust brokers to develop, produce, and amplify educational videos,” said Dr. Goralnick.
“Training has always been at the heart of our humanitarian work, which is why we are excited about our collaboration with Ariadne Labs,” said Rebecca Milner, Chief Advancement Officer, International Medical Corps. “Just as in-person training and training-of-trainers extends the reach of the medical and other services we provide, video training will make this knowledge more accessible to more people, helping them to become more resilient and better able to recover from emergencies.”
“UNHCR is pleased to partner with Ariadne Labs, the International Medical Corps, and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative to support this novel method to strengthen access to effective and timely health information in humanitarian contexts. Refugees are often unable to easily access health care due to any number of barriers. Through this project, we will help the development of trusted, open access videos on health care topics that can reduce preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in pilot locations,” said Ann Burton, Chief of Public Health, UNHCR.
For more information about Ariadne Labs’ commitment to health education in humanitarian conflict zones, visit https://www.ariadnelabs.org/health-education-in-humanitarian-conflict-zones/.
About Ariadne Labs:
Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. With a mission to save lives and reduce suffering, our vision is that health systems equitably deliver the best possible care for every patient, everywhere, every time. We use implementation science and human-centered design to make health care more safe, equitable, and integrated. From developing checklists and conversation guides to fostering international collaborations and establishing global standards of measurement, our work has been accessed in more than 165 countries, touching hundreds of millions of lives. Visit ariadnelabs.org to learn more.
About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI):
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI works with partners to drive action through its unique model. Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and develop Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable plans that address global challenges. Through CGI, the community has made more than 3,700 Commitments to Action that have made a difference in the lives of more than 435 million people in more than 180 countries.
About UNHCR:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance such as shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions of people.
About International Medical Corps:
A preeminent first responder, International Medical Corps provides emergency relief to those struck by conflict, disaster and disease—no matter where they are, no matter what the conditions—working with them to recover, rebuild, and gain the skills and tools required for self-reliance. International Medical Corps also trains people in their communities, providing them with the skills needed to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves.
About the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is an interfaculty initiative at Harvard University dedicated to advancing research, practice, and policy in the field of humanitarian assistance. HHI is jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. HHI’s mission is to relieve human suffering in war and disaster by advancing the science and practice of humanitarian response worldwide.
[1] https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights/explainers/100-million-forcibly-displaced.html