June 2021
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Note from Elizabeth (EJ) Ashbourne, PQMD Executive Director

PQMD is excited about our upcoming summer programming and our Annual Guidelines Week (July 19-23). We are also excited to release our new “Guidelines At a Glance” resource and PQMD’s Medical Missions Guidelines module, which will launch soon. Please help us promote our guidelines and resources through your networks and social media. More information about how you can help us spread the word is included below.

This newsletter also highlights some of the incredible work we are doing to provide high-quality programs and tools to help our members and other professionals working in global health. This month we share an update on our Spotlight on Hygiene Kits Initiative. Moving forward, we will continue to highlight how these important tools can be utilized in the field.

I also want to mention that this month’s theme at PQMD was Refugees and Displaced Persons. We had a really terrific Pillar Talk, “The Effect of Vaccine Nationalism on Refugees, IDP and Migrants." The link to the recording is below. In this newsletter, we have also highlighted some of our members who are working to address the critical needs of this often overlooked group. Our next Pillar Talk will be on the topic of counterfeit medicines on July 22, so please be sure to register.

Finally, we are thrilled to announce that we have locked in the dates for our 2022 Global Health Policy Forum being held in Paris, France from April 26-28. I hope you will save the date and plan to join us in person!

Stay safe this summer and I hope everyone can enjoy some much needed time away!

PQMD Programmatic Update-  Spotlight on Hygiene Kits (SoHK) 

Following a series of stakeholder interviews and design workshops, the Spotlight on Hygiene Kits (SoHK) Initiative has moved to the testing phase. Members of the kitting community, such as Oxfam, Heart-to-Heart International, and the Tamdeen Youth Foundation – Yemen, are using information from past kitting events to test out the usability and suitability of the tools. As we eagerly await receiving feedback from our testing group, we are also looking towards the future use and refinement of the tools.

The testing phase will run for three weeks, closing at the end of June. We will work with our project consultants to review and incorporate feedback to ensure that the tools are configured in the best way to support the kitting community in gathering the information that they need to continue to provide effective programming.

Looking forward, PQMD is in the process of developing a guidance document that will provide the wider community the rationale for developing the tools, instructions for how to use the tools, a mechanism for ongoing feedback on the tools themselves, and resources to help kitters learn more about the work of their community. To learn more, visit PQMD's Community of Practice.

PQMD Honored with HHI’s Heart for Humanity Award

The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), is proud to announce that we have been chosen as the honored recipient of Heart to Heart International’s 2021 Heart for Humanity Award.

“We applaud PQMD’s outstanding collaborative efforts and achievements working toward your vision of ‘A world in which there is universal access to health and wellbeing’. Your commitment and dedication to increase access to quality health care has had an immeasurable impact on the people of the world,” says HHI Chief Executive Officer, Kim Carroll.

The Heart for Humanity Award is awarded annually to an individual or group in recognition of an enduring commitment and extraordinary service or leadership toward improving health access to people around the globe. The HHI Awards Committee recognizes PQMD as a unique alliance of global non-profit and corporate organizations committed to bringing measurable health impact to under-served and vulnerable people through active engagement with global partners and local communities.

To read the full press release, visit PQMD's website here. 

PQMD Celebrates Guidelines Week- July 19-23!  

Every year, PQMD celebrates Guidelines Week to showcase our Medical Donation Guidelines and Medical Missions Guidelines. PQMD will be holding a Pillar Talk on counterfeit medicine and PPE. We will also be sharing a new one-page resource, "At a Glance," for quick information related to the medical donation guidelines. Also, please help us share information about our guidelines during guidelines week within your networks and on social media. Suggested posts and resources will be available on the PQMD website here shortly. 

PQMD Glossary is Now Available for Members

PQMD has created a new glossary with pertinent terms related to PQMD and global health. This resource is now available to all members and will be included in the new member resources. You can also find the Glossary on the Members Only section of the CoP.

This glossary will be updated annually and will help members navigate PQMD's programmatic and day-to-day operations. If you have questions regarding the Glossary, please reach out to Sam MacDonald.

Join us for our Next Pillar Talk: Countering Covid-19 Counterfeiting

July 22, 10-11am ET 

Join us for PQMD’s Pillar Talk on Countering COVID-19 Counterfeiting. During the discussion our panelists will detail the growth, depth, and evolution of COVID-era counterfeit medical supplies; the impact this has on world-wide health systems and global public health efforts; and dig into counteractive measures that can be taken to deal with this global scourge.

Confirmed Panelists:

  • Adam K Smith, PhD, Senior Scientist, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NPPTL-NIOSH)
  • Nikola Usenovic, Head of Global Procurement, International Medical Corps
  • Marcia Roeder, Senior Specialist, Strategic Philanthropy and Gifts In-Kind, International Medical Corps; Vice Chair, Guidelines Committee, PQMD (Moderator)
Register Here
 

PQMD Pillar Talk: The Effect of Vaccine Nationalism on Refugees; Internally Displaced Persons, and Migrants! Recording Now Available

This month UNHCR warned of a severe shortage of COVID-19 vaccines for refugees and asylum seekers as global infection rates and deaths continue to climb. 

Watch the recording of PQMD’s Pillar Talk: The Effect of Vaccine Nationalism on Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Migrants. During the discussion our panelists detailed the myriad of access issues that are leaving these vulnerable populations behind in the race to vaccinate the globe; providing country specific context for rollout efforts; delving deeper into new challenges COVID-19 has created beyond vaccinations; and elaborating on what is working and what is not in collective efforts to ensure equitable access and uptake to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Send a Direct Message on the CoP!

Did you know that you can direct message members of PQMD's Community of Practice via the CoP?

Searching for someone's email address? Trying to reach a new member? Looking to privately respond to a post or ask a direct question? Simply click on the quote box/speech bubble/speech balloon infographic in the upper right hand of the masthead. Your messages will be stored in your inbox and recipients will receive a notification while on the CoP as well as a notification in your email inbox. 

PQMD Members make Glassdoor's Top CEOs 2021 List 

Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, Merck, AstraZeneca and BD all made the list of  the top CEOs for 2021 based on employees' choice. To see the full list, visit Glassdoor. 

Take Project Hope's Quiz on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Internally Displaced Persons

How much do you know about the health issues refugees face? Find out with this short quiz.
Take the Quiz

IsraAid- World Refugee Day: What Does Refugee Mean to Me? 

For World Refugee Day 2021, IsraAID’s facilitators in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, Kenya, shared their perspective on what the word “refugee” means by capturing a moment from their daily lives and work on camera. IsraAID’s teams in Kenya – made up largely of refugee community members – focus on supporting refugee children through protection and informal education activities at IsraAID’s Child Friendly Spaces.

To read the article, visit IsraAid's website here. 

Operation Smile: Amid Crisis, Healing- The Story of One Refugee Fleeing to Columbia from Venezuela

Operation Smile shares the story of Pedro, a young boy who was living with an untreated cleft lip and cleft palate when his family fled turmoil in Venezuela for a better life in Colombia. There, Operation Smile was able to connect with his family, and he received surgery from their local team of Colombian volunteers in a town close to his temporary community.

To read the full story, visit Operation Smile's website here.  

Medical Teams International  Assists Refugees in Ethiopia

Thousands of people in Ethiopia are at risk and need life-saving medical care. Food shortages in the Tigray region are putting 350,000 people at risk of starvation, and 33,000 children are perilously close to death from malnutrition. 

In response, Medical Teams International is working to restore health which is the first step to restore hope for refugees who have lost everything. Medical Teams International focuses on stopping infectious diseases, caring for women and children, and empowering refugees. 

Read about one man's story, Burhani, who fled the Tirgray region to save his son's life. 

Does your organization have news to share?
Contact Beth Haynes for placement in future newsletters.
Next Month's Theme: Guidelines

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