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ABOUT ANDEAN HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT

Andean Health & Development (AHD), a U.S. based 501(c)3 corporation, was founded in 1995 by Dr. David Gaus and Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, and Past President of the Rockefeller Foundation, to establish models of self-sustainable, comprehensive healthcare in poor, rural areas of Latin America where there are high risk populations of women and children. Saludesa is the foundation established in Ecuador by AHD in 1997 to carry out the work of AHD in Ecuador.

The advisory board of AHD, comprised of members with extensive experience in healthcare policy and administration, tropical public health, and successful private business ventures, provides oversight of Saludesa. Advisory members include Dr. Gaus, Michael Heisler, MD from Emory University, and Barnett Cline, Professor Emeritus, Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University.
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The Pilot Project -- SUCCESS!

The pilot project for AHD opened its doors in the rural town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado (PVM), Ecuador in the year 2000. During its eight years of operation, Hospital PVM has treated over 75,000 patients including 2,500 childbirths, 1,200 surgeries and 7,500 emergencies. During 2007 Hospital PVM achieved financial self-sustainability while providing a high quality, permanent service to an entire population - the majority of whom are children and women. To the best of our knowledge, it was the first time a rural hospital in Latin America has achieved financial self-sustainability while providing a high quality, permanent service to an entire population - the majority of whom are children and women.

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The AHD Impact

According to a 2006 Unicef Study titled, “Global Child Survival and Health,” almost 30,000 children below the age of five die every day from largely preventable causes including pneumonia, diarrhea/dehydration, and measles. In total, about 10.6 million children die every year! Because these children live in the developing world, far from us, we often feel we can do little about this situation.

In many areas, 1 in 20 woman have a lifetime risk of death from a complication of pregnancy such as bleeding, infection, or eclampsia. Countless communities suffer unnecessary death and disease because they have either no access to good healthcare or simply can’t afford it.

AHD is doing something to change these dreadful statistics by developing a healthcare system in rural Ecuador that cares for these kinds of extremely poor communities.

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What makes AHD unique?

AHD emphasizes quality care, dignified services, and self-sustainability. It is AHD’s believe that, as a component of social justice, all people have a right to access a certain standard of healthcare services. The creation of a quality model that is sustained through local funding is a major step towards that goal. By the end of 2007, the pilot project in Pedro Vicente Maldonado (PVM), Ecuador, will be able to maintain itself with little or no outside help. Furthermore, this is more than just a hospital. Relationships have been developed with primary care physicians in the community as well as with tertiary care hospitals in the capital, resulting in a healthcare system. There are currently no other known healthcare models like this in Latin America providing healthcare to the poorest of the poor,

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Mailing Address

14257 Waters Edge Trail
New Berlin, WI 53151