[www.inewsguyana.com] – Chargé d’Affaires Bryan Hunt met with Dr. Nichole Nedd-Jerrick upon her return from the United States after participating in an Embassy-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange.
Dr. Nedd-Jerrick, Head of the Enmore Polyclinic, participated in an IVLP exchange on “Public Health Issues in the United States,” from July 6 – 25, 2014.
Dr. Nedd-Jerrick shared her IVLP experience with the Chargé d’Affaires and U.S. Embassy representatives. She highlighted a visit to primary health care facilities including Life Flight Air Ambulance, Family Health Care of Worcester and the Barre Family Health Clinic.
She was delighted to see the operations firsthand and underscored the value of this experience, and discussed how she intends to apply the knowledge gained to the benefit of her organization and other health care facilities in Guyana.
As a result of this experience, Dr. Nedd-Jerrick will seek to improve diabetes care plans at the Enmore Polyclinic, enhance use of nutrition displays, and follow up on the monitoring of the use of pesticides in cash crops. She also underscored the value of the many professional linkages made with U.S. institutions and other IVLP participants from countries around the world which can only strengthen her work for the benefit of the Guyanese people.
During the program, Dr. Nedd-Jerrick and her counterparts from fifteen countries visited several cities, including Washington, D.C.; Worcester, Massachusetts; Phoenix, Arizona; and Seattle, Washington.
One of the main objectives of the program is to promote international cooperation on the common challenges facing the global community in preventing, treating, and managing chronic and non-communicable diseases such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The IVLP participants had an opportunity to examine public awareness campaigns about health issues and challenges to health care delivery systems.
They also examined federal, state, and local efforts at preventative screening and wellness programs, such as projects promoting maternal and child health. In addition, participants had the opportunity to assess U.S. and international health care programs and increase information sharing and transparency in global health issues.
Chargé d’Affaires Hunt highlighted collaborative partnerships between the U.S. Government and the Government of Guyana in working to build in-country capacity and strengthening the public health systems to ensure the availability of comprehensive medical care for the people in every region of Guyana.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. The program brings together emerging leaders in their respective professions to learn how U.S. experts in their professions operate, and to share best practices with the other program fellows who hail from across the globe.
To date, approximately fifty-one Guyanese mid-level professionals have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
