Public Health Internship Fair 2009: Participating Organizations
1. Action Against Hunger (ACF)
Recognized as a world leader in the fight against hunger, the ACF International Network has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for nearly three decades, combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. Our professionals and technical experts work in the fields of water and sanitation, food security, public health, and nutrition in over 40 countries to restore dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations around the world. As a non-governmental, non-profit, non-religious organization, our International Network is committed to principled humanitarian action as outlined in our International Charter of Principles: Independence, Neutrality, Non-Discrimination, Free and Direct Access to Victims, Professionalism, and Transparency.
2. Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Queens Library Health Link Project
Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cancer requires strategies that link medically underserved communities into the continuum of care. Community-based participatory research has the potential to generate such strategies, through processes of collaborative planning, experimentation and discovery. The Queens Library Health Link project is designed to test the efficacy of a comprehensive participatory research approach to reducing disparities by improving use of cancer prevention, screening and treatment interventions. Core organizations involved in this project comprise a four-way partnership that includes the Queens Borough Public Library System, the Queens Cancer Center, the American Cancer Society of Queens, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (AECOM). In this project, public library branches provide a base for neighborhood organizing, education, data gathering, planning and implementation of local health promotion experiments and dissemination of results. The project will work with 20 of the 63 branch libraries in Queens, each serving its own large, diverse segment of the Queens community. Although we will follow the same research protocol in each site, every community will undertake unique health promotion activities most suited to local priorities, cultures, preferences and opportunities.
3. ALC Environmental Consultants
ALC Environmental Inc, is a full service environmental consulting firm with offices in New York City and Philadelphia. ALC provides environmental services in the following disciplines: lead based paint, asbestos, mold, indoor air quality, environmental site assessments (Phase I, II & III), tank removal, remediation management, health & safety training, property condition assessments, cost segregation studies and more. ALC provides services to a variety of clients including; property managers, real estate agencies, commercial lending institutions, the government, insurance companies, etc.
4. African Services Committee
About Us African Services Committee is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and self-sufficiency of the African community in New York City and beyond. Our Mission Founded in 1981 by Ethiopian refugees to give a helping hand to other newcomers, today African Services is a multiservice agency based in Harlem and dedicated to assisting immigrants, refugees and asylees from across the African Diaspora. Our programs address the needs of newcomers affected by war, persecution, poverty, and global health inequalities. We provide health, housing, legal, educational, and social services to 10,000 people each year. Staff representing more than 12 countries and speaking twice as many languages provide culturally and linguistically relevant support to this diverse and growing community. Expanding HIV prevention and access to AIDS treatment and care is central to our mission. African Services has taken this work from Harlem to the frontlines of the global pandemic and now operates three HIV clinics in Ethiopia. We are committed to challenging stigma and discrimination at all levels and supporting individuals, families and communities most impacted by AIDS. Combined with life-saving treatment, this care and support has transformed thousands of lives.
5. Asian/Pacific Islander Commission on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)
APICHA's mission is to combat HIV/AIDS stigma and related discrimination, to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities, and to provide care and treatment for A&PIs living with HIV/AIDS and their families. In the LGBT Program, we have projects providing services to different sectors of the Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQI) communities: Men's Project The adult men's project offers HIV prevention services to A&PI men who have sex with men (MSM) who are 25 and older. These services include individual and group risk reduction counseling, presentations and workshops to the community, HIV/STD screening, and peer training services. EquAsian" The young men who have sex with men (YMSM) project, EquAsian, offers HIV prevention services to A&PI YMSM who are 24 and under. Services include weekly social groups, weekend HIV prevention workshops, outreach and presentations to the community and HIV testing. Project Connect provides mentorship and skills workshops aimed at improving the general health and wellness of A&PI LGBT youth and adults. This non-HIV-related unit also provides technical assistance to partner agencies in an effort to increase and improve services provided to A&PI LGBT youth, adults and communities. The goal of the LGBT Program is: 1. To stop the spread of HIV in NYC by providing individual, group and community support to A&PI LGBT youth and adults 2. To improve health outcomes, eliminate health disparities and increase access to care for A&PI LGBT individuals, families and communities 3. To reduce community and organizational stigma and discrimination through education and knowledge 4. To provide culturally sensitive evidence-based interventions 5. To ameliorate the effects of racism, homophobia and sexism on the A&PI LGBTQI community.
6. Asthma Free School Zone (AFSZ)
Asthma Free School Zone (AFSZ) is a nonprofit organization that serves NYC schools and their surrounding communities by designating school zones with special signage; conducting environmental assessments and ambient air sampling; providing asthma and environmental health training to school and community members. The aim is to keep children in class by improving the air quality inside and outside of class. AFSZ approaches the issue of clean air from many different levels, including behavioral, institutional, and policy. This year AFSZ is providing an internship that focuses on our 3rd annual Idle-Free NYC citywide campaign to raise awareness of the health effects of idling vehicles. The intern will take a leadership role in coordinating the campaign, including researching and creating relationships with local partners; developing specific campaign components; participating in community events; and writing a final report describing the campaign, including successes, shortcomings and recommendations for future years.
7. Building Bridges, Building Knowledge, Building Health Coalition
The Building Bridges, Building Knowledge, Building Health (BBKH) Coalition is a collaboration among community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and health service providers. Currently, we are working on a five-year diabetes prevention and management initiative that seeks to reduce health disparities in diabetes in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. The program focuses on six levels of prevention, from individual care through policy-level initiatives. An important part of the program is our Community Health Worker (CHW) project, in which trained CHWs work with diabetic patients to help them better manage the condition. They work through phone calls as well as home and community-based visits, and speak with the patients about improving nutrition, medical appointment adherence, and other issues relevant to diabetes management. They are supported by a clinical team at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Ambulatory Care Network, which includes a nutritionist/diabetes coach who often accompanies the CHWs on home visits. The clinical team has direct access to their primary care providers for follow-up. They are also supported by the entire coalition membership and its referral networks. Interns work with five patients through one cycle of the program, which lasts approximately six months. They receive initial training and participate in monthly in-service trainings/team meetings. As other CHWs, they are required to submit regular progress notes to the clinical team. In the past, interns have written about this experience for their master's thesis; the preceptor provides support and guidance with this as needed. If students wish to commit more time than is required of them as CHWs, there are opportunities to engage with other aspects of the coalition's work in accordance with individual interests and availability.
8. Catholic Guardian Society & Home Bureau
Catholic Guardian Society and Home Bureau is a child welfare agency that provides numerous services to children and families in need. The agency provides services in Child Welfare, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities [MRDD], Maternity, Private and International Adoption, Juvenile Justice Non-Secure Detention (NSD) and Family Support Services. Programs are located in several satellite offices such as Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island. The MRDD program provides residential care for individuals in: Geriatric Services, services for Dual-Diagnosed Consumers, the blind, deaf, non-ambulatory and respite care. Child Welfare Service program is composed of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services, Foster Boarding Home, Residential Treatment and Child Welfare Support Services. The Child Welfare programs provide care for children with special and exceptional needs, teens, mentally ill youth, children with special medical conditions and teen mothers. The programs are designed to assist children who have been neglected, abused, have special medical, mental health as well as substance abuse problems. CGSHB mission is to provide high quality care for the most vulnerable children in our society, with the goal of protecting and nurturing disadvantaged children and individuals and increasing their self-sufficiency through provision of continuous services and care.
9. Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS)
CHIBPS conducts cutting-edge behavioral research in the synergistic areas of HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and mental health. We situate ourselves at the hyphen of theory-practice and conduct research informed by mixed methodologies with and for the communities affected by these forces. Our work is centered on the biopsychosocial paradigm, and is informed by health & prevention models, development & counseling theories, as well as public health policies, with an underlying understanding that our stakeholders hold multiple identities (i.e., sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, and, socioeconomic status). All of our research has been funded by both public and private sources. Because the dynamics underlying HIV and drug abuse prevention are constantly shifting, our research has focused longitudinal studies, studies that follow the same group of people over time. We do this to better understand how cultural, social and historical variables influence health behaviors. Our current study, Project 18, is a longitudinal developmental study of risk and resiliencies in a sample of 18 year old gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men focusing on sexual behavior, substance use, HIV risk factors and mental health.
10. Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH)
The Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH), founded in 2003, is a designated National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Center of Excellence. CSAAH is a partnership of an academic medical and research training center (NYU), several healthcare and public hospital organizations, and community and government partners serving the New York City (NYC) Asian American communities. Since its inception, CSAAH has developed and implemented research outreach, and training initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities in the Asian American community. The multi-year grant is devoted to the particular healthcare needs of Asian American communities in NYC and nationwide, providing a central location for the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of health problems affecting these communities.
11. Child Family Health International
Child Family Health International (CFHI) is the leading nonprofit providing socially responsible global health education opportunities for health sciences students. We model best global health education practices which demonstrate a priority commitment to community engagement and local integrity. The CFHI Program Objective: CFHI participants gain cultural awareness and broaden public health knowledge, while immersed within the local healthcare workforce. They cultivate existing clinical skills, professionalism, and creativity in problem-solving. By exploring both challenges and successes of different healthcare systems, students transform their perspectives about themselves, global health, & healing. Learn about our 4-12 week rotations 20+ sites in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, & South Africa at www.cfhi.org.
Child Family Health International (CFHI) is the leading nonprofit providing socially responsible global health education opportunities for health sciences students. We model best global health education practices which demonstrate a priority commitment to community engagement and local integrity. The CFHI Program Objective: CFHI participants gain cultural awareness and broaden public health knowledge, while immersed within the local healthcare workforce. They cultivate existing clinical skills, professionalism, and creativity in problem-solving. By exploring both challenges and successes of different healthcare systems, students transform their perspectives about themselves, global health, & healing. Learn about our 4-12 week rotations 20+ sites in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, & South Africa at www.cfhi.org.
12. Chinese-American Planning Council
The Chinese-American Planning Council is a comprehensive human services provider with a specific focus on the Chinese-speaking immigrant population of New York City. Founded in 1965, the CPC is one of the largest social service providers for Chinese Americans in the United States. The agency serves over 8,000 people daily and 100,000 annually through over 50 programs in many locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. It administers community services, client advocacy, translation, childcare, youth services, employment & training, senior services, home care, low-income housing, economic development and cultural services. The agency has helped generations of CPC program participants to pursue their dreams and to become civically oriented while helping shape New York City into a hospitable new home for Chinese immigrants.
13. City Harvest
Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 23 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to more than 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 260,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.
14. Coalition for Asian American Children & Families
The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), the nation' s only pan-Asian children's advocacy organization, aims to improve the health and well-being of Asian Pacific American children in New York City. We advocate for better policies, funding and services in child welfare, education, and health through policy advocacy, parent and youth leadership, research, capacity building, and coalition building.
15. Community Pediatric Programs at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CCP)
Community Pediatric Programs (CPP) is a partnership between the Children's Health Fund and the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. The three programs under CPP are the New York Children's Health Project (NYCHP); the South Bronx Health Center for Children and Families (SBHCCF); and the Starr Center for Preventive Health and Special Initiatives. NYCHP (1987) provides a medical home for homeless families, domestic violence shelter residents and street youth in 15 sites throughout New York City. Primary care, mental health and nutrition services are provided in Mobile Medical Units (MMU). Depending on scheduled services, MMUs are staffed by a complete medical, mental health and/or nutrition services team. Emergency food assistance and general psychosocial case management are also provided. SBHCCF (1993) is a community health center primarily serving public housing residents. SBHCCF's neighborhood has one of the highest poverty rates as well as the poorest health status in all of New York City. SBHCCF provides a medical home to its patients through comprehensive pediatric and adult primary care, oral health, women's health, HIV care, mental health/social services and nutrition services. NYCHP and SBHCCF conduct interventions targeting childhood asthma and obesity, adult diabetes and other health issues that disproportionately affect CPP's patient population. Both programs promote literacy among its pediatric patients by participating in the Reach Out and Read program. Subspecialty referral management is also provided for all patients. The Starr Center for Preventive Health and Special Initiatives (2008) coordinates and supports the development, implementation and administration of specific health interventions. The Center's research/evaluation team is dedicated to continuous quality improvement, health outcomes surveillance and program evaluation, as well as dissemination of best practice models. Part of the center's mission is to provide learning/training opportunities by sponsoring internships in public health, nutrition, and other related fields.
16. Doc to Dock
Everyday in the United States, thousands of tons of unused medical supplies are incinerated or sent to landfill. At the same time in the developing world, thousands of patients are turned away from hospitals and medical centers for lack of these very same supplies. Founded in 2005, as part of the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative, Doc to Dock is an NPO/NGO committed to correcting this imbalance. We collect, sort, and re-box medical supplies and equipment, which are then sent in 40-foot cargo containers to Sub-Saharan Africa.
17. EngenderHealth
EngenderHealth works to improve the health and well-being of people in the poorest communities of the world. We do this by sharing our expertise in sexual and reproductive health and transforming the quality of health care. We promote gender equity, advocate for sound practices and policies, and inspire people to assert their rights to better, healthier lives. Working in partnership with local organizations, we adapt our work in response to local needs.
18. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
19. G&Y Kids Power
Our multilingual home/community based Early Intervention agency provides evaluations, services and service coordination to children birth to 3 with diagnosed or sustected developmental delays or disability throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, as well as Westchester County. Physical, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, clinical psychologists, Special Education teachers and potential service coordinators can apply for fee-for-service, part or full time positions. We offer continuing education, consultation as needed or supervision where applicable.
20. Global Alliance for Women's Health (GAWH)
The Global Alliance for Women's Health (GAWH) is committed to advancing women's health in all stages of life and at all policy levels through health promotion, education, advocacy, and program implementation. GAWH both promotes and implements women's health care research and service improvements at local, national, and international levels by collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, academics, and individual citizens from all regions of the world. A cornerstone of GAWH's work has been to develop public/ private partnerships that advance an understanding of all aspects of women's health throughout the life cycle and to articulate these implications for public policy and development at the international and country levels.
21. Global Health Strategies (GHS)
Global Health Strategies (GHS) is an international consulting company that works with clients to ensure development and worldwide delivery of health products, technologies and information. GHS specializes in global health communications, advocacy, research and strategy. We focus on international public health issues that impact developing nations and emerging markets. Our clients include foundations, industry, NGOs, government agencies, academic institutions and product development.
22. Harm Reduction Coalition
The Harm Reduction Coalition is a national advocacy and capacity-building organization that promotes the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. HRC advances policies and programs that help people address the adverse effects of drug use including overdose, HIV, hepatitis C, addiction, and incarceration. We recognize that the structures of social inequality impact the lives and options of affected communities differently, and work to uphold every individual's right to health and well-being, as well as in their competence to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.
23. International Rescue Committee (IRC)
One of the first to respond, one of the last to leave. For 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has been a leader in humanitarian relief. We mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support to regions torn apart by violence and deprivation. We provide a fresh start in the U.S. for refugees. And we advocate tirelessly on behalf of the displaced, addressing the root causes of violence and standing up for the world's most vulnerable populations. An estimated 300 million people worldwide live in countries affected by armed conflict. When violence and political instability disrupt societies and displace populations, they usually destroy public health services, clean water supplies, sanitation and stable living conditions. As a result, death and disease skyrocket. During these emergencies the International Rescue Committee strives to rapidly reduce illness and death rates to normal levels. When the conflict subsides, the IRC works with displaced individuals and communities to rebuild their health systems. IRC health programs assist approximately 13 million people in 25 countries, focusing on primary health care, reproductive health care, environmental health, child survival, blindness treatment and prevention, and assistance for victims of sexual violence. The IRC works in various settings such as in refugee camps, in disaster-stricken areas and in host countries where refugees have resettled after a conflict. IRC experts in primary care, environmental health, reproductive health, epidemiology, child survival, and emergency medicine ensure that IRC programs use cutting edge public health tools in accordance with best-practice standards for humanitarian aid. The IRC is also committed to contributing to the development of the science and practice of humanitarian assistance and has undertaken a variety of research studies on public health published in various peer-reviewed journals. Visit www. theiRC.org to learn more about IRC Health Programming and job opportunities with the IRC.
24. Iris House, Inc.
Iris House, incorporated in 1992, is a Harlem-based nonprofit minority organization named after Iris De La Cruz, a pioneer in AIDS and women's advocacy. Iris House is the country's first community-based organization whose services are designed specifically to meet the needs of women with HIV/AIDS and their families. Within the last few years, the agency has also begun serving men requesting our services. Iris House's mission is to provide comprehensive services and advocacy for women, families, and communities infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS, while simultaneously providing prevention and education services for our clients and at-risk communities. The agency provides direct care for high risk and HIV+, African American and Hispanic men and women living in the disproportionately impacted areas of Central and East Harlem and the South Bronx. Our clients suffer from a multiplicity of problems in addition to HIV, including intergenerational poverty, chronic homelessness, drug use, mental health problems, as well as other chronic co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Iris House's service continuum includes outreach, rapid HIV testing, CDC-approved behavioral prevention interventions, mental health and substance abuse screenings, COBRA and supportive case management, scatter-site housing, treatment adherence, harm reduction, nutritional counseling and pantry bag provision, financial life skills workshops, support groups, and a youth HIV prevention program. Between its office locations in Central and East Harlem, Iris House served over 3000 clients in 2008.
25. Health Promotion Office at SHC NYU Student Health Center
The Health Promotion Office at SHC NYU Student Health Center 726 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Suite 344 212-443-1234 www.nyu.edu/shc/promotion health.promotion@nyu.edu hours of operation The Health Promotion Office at SHC produces dynamic educational workshops, health information, peer training and campus events to enhance personal, academic and career success. An accessible team of professional and peer health educators design, deliver and evaluate diverse wellness programming, provide individual and group health consultations and serve as resources to additional support on a variety of health topics including stress management, alcohol and other drugs, sexual health, sexual assault, healthy eating, body image, and smoking cessation, among others. In addition, HPO provides leadership and programming opportunities for students through its Peer Education and SHC Ambassador programs which include Peers Educating Peers About Substances (PEPS), Sexual Health Advocates (SHAs), Peer Health Awareness Team (PHATs), Sexual Assault Educators (SAEs), and STRESSBUSTERS (SBS). All services are free and confidential.
26. Morehouse School of Medicine
The Public Health Summer Fellows Program was founded in 1987 as a joint collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine. The goal of this program is to encourage and prepare minority students to pursue graduate studies and careers in public health by providing educational and experiential activities along with professional and practical work experience. Ongoing recruitment activities targets underrepresented junior and senior undergraduate students of African American, Hispanic, American-Indian and Pacific Islander descent. The Programs focus includes a one week course on the principles of epidemiology, disease surveillance and investigation followed by a five week community based public health internship.
The Public Health Summer Fellows Program was founded in 1987 as a joint collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine. The goal of this program is to encourage and prepare minority students to pursue graduate studies and careers in public health by providing educational and experiential activities along with professional and practical work experience. Ongoing recruitment activities targets underrepresented junior and senior undergraduate students of African American, Hispanic, American-Indian and Pacific Islander descent. The Programs focus includes a one week course on the principles of epidemiology, disease surveillance and investigation followed by a five week community based public health internship.
27. NARAL Pro-Choice New York
NARAL Pro-Choice New York is a political and advocacy reproductive rights organization that works at the state and local level to protect and advance access to the full range of reproductive health care to help men, women and teens stay healthy and safe. We work to pass proactive, pro-choice legislation and to defeat anti-choice initiatives. Politically, we work to elect pro-choice officials and hold them accountable to our mission by ensuring they pass progressive legislation. At the community level, we provide educational resources and information while simultaneously engaging and empowering individuals to join us in working to achieve our broader, long-term goals.
28. New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM)
The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.
The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.
29. New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
The Health Research Training Program (HRTP) of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene provides undergraduate, graduate/professional school students the opportunity to experience some of the "real life" challenges of public health. By working on current relevant public health issues under the close supervision of experienced professionals, students apply their classroom learning to practical problems and, in the process, learn critical skills. The goals of the program are: To orient students to the principles and practices of public health planning, research, administration and evaluation. To broaden students' concept of public health by increasing their awareness of the needs, challenges and career opportunities in this field. To assist the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in recruiting skilled, professional candidates with proven potential. Most students work full-time for 10-12 weeks during the summer, and part-time during the academic year. Financial stipends are available on a limited basis. Some support may be available for those students in the Federal College Work/Study program.
30. Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer organization. Since 1961, the Peace Corps has shared with the world America's most precious resource, its people. Peace Corps Volunteers serve in 73 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Collaborating with local community members, Volunteers work in areas like education, youth outreach and community development, the environment, and information technology. Every Peace Corps Volunteer's experience is different. From teaching English to elementary school children in Zambia to launching a computer learning center in Moldova to promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in South Africa to working on soil conservation in Panama, Volunteers bring their skills and life experiences to where they are needed most.
31. Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
SAWSO is an International Development Agency providing support to development programs in the developing world. Our focus is helping indigenous program work on community based reponses to the following areas: HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Promotion of Micro finance initiatives, Food, Water and Sanitation, Anti-Trafficking and Emergency Relief. The support provided includes technical assistance in program development and implementation, as well as securing funding from USAID, PEPFAR, Dept. of Justice, other government agencies as well as private foundations and donors. Basic requirements for working at SAWSO is experience in working in a development program in the developing world for two to three years, a Master's Degree in a relevent field and the ability to speak a foreing language. We also have a system to accomidates interns both in our Washington Office and overseas to do research and gain valuable work experience. SAWSO works in all regions of the world but has a concentration of Programs in Africa and South Asia.
32. South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS)
South Asian Council for Social Services, SACSS, was created to empower underserved South Asians to actively engage in the civic and economic life of New York City.The areas of major focus for SACSS are (a) healthcare access, awareness and advocacy, (b) Parents Empowerment and (c) ESOL classes. We have been a community partner on SAEHAT (South Asians Engaging with Hypertension and Treatment) with the Center for Immigrant Health at New York University School of Medicine. We organized 12 focus groups on hypertension assessing the awareness and incidence of hypertension in our community. Through this program we also screened 2,000 people in two years for hypertension and gave them culturally competent educational materials such as brochures and DVDs in appropriate languages. Since 2007, we are a NYC MCCAP (Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program) Agency through which we assist the neediest with access to Medicaid, Medicare, Child Health Plus and other public health benefits as well as assist those in need with HHC options. Additionally, we are on the New York Immigration Coalition's Healthcare Access and Advocacy Collaborative which gives us a great opportunity not only to assist our clients but also to advocate on their behalf to our elected officials. Our Parents Empowerment Program also has a strong health component. We hold workshops at community and faith based centers as well as at libraries to reach out to the South Asian community on how to raise a physically and emotionally healthy family in their new home - USA. Our Health and Nutrition workshops emphasize the importance of a healthy diet in a culturally and linguistically competent manner. These workshops also emphasize need of sports and exercise for children and adults. Moreover participants also learn about prevention of the most common illnesses in the community such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. They learn of diet and lifestyle changes that can help with prevention.
33. Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN)
Since 2005, Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) has been a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been working with our various local and international partnerships to improve the quality of life for people living in rural communities in Nepal. Almost 85% of the population in Nepal live in rural areas of the country and lack proper access to health care, education and nutrition. VIN's mission is to empower marginalized communities, with a focus on women and children, through enhanced educational programs and community training to promote equality, economic well-being and basic human rights. We are currently focusing on empowering women and children through special educational programs and community training projects conducted independently and/or in association with like-minded organizations and individuals. VIN has adopted an integrated community development approach in order to develop targeted programs to improve health awareness and education in schools and other community institutions. VIN also works to improve health service delivery to community residents and to develop educational programs to promote health and sanitation in rural communities. We have various internship programs focusing on Community/ Health Education, Health care, Environmental Development, Women's Empowerment and Grant Writing and would be glad to work with students from the NYU community.
Since 2005, Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) has been a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been working with our various local and international partnerships to improve the quality of life for people living in rural communities in Nepal. Almost 85% of the population in Nepal live in rural areas of the country and lack proper access to health care, education and nutrition. VIN's mission is to empower marginalized communities, with a focus on women and children, through enhanced educational programs and community training to promote equality, economic well-being and basic human rights. We are currently focusing on empowering women and children through special educational programs and community training projects conducted independently and/or in association with like-minded organizations and individuals. VIN has adopted an integrated community development approach in order to develop targeted programs to improve health awareness and education in schools and other community institutions. VIN also works to improve health service delivery to community residents and to develop educational programs to promote health and sanitation in rural communities. We have various internship programs focusing on Community/ Health Education, Health care, Environmental Development, Women's Empowerment and Grant Writing and would be glad to work with students from the NYU community.
34. World Information Transfer
EDUCATION BRINGS CHOICES. CHOICES BRING POWER World Information Transfer, Inc., (WIT) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in General Consultative Status with the United Nations, promoting environmental health and literacy. In 1987, inspired by the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy, WIT was formed in recognition of the pressing need to provide accurate actionable information about our deteriorating global environment and its effect on human health to opinion leaders and concerned citizens around the world. WIT exercises its mandate through: 1) World Ecology Report (WER). Published since 1989, the World Ecology Report is a quarterly digest of critical issues in health and environment, produced in four languages and distributed to thousands of citizens throughout the developing and developed world. 2) Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions Conference. Since l992, WIT has convened what we believe to be one of the world's premier forums for the presentation of scientific papers by international experts on the growing clinical evidence supporting the link between degrading environments and diminished human health. The conference has been convened as a parallel event to the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The scientific papers presented at the conference are available on WIT's web site. 3) Health and Development CD ROM Library. This project consists of a library of CDs each of which focuses on a subject within the overall topic of Development and Health information. Our Human Information CD ROM Library offers one bridge across the "digital divide" for both developed and developing countries. The project is continuous with future topics being developed. 4) Health and Development CD ROM Library for Ukraine. In conjunction with UNDP, WIT has developed a country specific library disc for distribution in schools and centers in Ukraine. 5) Humanitarian Aid. WIT provides humanitarian relief to hospitals and orphanages in areas devastated by environmental degradation. Our shipments have included medical equipment for pediatric medical facilities, computer and telephone systems, clothing, toys, prosthetic devices for gifted children. 6) Internship Program. Internships: World Information Transfer (WIT) offers internships in New York City, where our main office is located. Our goal is to encourage future leaders in health and environment. Our interns spend the majority of their time at the United Nations.