Ghana Health Partnership Week featured in MPBN radio story

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network on Nov. 12, 2010 featured a radio story on UNE's Ghana Health Partnership Week, which took place Nov. 10-12. UNE’s Center for Community and Public Health (CCPH), the Ghana Health Service, the University of Cape Coast, and several U.S.-based health organizations launched the partnership to improve the health of the people of western Ghana. Since 2008, UNE has organized four missions ot Ghana, including interprofessional teams of health professions students and faculty. 

During Ghana Health Partnership week, UNE hosted a visiting contingent of four Ghanaian officials for a series of seminars, lectures and panel discussions. As part of future programming, there will be faculty exchanges between UNE and the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.

Dr. Linda Vanotoo, who oversees health services for more than 2 million Ghanaians, is hopeful that the partnership with UNE will help reduce high rates of infant and maternal mortality in her country. During her visit, she went to a neonatal unit and was amazed by the incubators helping to keep low-birth weight babies alive. UNE CCPH director Ron DePrez, Ph.D., told MPBN that the goal is to help the Ghanians figure out where to target their prevention efforts, and what are the best methods. "For example, best practice on nutrition issues, exercise issues, the proper medications, the proper follow-up."

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.