We bring women's health care to coffee-growing communities. |
About Us  |
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________________________________________________ Grounds for Health works to create sustainable, effective cancer screening programs in coffee-producing regions. We collaborate with regional coffee unions, community members and in-country healthcare professionals to increase awareness about cervical cancer and improve existing cancer prevention systems. We:
A revolutionary new model to address early detection and treatment Grounds for Health is one of the first organizations to bring innovative, life-saving technology to coffee farmers and their families. Based on research funded by the Gates Foundation and endorsed by the World Health Organization, this approach, called "Single Visit Screen & Treat" has been shown to be affordable, effective and, most important, sustainable in low-resource settings. This approach also allows rural women to receive care in one day. Even more important for long-term sustainability, the skills and equipment required are simple enough for general health care providers in local communities to provide this care. Our Staff, Board Members and Volunteers: Staff: Brendan Downs-Dudley, Office Manager Janice Nadworny, MBA, Development Director Elisa Brettler Vandervort, MSN, FNP-BC, Program Manager - Africa Board of Directors: Dan Cox, Coffee Enterprises, GFH Founder Jon Wettstein, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Board President Kathryn Guare, Independent Consultant, Board Vice President Dr. Jerome Belinson, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine Tina Berard, Atlantic Specialty Coffee, Inc. Dr. Francis Fote, GFH Founder (Emeritus) Robert Fulmer, Royal Coffee, Inc. Tracy Ging, Specialty Coffee Association of America Kerri Goodman-Small, CoffeeTalk magazine and the Daily Dose Dr. Nancy Joste, University of New Mexico Department of Pathology Dr. John Sellors, McMaster University Linda Smithers, Daterra Coffee
Advisory Board: Salma Hayek José A. Pérez Valenzuela, MD Harshad Sanghvi, MD With the exception of our staff, the Grounds for Health team is made up exclusively of volunteers. All medical volunteers are highly trained professionals. Our roster of volunteers includes:
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Grounds for Health began work in 1996 in Pochutla, Oaxaca. We expanded services to the nearby town of Pluma Hidalgo in 1998, and set up a site in Huatusco, Veracruz in 2000. Before the arrival of the Grounds for Health team, there was very little cancer screening done in these areas, with no outreach to women in more remote communities. Any screening done was hampered by questionable cytological accuracy and poor delivery of results. GFH maintains excellent collaborative relationships with hospital staff, local government officials and the community at large in all our sites. When the GFH team arrives to begin a screening campaign, both community educators and the local social services agency publicize the campaign, the local coffee union provides transportation at no cost for the patients and GFH volunteers, and the in-country doctors and hospital staff donate their time. Each day the GFH team is greeted by long lines of women eager to be seen. |