LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation (LGT VP) is pleased to announce the renewal of the partnership with Last Mile Health. Last Mile Health is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare access in the world’s most remote communities by strengthening community health systems. Last Mile Health focuses on maximising the potential of community health workers by ensuring that they are Skilled, Supervised, Salaried, and Supplied by a well-functioning community health System that is operating at national scale and integrated into broader public Systems (known as the Six S’s). Last Mile Health currently works in partnership with the Governments of Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.
Last Mile Health was founded in 2007 to combat an injustice: illness is universal, but healthcare is not. The organization pioneered a model that brings care directly to patients living in last mile communities by investing in community health workers as professionals and embedding them in the systems that enable their success. This model was scaled nationally in partnership with the Liberia Ministry of Health following the devastating Ebola outbreak in 2013-2014. With the support of partners like LGT VP, Liberia`s National Community Health Programme has now reached national scale, providing every rural or remote community across the country with access to a professionalised community health workers. This sets setting the country on the path towards universal health coverage and provides a blueprint for other African countries.
Last Mile Health has also been invited to partner with the Ministries of Health in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone to strengthen their national community health programmes. Additionally, Last Mile Health also conducts global advocacy to increase awareness and mobilise investment into community health systems, with a focus on catalysing and aligning funding for community health via Africa Frontline First.
This continued collaboration will bolster Last Mile Health’s work in Liberia, with a focus on strengthening government capacity and oversight of the national programme, improving the quality of care provided, and advancing a learning agenda. Additionally, we will work together to shore up Last Mile Health’s capacity to secure and influence funding for community health systems across Africa, and sustain operational research and evaluation efforts to provide evidence-based insights for policymakers and funders globally.
"Last Mile Health continues to be a cornerstone of LGT VP’s healthcare strategy in Africa, "notes Nava Anvari, Investment Director at LGT VP. "The organisation`s strong track record in building resilient community health systems, combined with their innovative approach to healthcare delivery in remote areas, makes them an invaluable partner in our mission to improve healthcare access across the continent."
Lisha McCormick, CEO of Last Mile Health, echoes this sentiment: "LGT VP is a partner in the truest sense of the word. Their expertise has been critical to our growth from one country to four, bolstering our capacity to grow our impact to support over 17,000 community and frontline health workers and to influence community health financing across the continent. We’re thrilled to have LGT VP’s continued support as we move forward together."
Last Mile Health is a non-profit organization whose mission is to save lives in the world’s most remote communities. Last Mile Health partners with governments to build strong community health systems that equip professionalized community health workers to provide essential, primary healthcare to patients. The organization works side-by-side with Ministries of Health in Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone. To learn more, please visit www.lastmilehealth.org.
LGT Venture Philanthropy (LGT VP) is an independent charitable foundation established in 2007 with teams in Switzerland, Sub-Saharan Africa, and India. The Foundation strives to improve the quality of life of people facing disadvantages, contribute to healthy ecosystems, and build resilient, inclusive, and prosperous communities. LGT VP focuses on strengthening the capabilities of locally rooted organizations that deliver effective, scalable solutions across health, education, and the environment, contributing directly to the SDGs. For more information, please visit www.lgtvp.com.
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