1. Tell us a little bit about C2C’s role in healthcare and international development.
C2C is a global health non-profit organization that provides access to high-quality, sustainable primary healthcare to families in the developing world. It was founded by Elizabeth Sheehan, a physician's assistant who worked in the developing world for ten years, and saw a serious need for quality healthcare. After a five year partnership with our first clinic and a Port-au-Prince hospital following the earthquake, we opened our first cost-recovery clinic in Camp Coq, Haiti in 2013. We currently have two clinics in Haiti and one in Namibia.
2. What’s the model at C2C in terms of capacity?
Our clinics are made from refurbished shipping containers, and are staffed with local clinicians. Staff includes one doctor, one nurse, 1 auxiliary nurse, a lab technician, and two to three community healthcare workers. Philanthropy funds cover startup and operating costs until minimal patient fees begin supporting the clinics in three to five years.
3. Could you tell us more about C2C’s partnerships. What has it been like working with the Ministry of Health?
We have a really good relationship with the Ministry of Health in Northern Haiti, which is where we're currently focusing our efforts. With this partnership, we are able to provide free children's vaccinations and family planning. In addition to working with the government, it's very important for us to work closely with the communities we're in. At each clinic in Haiti, we have a steering committee, made up of local community members that we begin working with before the clinic has even arrived. Here in the U.S., we partner with other organizations also working in the developing world, to learn from each other. Recently, we partnered with the Center for Health Market Innovations, to hold a panel on sustainable healthcare practices, which included team members from Access Afya and Last Mile Health. The panel was really great. It brought together different organizations and donors, to discuss this critical question of how to make health care in developing communities sustainable.
4. Tell me a little bit about your past experiences in the field of international development.
I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Miami in International Development and Geography. I kind of stumbled into the focus on healthcare both in the U.S. and in developing regions, midway through my studies, and realized that I really liked it. After graduating, I did an internship with Last Mile Health, a global health organization focused in Liberia, and worked with Primary Care Progress, which focuses on primary care here in the U.S. I’ve been with C2C for a little over a year now. In May, I was able to go down to Haiti for the opening of our newest clinic. It was my first time traveling to a developing country, and it was really interesting. I got to talk to community members that our older clinic has been helping for almost two years, and members of the new community we just opened in. That was an awesome experience, and made our work real for me.
5. What do you think are some of the pros and cons of the field and of working in healthcare and development more broadly?
In terms of our organization, definitely learning the ways of the culture that you are working with. Not every country operates like America. We must talk to community members and listen to their needs. These clinics are meant to be there for the long term, so we need to work together.
Some of the challenges I’ve experienced in public health myself, has been breaking into the field. There is a lot of competition, especially here in Boston. It's hard to find a job fresh out of school. But I think going even for an unpaid internship, things can work out really well. It takes a while, but one can get there. My advice for young professionals is exactly that. You’re probably going to have to start with internships and that is okay. It is good to see how everything works. I don’t work in operations per se at C2C, but I am getting a deeper view of the organization, simply by being there. I think it’s important to get the most out of positions even though it may not be where you want to be initially.
6. What ideas or plans does C2C have for the future?
Right now, we are really focusing our energy on Haiti. Our next clinic is scheduled to open in the next six to eight months. In a couple years, we'll probably be looking at a new geography, but for now it's Haiti.