Men and Women in HEELs (Health.Education.Environment.Livelihood.Shelter. )

“I am the Nurse-in-Charge of the Smokey Mountain Health Center & Lying-In Clinic. The biggest issue that the health center is dealing with is maternal and child health because most of our patients here are pregnant women. Some mothers get urinary tract infection while a number of children get upper respiratory diseases like pneumonia which are most likely due to the unhealthy environment here in Smokey Mountain. This is the reason we are very aggressive with information dissemination. In fact, I visit mothers to educate them on health practices because that’s the best thing I can do for them. I also advice husbands who smoke to quit or avoid smoking near their wives to prevent any adverse effects on their pregnancy. With the help of PBSP and Intellicare, we were able to reach more mothers through the Safe Motherhood Caravan. We are happy to say that all pregnant women here give birth in lying-in clinics which results to zero infant deaths. With our health center serving such a big population, it makes me happy to see that more mothers are now doing their regular check-ups, and children are getting healthier.” —REYNALDO ALIPIO, Nurse-in-Charge, Smokey Mountain Health Center & Lying-In Clinic