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Integrating Reproductive Health into Emergency Response Assessments and Primary Health Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Lorelei Goodyear  and
Michelle Hynes
Lorelei Goodyear*
Affiliation:
Program Manager, Postabortion Care, EngenderHealth, New York, New York, USA
Michelle Hynes
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
*
Postabortion Care Program Manager, EngenderHealth, 440 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA E-mail: LGoodyear@engenderhealth.org
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Abstract

War-affected populations often are displaced for years. When primary health care is focused on the acute conditions that often present in the emergency phase of a complex emergency, insufficient attention often is directed towards other evolving needs of the population. Their reproductive health, psychosocial health, and problems with chronic diseases may be overlooked even after the situation stabilizes.

This article examines currently available resources for conducting rapid assessments of health needs and services during complex emergencies. Their respective strengths and weaknesses are discussed, particularly for assessing a population's reproductive health needs, and for fostering the integration of reproductive health and primary health-care services, and for designing health services delivery.

When more specific indicators are included in a needs assessment tool, the likelihood that the assessment results will influence the design and scope of the health program is increased. Needs assessments for primary health care that incorporate reproductive health indicators will assist health officials to integrate these services, and thus, use staff and facilities more efficiently, and will highlight areas of opportunity for providing services.

Keywords

assessment toolscomplex emergencieshealth servicesinternally displaced personsprimary health carerapid assessmentreproductive healthrefugee womenrefugeeswar-affected populations
Type
Part 1. Complex Emergencies: Lessons Learned
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 16 , Special Issue 4: Complex Emergencies , December 2001 , pp. 223 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2001

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