Health Volunteers Overseas
Encyclopedia
Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health care
of developing countries
through the training and education of local health care providers.
Since then, more than 4300 HVO volunteers have completed 7950+ assignments overseas in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Oceania. Volunteers are drawn from the fields of anesthesia, dermatology, hematology, internal medicine, nursing education, oncology, oral health, orthopaedics, pediatrics, physical therapy, wound and lymphedemia management, emergency medicine, mental health, and pharmacology.
HVO’s annual operating budget is approximately $900,000 (2010 data). Additional grant-funded programs average about $300,000 per year. About 82% of all expenses are program-related. The organization has $1.8 million in net assets (restricted and unrestricted).
Dues, sponsorships, and donations make up the bulk of HVO’s support. In 2010, 54% of support came from individuals, 32% from corporations and foundations, and 14% from associations.
Volunteers and other donors contributed $6.3 million in donated time, services, and equipment in 2010.
American Academy of Dermatology 2002
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 1993
American Academy of Pediatrics 1993
American Association of Colleges of Nursing 1999
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 1987
American College of Physicians 1988
American Dental Association 1990
American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand 1999
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society 2004
American Physical Therapy Association 1995
American Society of Clinical Oncology 2007
American Society of Hematology 2007
Association for the Advancement of Wound Care 2006
Society for Gynecologic Oncology 2011
Nearly 40% of HVO volunteers are “repeat” volunteers. Volunteers cover their own travel costs and the average out-of-pocket costs associated with an assignment are $2,300.
2. HVO 2010 Annual Report (http://www.hvousa.org/newsPublications/ars/HVOAR10.pdf)
3. American Physical Therapy Association: PT in Motion https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/?blogid=10737418615&id=10737424442
4. ASCO Daily News, June 6, 2011 (http://www.hvousa.org/newsPublications/pdfs/international-cancer-corps-honduras.pdf)
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
of developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
through the training and education of local health care providers.
History
The idea for the organization was sparked by an article by Dr. Ralph Crawshaw, published in the December 1984 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the article, Dr. Crawshaw urged fellow medical practitioners to “make a substantial difference to your colleagues in developing countries” and cited the example of Orthopaedics Overseas. In 1986, the Orthopaedics Overseas Board of Directors voted to become the first division of the newly created Health Volunteers Overseas. Two anesthesiologists went to Ethiopia for the first HVO volunteer trip later that year.Since then, more than 4300 HVO volunteers have completed 7950+ assignments overseas in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Oceania. Volunteers are drawn from the fields of anesthesia, dermatology, hematology, internal medicine, nursing education, oncology, oral health, orthopaedics, pediatrics, physical therapy, wound and lymphedemia management, emergency medicine, mental health, and pharmacology.
What problem is HVO addressing?
The delivery of health care services in any country is dependent on a trained cadre of health care professionals. The well-documented global shortage of health care providers disproportionately impacts developing countries. Faced with serious resource constraints, as well as an immense burden of disease, developing countries are faced with enormous needs in the health care sector but have limited capacity to educate and support the workforce necessary to meet these needs. As a result, not enough health care professionals are trained, few are offered the opportunity for continued professional education and growth, and most work in isolation with little chance to learn from nearby colleagues.Organizational Structure
HVO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors which represents a diverse background of experience and professions. There are more than 185 health care professionals who serve in a variety of leadership positions with HVO, providing the framework for managing HVO’s extensive portfolio of programs. A staff of ten is under the management of an Executive Director.HVO’s annual operating budget is approximately $900,000 (2010 data). Additional grant-funded programs average about $300,000 per year. About 82% of all expenses are program-related. The organization has $1.8 million in net assets (restricted and unrestricted).
Dues, sponsorships, and donations make up the bulk of HVO’s support. In 2010, 54% of support came from individuals, 32% from corporations and foundations, and 14% from associations.
Volunteers and other donors contributed $6.3 million in donated time, services, and equipment in 2010.
Sponsors
A unique aspect of HVO’s organizational model is the involvement and support provided by leading American professional health care associations. These associations, with the year in which they first became a sponsor, are as follows:American Academy of Dermatology 2002
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 1993
American Academy of Pediatrics 1993
American Association of Colleges of Nursing 1999
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 1987
American College of Physicians 1988
American Dental Association 1990
American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand 1999
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society 2004
American Physical Therapy Association 1995
American Society of Clinical Oncology 2007
American Society of Hematology 2007
Association for the Advancement of Wound Care 2006
Society for Gynecologic Oncology 2011
HVO Volunteers
All HVO volunteers are trained, licensed health care professionals who are screened by similarly skilled program directors to ensure that their skills and expertise are appropriate to a particular site. Volunteers work alongside their colleagues in developing countries, providing new insights and techniques. They introduce new teaching methodologies, update or create teaching curricula, and inspire new ways of thinking and problem solving.Nearly 40% of HVO volunteers are “repeat” volunteers. Volunteers cover their own travel costs and the average out-of-pocket costs associated with an assignment are $2,300.
Countries Served
Health Volunteers Overseas works with local health care professionals in the following countries::- BhutanBhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
- CambodiaHealth in Cambodia-Maternal and Child Healthcare:In June 2011, the United Nations Population Fund released a report on . It contained new data on the midwifery workforce and policies relating to newborn and maternal mortality for 58 countries. The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Cambodia is 290....
- CameroonHealth in CameroonThe Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon is responsible for the maintenance of all public health services. Many missionaries maintain health and leprosy centers. The government is pursuing a vigorous policy of public health improvement, with considerable success in reducing sleeping sickness,...
- China
- Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
- Ethiopia
- GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
- Haiti
- HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Laos
- MalawiMalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
- MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
- Mongolia
- NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
- PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- Rwanda
- St. Lucia
- SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
- South AfricaHealth in South AfricaIn South Africa, parallel private and public systems exist. The public system serves the vast majority of the population, but is chronically underfunded and understaffed. The wealthiest 20% of the population uses the private system and are far better served. In 2005, South Africa spent 8.7% of GDP...
- SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
- TanzaniaHealth in TanzaniaHealth care in Tanzania is poor. 76 in 1,000 children are estimated to die before the age of five. Child mortality in Tanzania has, however, fallen at unprecedented rates over the past 15 years, from 155 per 1,000 live births in 1990. AIDS and malaria are constant drains on health care...
- UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
- Vietnam
External links
1. Health Volunteers Overseas website (http://www.hvousa.org/)2. HVO 2010 Annual Report (http://www.hvousa.org/newsPublications/ars/HVOAR10.pdf)
3. American Physical Therapy Association: PT in Motion https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/?blogid=10737418615&id=10737424442
4. ASCO Daily News, June 6, 2011 (http://www.hvousa.org/newsPublications/pdfs/international-cancer-corps-honduras.pdf)