IntraHealth International
Encyclopedia
IntraHealth International is a non-profit organization
based in Chapel Hill
, North Carolina
, U.S.A. dedicated to working with developing countries
to improve their public health
capabilities. Originally established as a program of the medical school
of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in 1979, IntraHealth became an independent non-governmental organization
in 2003. The organization has worked in more than 50 countries, and is currently active in 28.
IntraHealth focuses on:
services in Rwanda, with a $34 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
to organize their efforts. (https://launchpad.net/~intrahealth+informatics)
Their primary software product is the iHRIS Suite — an open source solution for tracking and managing health care workers across a country. Current implementations exist in Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Rwanda. In February 2009, the iHRIS Suite was recognised as one of 50 health-related Open Source projects
Other open source work is the development of a dedicated appliance, integration of KnowledgeTree
and Joomla for the Library at the Ministry of Health in Uganda.
On February 11, 2009, IntraHealth launched their IntraHealth Open campaign with Youssou N'Dour
with the release of his song "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)" under Creative Commons license. The campaign aims to bring open source health applications to Africa. The song was remixed by a variety of artists including Nas, Peter Buck of R.E.M., and Duncan Sheik to help raise money for the campaign.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, U.S.A. dedicated to working with 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...
to improve their public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
capabilities. Originally established as a program of the medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1979, IntraHealth became an independent non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
in 2003. The organization has worked in more than 50 countries, and is currently active in 28.
IntraHealth focuses on:
- Developing sustainable human resourcesHuman resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
for health - Strengthening and supporting primary health carePrimary health carePrimary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
providers - Preventing and treating HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, tuberculosis and malaria - Improving maternal, neonatal and children’s health
- Increasing access to family planningFamily planningFamily planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
International Development
IntraHealth is working to increase community healthCommunity health
Community health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared...
services in Rwanda, with a $34 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Open Source
Since 2005, IntraHealth has focused some of its efforts on Health-related Open Source software and uses Canonical's LaunchpadLaunchpad (website)
Launchpad is a web application and website that allow users to develop and maintain software, particularly free software. Launchpad is developed and maintained by Canonical Ltd....
to organize their efforts. (https://launchpad.net/~intrahealth+informatics)
Their primary software product is the iHRIS Suite — an open source solution for tracking and managing health care workers across a country. Current implementations exist in Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Rwanda. In February 2009, the iHRIS Suite was recognised as one of 50 health-related Open Source projects
Other open source work is the development of a dedicated appliance, integration of KnowledgeTree
KnowledgeTree
KnowledgeTree, Inc. is a provider of online document management software based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company also has an office in Cape Town, South Africa. The company's product, also called KnowledgeTree, makes use of the cloud computing platform from Amazon EC2...
and Joomla for the Library at the Ministry of Health in Uganda.
On February 11, 2009, IntraHealth launched their IntraHealth Open campaign with Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
with the release of his song "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)" under Creative Commons license. The campaign aims to bring open source health applications to Africa. The song was remixed by a variety of artists including Nas, Peter Buck of R.E.M., and Duncan Sheik to help raise money for the campaign.