Reach has been supported by Edwards Lifesciences Foundation’s Every Heartbeat Matters Initiative, through our RHD Action partnership with the World Heart Federation, to develop and pilot rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) education tools for health workers to use in their engagement with patients. These tools aim to build health worker knowledge and confidence in talking to patients about the disease, support patient access to information, and raise awareness about RF/RHD among families in high-risk communities.

Dr Juliet J. Balderas, President of the Foundation and Dr Pacita Jay “Jing” Lopez-Ballelos, Project Director, were awarded an RHD Action Small Grant in August 2018 for their project entitled, “Creation of Standardized RHD Educational Materials to Support and Promote the National Implementation of Free Secondary Prophylaxis in the Republic of the Philippines” to support their continuing advocacy for the implementation of Outpatient Benefits Package for RHD Patients.

Read more about 2018 Small Grants Recipients, Dr Yanwou Nathan and his colleagues in Cameroon who set out to initiate a rheumatic heart disease clinic in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Professor Bode-Thomas and lead project team member, Mr Santos Ayuba Larab, set about to systematically develop culturally relevant “Information, Education and Communication” (IEC) materials on ARF and RHD, first in English, and then to translate those materials into Hausa and Berom local languages for the RHD patients, families and community members.