Western Hunan Health Initiative to Improve Services at the Local Level (WHISL)
With an ambitious goal to improve healthcare delivery in underserved, rural Western Hunan, Yale-China has convened a Sino-American coalition: Hunan Health Commission, Central South University Xiangya Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, the Yale Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, and Jishou University, as well as our Chia Fellows. The Initiative aligns with China’s efforts to alleviate poverty through health, and our immediate focus is on three of rural China’s most prevalent chronic diseases––hypertension, diabetes, and mental illness. Specific goals are to improve the skill levels of healthcare providers in preventing and treating chronic diseases, to enhance care coordination among all levels of healthcare organizations, improve health performance and outcomes on public health targets, and train care providers in the new model of chronic disease management. We are adjusting project elements to strengthen prevention and control of epidemics, as well. The long-term goal is a sustainable new model of healthcare delivery that can be applied to other rural locations in China and beyond.
