Continuum of Care
Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE is not only dedicated to medical services in the hospital setting, SHCH is actively involved in a Continuum of Care mission. SHCH's Continuum of Care services and associated programs, in and around Phnom Penh, offer long-range services for patients and families in the context of medical, financial, and social support. Our outpatient services provide flexible options for our patients without extensive and costly hospitalization. One of SHCH's proudest achievements is the establishment of a Continuum of Care program especially geared toward HIV/AIDS patients, the first program that exists in Cambodia.
SHCH has a complete range of programs and services that support short-term and long-term medical and community educational initiatives that go well beyond the periphery of medical services and hospital visits. Continuum of Care was started with the idea in mind to specialize in HIV families and communities, by offering numerous programs and services to our patients and families, including financial and school support for widows and their children, job training for women who have lost spouses to AIDS, and family placement for orphans whose parents have died from AIDS.
Our Continuum of Care's goal is for all of our patients to have access to prevention, care, support and educational resources through all stages of their illness. It is a strategic plan at HOPE worldwide to provide financial, emotional, and medical support to stabilize and address the needs of our individual patients and their extended families, particularly children and widows, who are affected by an ill patient. Coordination with outside clinicians, social service agencies/local NGOs and patient families helps to ensure a smooth transition amongst different levels of care.
As part of the Continuum of Care Program, we continue to address the critical need to identify, support, and enhance sustainable and cost-effective HIV/AIDS responses that:
-
- -Reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.
- -Mobilize organizations, communities, and the government to provide effective prevention, treatment, care,
- and support services.
- -Work toward the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
- -Reduce stigmatization of and discrimination against those affected by HIV and AIDS.
We pay special attention to the vulnerability of youth. We recognize the impact of AIDS on children with infected parents and that they need assistance to stabilize their lives. Our programs support HIV prevention, assist youth of HIV-infected parents in educational endeavors, address the impact of HIV on a family/community by providing financial assistance to families who are without an income source, and educate the community to reduce stigmas and discrimination for HIV patients. Several of our programs center around ensuring the educational stability of children of infected parents and providing them financial support to continue with their education.
We provide a range of out-patient services as part of the Continuum of Care. We believe that success of treatment depends heavily on the availability of continued support. Our commitment to the process of healthcare at several stages of HIV means that several of our programs provide weekly after-care meetings for our patients. These support groups provide patients with an opportunity to meet others with similar problems and share their experiences, worries, strengths and hopes.
Our Continuum of Care mission is broken into two branches: the CRC, Community Resource Center, and the CCF, Chronic Care Facility. The CRC focuses on continuous programming and services for HIV patients and families, while CCF is the hospice portion of our Continuum.
Our Continuum of Care Services and Resources include but are not limited to:
- 1. HIV/AIDS Hospice – We run a hospice for critically ill HIV+/AIDS patients in late-stages of their illnesses. Here the patients have 24-hour care from our nurses and doctors. The ultimate goal of hospice is to ensure that our patients' values, beliefs, lifestyle, and culture are respected, and that each patient's choices are honored. Please see our CCF link to read more about our services.
- 2. Supportive services -- We have services available to address both the immediate and long-term needs of patients, such as education, employment assistance, healthcare, mental health care, child care, and other services. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.
- 3. Home-Based Treatment – A team of our trained staff visit our patients' homes and develop treatment programs to help the patients and families. We provide education and resources to alleviate discrimination for our patients and to promote compassion and understanding for our patients and their illnesses.
- 4. Supporting Education For Patients' Children – We provide educational support to encourage the children of HIV+ patients to stay in school and continue their education. School supplies, uniforms, and fees are provided by our Continuum of Care program. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.
- 5. Helping Widows with Training and Financial Assistance – We help widows of AIDS patients to stabilize their lives with financial, social, and emotional support. Due to the lack of pariety in women’s roles in a society, widows may find it difficult to find employment. We provide training in skills for widows and assist them with financial support while they are in transition. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.
- 6. Community Support Groups –We began one of the first HIV+ support weekly patient-run support groups in Cambodia. We encourage patients to participate in support groups and to seek as much emotional support from the community as possible. We are proud to note that several program alumni continue to come to meetings several years after their treatment episode. They continue to gain support while serving as an example to others that treatment does work. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.
- 7. Orphans and Vulnerable Children – When children are left without parents because of AIDS, they must be supported. We aim to continue the education of orphans and to seek proper placement of the children in family homes, or appropriate orphans in Phnom Penh. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.
- 8. Preventing Mother-to-Child Infection – A primary goal of our AIDS support services is to prevent the further spreading of AIDS to another human-being.
Our counselors counsel pregnant mothers and mothers of newborns about preventive measures to prevent their children from contracting HIV. We also encourage mothers to test all of their children for the HIV virus and to get the necessary medical treatment for any child infected. Please see our CRC link to read more about our services.