Ensign Global College is hosting a Training of Trainers Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) course from November 13-16.
The first two days of the course will take place on the Ensign campus and will be an overview of the HBB curriculum and how to train others in the curriculum. The third day of training is the practice of the trainees delivering the HBB training at multiple facilities in the Lower Manya Krobo and the Yilo Krobo Districts.
Participants include a combination of physicians, midwives, and other health care professionals.
The training will be led by Dr. Richard Bell and Dr. Robert Clark, physicians from Utah who have been involved in the Helping Babies Breathe program through Latter-day Saint (LDS) Charities.
According to Dr. Clark, “In many settings, the first day of life is the most dangerous day of life! Newborn death or disability too frequently has a dreadful impact on both the newborn and the entire family. Fortunately, there are many evidence-based, low-cost interventions to help babies survive their first 24 hours of life. Helping Babies Breathe is one of these interventions, focusing on newborns who are struggling to breathe properly at the time of birth.”
This is a pilot program to measure success for a potential rollout to the entire Eastern Region and possibly a nationwide scale-up.
Dr. Stephen Alder, President of Ensign Global College says, “We are pleased to be able to host Helping Babies Breathe training at Ensign Global College. Through the practices taught in this curriculum, neonatal death can be reduced by rapid recognition of warning signs of respiratory distress amongst newborns and responses that can be quickly and effectively administered. It is through Ensign Global College partnerships with groups such as Latter-day Saint Charities, the Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity at the University of Utah, and Health 2 Go that programs such as this can be shared to improve health and promote prosperity. We are grateful to Dr. Robert Clark and all those who are making this possible.”
Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) is an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) training program that was designed to reduce the rates of neonatal mortality due to birth asphyxia. The HBB curriculum teaches neonatal resuscitation skills that can be used during the Golden Minute, or first minute of life, for newborns that struggle to breathe at birth. This program is likely to be effective throughout Ghana, as it was designed to be implemented in resource-limited settings.
Professor Agyeman Akosa, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors for Ensign Global College, believes this will impact many communities and is proud to have Ensign Global College as the host. “Nothing is more disconcerting than after nine months, a highly expectant mum gets to know of the death of her newborn baby when all it required was skill to help her baby breathe.”
A special thank you to Latter-day Saint (LDS) Charities for the donation of materials and support to put the training on.
