Global Health Security

Health Systems Strengthening: IMA works with local actors to assess and address gaps within the six WHO health system building blocks: health service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, health systems financing, and governance. In so doing, IMA strengthens both short- and long-term capacity to establish and strengthen resilient health systems, reducing chronic vulnerabilities and promoting more inclusive health development by addressing risks and responses to shocks and stresses. Globally, IMA leads the USAID Momentum Integrated Health Resilience ($200 M | 2020-2026) activity to accelerate reductions in maternal and child mortality, including strengthening the capacity of local organizations and governments to respond to public health challenges, now and in the future.  

Community Engagement: Early and effective community engagement is key to preparing for pandemics or other public health emergencies. IMA works in communities to promote social cohesion, positive behavioral changes, and gender equity as critical elements in prevention and preparedness efforts.  

Vaccination: IMA addresses the human, financial, social and physical capital needs of a health system to improve its vaccine service delivery and universal access at scale by strengthening the capacities of a country’s health workforce to safely procure, manage and deliver vaccines through training, mentoring, and the provision of equipment and other resources, including for the cold chain. IMA collaborates with ministries of health, health care workers, local leaders and partners to conduct social listening, promote education, dispel misinformation, uplift trusted local vaccine champions to support advocacy and fuel demand, and develop and execute on risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) plans. 

Infection Prevention and Control: IMA focuses on infection prevention and control (IPC) by implementing specialized disease control projects tailored to the needs of underserved communities. By strengthening health systems and enhancing service delivery, IMA ensures that effective IPC measures are integrated into health care practices, ultimately reducing the burden of diseases among at-risk populations. 

One Health: IMA recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health through a One Health approach. IMA addresses critical issues such as antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, food safety, and environmental impacts that threaten health and well-being.  Through efforts to enhance livelihoods, address animal health, and promote safe agriculture in collaboration with fellow Corus organization Lutheran World Relief, community-led total sanitation (CLTS) initiatives and the training of volunteer animal health agents have fostered social and behavior change regarding household WASH practices and animal health and waste management. These strategies reduce the incidence of illness and environmental contamination, helping to mitigate potential public health crises. 

Data Collection and Reporting: IMA works with governments at all levels to collect, analyze, and apply data for planning and program improvement. IMA has been instrumental in scaling up District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), an open-source health data management system to collect data on national public health statistics, and other facility-level data collection in challenging contexts such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Kenya. 

Community-based Surveillance: IMA helps train, equip, and mobilize health workers in community-based surveillance, including house-to-house visits. IMA also supports the identification and reporting of potential health risks or unusual events in real time through mobile systems or other methods of communications. If a government response becomes overwhelmed, IMA supports or supplements ministry of health responses to fill gaps in specific health areas and ensure underserved communities are reached.  

Contact Tracing: In response to COVID-19 or Ebola, IMA collaborates with WHO-supported contact tracing teams to conduct daily surveillance and case monitoring. Officials then report those findings, using WHO-approved contract tracing data collection tools. 

Supply Chain Management: IMA has deep experience preserving and mobilizing emergency supply chains, having done this successfully in difficult settings such as South Sudan during and after the conflict of 2013, in eastern DRC, and during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Health Worker Training: Alongside local actors, IMA leverages in-house and external expertise to train staff (train the trainers) and to ensure subsequent training for health workers at the community and facility levels. IMA employs an innovative, hybrid learning model for health care workers in low-resource and conflict settings that combines key elements of traditional classroom with adaptations from virtual learning to address the challenges of building health worker capacity in settings that include a limited workforce, unreliable internet access, and logistical and travel-related constraints. 

Enhanced Facility Response: IMA helps health facilities strengthen their capacity to curtail transmission and safeguard staff and patients through a deeper understanding of relevant protocols and supply chains, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use, and improvements in waste management, potable water supplies, solid waste management and containment systems for suspected patients. 

Health Emergency Response: IMA swiftly addresses health emergencies by deploying medical resources and collaborating with local actors to mitigate the impact of crises such as floods, earthquakes, and disease outbreaks. By developing and maintaining operational readiness, IMA engages in effective responses to public health disasters like cholera in Haiti or Ebola in the DRC with essential measures such as material resources, WASH interventions, and infection prevention and control. IMA's longstanding partnerships with local networks, like the Africa Christian Health Associations Platform (ACHAP), enhance the ability to sustain essential health services during emergencies. By incorporating disaster risk reduction into emergency response work, IMA aims to not only respond to immediate needs but also promote long-term sustainability and preparedness.