September 22-24, 2014
Bogota, Colombia
The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Newborn Alliance is pleased to announce a series of regional meetings taking place September 22-26 in Bogota, Colombia. The third annual LAC Alliance meeting will be followed by a two-day Regional Meeting on Priority Interventions for Newborn Health and will conclude with an Expert Consultation on Newborn Mortality Surveillance in LAC. During this week -long event, the LAC Neonatal Alliance and the Colombian Ministry of Public Health will host more than 100 health professionals, program implementers, and technical experts who represent 20 countries in the region.
Monday’s annual Alliance workplanning meeting will include representatives from the membership, which now includes 20 international and nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and Ministries of Health. The professional associations, namely the Latin American Pediatric Association (ALAPE) , the Latin American Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FLASOG), the Pan-American Federation of Nursing Professionals (FEPPEN) and the LAC regional chapter of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), as well as National Alliance coordinators, presently active in Bolivia, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay, and Peru, as well as other partner organizations, will update the membership on their relevant activities, and share best practices in their efforts to improve newborn health indicators. A key output of this meeting is a draft workplan with budget inputs. The one-day meeting will close with the election of a new regional Alliance Coordinator. MCSP Newborn Health Advisor Dr. Goldy Mazia, who has provided key leadership to the interagency group in her role as Alliance Coordinator since 2009, noted, “this is our largest Alliance meeting to date. I am looking forward most to sharing experiences and learning from the participants who represent 20 countries in the LAC region. Our Alliance has grown in scope and impact in a way that we are all very proud of.”
The Alliance session will be followed by a two-day meeting focused on technical updates and country experiences with priority interventions to prevent and address the three main causes of newborn deaths globally and in LAC: prematurity, sepsis and asphyxia. Following a presentation on new global and regional initiatives, including A Promise Renewed and the Every Newborn Action Plan, among others, participants from six countries implementing Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) will share program updates, successes and challenges. On Wednesday, attendees will visit the original home of the Kangaroo Mother Care strategy, located at the San Ignacio Hospital/ Javeriana University. In the afternoon, participants will shift gears to focus on the operationalization of two Virtual Collaborative initiatives for quality improvement, one which focuses on KMC implementation and the second whose aim is to prevent hospital -acquired neonatal infections. To view the agenda for the technical meeting, click here.
On Thursday and Friday, a group of 40 experts and health professionals will participate a Consultation on Newborn Mortality Surveillance in LAC. Participants will discuss the status of surveillance in the region and exchange country experiences led at the national level. The second day of the meeting will be dedicated to brainstorming sessions to ultimately develop a list of recommendations and next steps for a regional approach led by the LAC Neonatal Alliance. A survey analyzing the current status of implementation of maternal and neonatal mortality surveillance systems is underway in collaboration with the LAC Regional Working Group for Safe Motherhood; results are expected later this year.
The three meetings will provide simultaneous translation in English, French, and Spanish. We welcome your virtual participation during live streaming Tuesday 9:30 AM – 6:15 PM EST. Please click the link below to join us via Eluminate: https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=voffice&password=M.B29657EB21450989C6240AEFF8C9F4
Follow us: #AlianzaNeonatal2014
Questions? Do not hesitate to contact Brianna Casciello at AlianzaNeonatal2014@gmail.com.
