THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGIONAL OFFICE XIII

January—March 2015

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The Department of Health Regional Office XIII celebrated last Janu-ary 22-23, 2015 together with the different provinces and munici-palities region wide the Best Practices on Health. Local Govern-ment Units (LGUs) were recognized and awarded, especially their Local Chief Executives (LCEs) who exhibited excellent performance in terms of innovated health services in their areas. The event was entitled “Talakayan sa Inter-Local Health Zone, Best Practices on Health and Awarding Ceremonies” held at Al-mont Inland Resort, Butuan City which was attended by more than 500 participants (LGUs and private sector partners) on health care who remarkably contributed to the goals for universal health care.

The day started with the introduction and acknowledgement of the LGUs and their LCEs. This was followed by the giving of Awards per Province and per municipality. Municipalities with Best Practices on Health received cash prizes through checks, plaques and tokens.

The functionality of Inter-Local Health Zones (ILHZs) stems from the precept that no single LGU can adequately

meet all public and clinical health needs of its constituents without cooperating with other LGUs. Inter-LGU cooperation was the

vehicle in addressing public health threats and dangers which compels them to coordinate thru complementation of health services

within the catchment ILHZs.

Inter-LGU coordination propels the adoption of good practices in health which influence other LGUs especially in the Geographically Isolated Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) to adopt it in order to perform and achieve better health outcomes. Talakayan sa Inter-Local Health Zone was an advocacy activity of showing Caraga wide the ILHZs best practices on health. It pro-pels Inter-LGU initiatives in addressing the health challenges in their respective areas. These initiatives are worth-emulating to be replicated. Bridging Leadership “ownership “process was evidently shared/explained by the Mayors during the sharing of Best Practices assisted by their Municipal Health Officers with the Development Management Officers as coaches. As an update, status of health outcomes thru LGU Scorecard and the presentation of best practices on health (on stage and booth exhibits) was the activity on the first day. Awarding of top performer LGUs / ILHZs followed on the second day. It was well attended by Mayors, SBs on Health, Health Staff (Hospital and Rural Health Unit) and other stakeholders.

By: Herodina Preston, Nurse V

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“The DOH in its desire to assist the LGUs in their localized

endeavors has introduced the concept of an organizational management structure locally known as the Inter-Local Health Zone (ILHZ). The objective is to group certain LGUs so that they are able to share with each other their resources to uplift their citizenry especially the children, women, elderly populations, the IPs and other marginalized sectors. The con-cept of the “big brother helping small brother comes into

play….” “….When I went thru the areas, it was noteworthy that the functionality of the ILHZ also contributed to the accomplish-ments of the provinces. We cannot also discount the fact that the kind of governance strategies utilized by the LCEs, which may be influenced by the ZFF in the MLGP sites may be a

factor. -RO XIII Regional Director, Minerva P. Molon said.

The city of Cabadbaran spearheaded by Hon. Dale B. Corvera won 1st

place in the Awarding for Best Health Practices with the Initiative enti-

tled: “Sustaining No Maternal Deaths”. This was followed by Hon.

Roxanne Pimentel and staff of Tandag City as 2nd Place for the strategy

called, “ Managing Health Outbreaks”.

The “Best Practice” award in totality is an endowment of an effective

and efficient system in delivering health care services. Nevertheless, it

is a collective effort with the involvement of different stakeholders to

pursue health programs that entails primordial responsibility to obtain

safety and security of the people living within the community.

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WORLD TB DAY 2015

CELEBRATION

By: Stephanie D. Gallo, RN, Technical Officer, NTP

Department of Health – Regional Office XIII – Tuberculosis Control Program conducted the yearly cel-

ebration of World TB Day at Robinsons Place Butuan, Butuan City on March 24, 2015. Series of activi-

ties were set centered on this year’s theme: “STOP TB! Hanapin, Gamutin, Pagalingin.”

The event started in the morning with a Silip Bacilli and Gallery Walk-through at Robinsons’ Main

Atrium. Four Microscope stations were installed where walk-in and invited participants viewed the

prepared specimen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the culprit of the disease Tuberculosis. Medical

Technologists / Microscopist were assigned in every station to cater inquiries from the viewers. It

had gained wide interest from the crowd and the attendants were asked with varied questions re-

garding the disease. The viewing even extended an hour after the program ended in the afternoon.

Gallery presentation was also installed alongside containing posters, magazines, TB flyers and other

IEC materials for giveaways.Colorful & creative posters which were made prior to the event by

inmates from all the jails with TB DOTS in the Region were displayed in the area.

The program started around 2 o’clock in the afternoon attended by 190 participants representing PNP,

BJMP, NCIP, Butuan City TB Task Force, Philhealth, NEDA, DAR, DILG, DepEd, DOLE, PCSO, City Health

Office, Provincial Health Office, & DOH RO XIII. No less than the Regional Director OF DOH- RO XIII -

Minerva P. Molon, MD, MPH, FPPA graces the event with an inspiring welcome message. She stressed

about the importance of ending the stigma around Tuberculosis and rekindling the commitment of

everyone on stopping TB. Highlights of the program included the judging and awarding of the poster mak-

ing contest were three posters bested the other sixteen entries; commitment signing by the participants;

fun trivial questions and group dynamics with exciting prizes; tear-jerking audio-visual presentation

entitled “MDR - TB Patients Speak”, and the upbeat Zumba exercises lead by a professional Zumba trainer.

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WORLD TB cont...

The celebration ended around 5 o’clock in the afternoon with high hope that the aim of spread-

ing TB awareness and intensifying the involvement on the fight against Tuberculosis of all the

participants, stakeholders and viewers were met.

Many Filipino families in our communities

suffer from health conditions that could

have been prevented if they had only been

detected early enough or had received the

proper attention and care. One of the larg-

est hurdles is the limited capacity of these

families to access health services, be-

cause they often (1) do not know their

health risks and needs, (2) have no finan-

cial means to get the health services they

need, (3) have little knowledge of available

and appropriate health providers in their

area, and/or (4) do not have ready access

to transportation that can bring them to

these providers.

To help break these barriers to health care

use, Community Health Teams (CHTs) give

direct assistance to underserved Filipino fami-

lies all over the country by helping them navi-

gate or find their way through the health sys-

tem. CHTs are tasked to help especially the

poorest families as identified by the Depart-

ment of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD) in the National Household Targeting

System NHTS, including those covered by

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program(4Ps).

By: Dinnes Karl Garcia, Administrative Asst. III

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Earthquake and

Fire Drill

A total of 11,615 CHT members comprise the target

for 2014, of which, 11,790 or 101.51% were trained.

11,035 or 93% of the trained CHTs were deployed

throughout the region. These CHTs were able to visit

and advocate for appropriated health seeking behav-

ior, enrolment and availment of PHIC benefits and

regular prenatal care of 100% (145,077) identified

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) House-

holds.

The 2015 CHT Summit held at Almont Hotel’s Inland

Resort on February 12, 2015, acknowledges and

recognizes the contribution of CHT Partners in the

achievement of the goals of Kalusugan Pangkala-

hatan (KP) through their active participation at the

community level. More or less 900 individuals com-

posed of nurses under the Nurse Deployment Pro-

gram, midwives, barangay health workers, Develop-

ment Management Officers of the DOH Regional Of-

fice XIII, Barangay Captains, several PHOs and

CHOs, MNCHN Coordinators, CHT Coordinators,

CHT Members and Staff from the DOH RO XIII.

The CHT Summit 2015 also highlighted the outstanding

barangays in the region. Fifteen barangays from each

province and from Butuan City were awarded the Best of

the Best Barangay Awards, a distinction given by the

DOH Regional Office XIII to the barangays who promptly

submit their reports to the municipal and city health offic-

es and the regional office; newborn screening coverage

higher than the regional target; high percentage of BCG

immunization; zero maternal death/s in the barangay;

high rate of facility-based delivery; high rate of prenatal

visits during the whole duration of pregnancy; high num-

ber of post-partum visits; and high percentage of Family

Planning Unmet needs given appropriate services. A total

of 90 barangays were presented with the said award.

This award was instituted through the efforts of the Re-

gional Office XIII in the hopes to uplift and raise the level

of morale and challenge the health workers in the fields,

especially at the grassroots level where the CHTs serve.

“The Department of Health Regional Office XIII acknowl-

edges the role of all Community Health Team Members

in whatever our health status has become, especially on

the reduction of Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mor-

tality Rate in some areas these CHTs served. These in-

strumental individuals do not serve the department, but

the people in their communities. Because of their in-

volvement, we have been achieving our targets and we

have been improving not only the quality of health of in-

dividual families, but the quality of life for our constitu-

ents as well.” – Director Minerva P. Molon, MD, MPH,

FPPA.

CHT cont….

The Department of Health-Regional Office XIII in conformity to the National Simulation Evacuation Drill for Government Offices and National Disaster Response Plan for Earthquake & Tsunami [NDRRMC Memo dated Feb 12, 2015 & DOH-HEMB dated March 2, 2015] carried on an Earth-quake-Fire Drill and Orientation last March 27, 2015 at Leaders Hall, DOH Region Office.

This activity is a mandate to evaluate all preparedness and response activities and efforts to emer-gencies and disasters (A.O. Administrative Orders No. 168 s. 2004 & 155 s. 2007), and to address the increasing demand for the agency to respond, within and outside the region , especially for com-plex & mega disasters

By: Richard Maniago, Senior Health Program Officer

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Earthquake cont... To provide a safe workplace in the office during earthquake and fire, the personnel and staff determined fire & earthquake vulnerabilities in the office; organized drill & evacuation plan; Introduced the role of team members and engaged in a Test response system to ensure safety during evacuation.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of Butuan City and Inter-agency Earthquake Drill Evaluators of OCD-Caraga facilitated the evaluation for fire and earthquake. The activity started with an orientation on fire suppression using fire extinguisher and proper care of LPG tanks. This was then followed by the actual drill. In catastrophic events and untoward disasters, the simulation brought about by these drills will help the staff and the locals to execute proper procedures in safety measures, evacuation protocols and disaster management.

DOH RO XIII Celebrates February

as the Month of the Heart

OBESITY AND

OVERWEIGHT

The Department of Health Regional Office XIII observes February as Heart Month. This year, the theme “Alagaan ang iyong Puso, Ugaliin ang Healthy Lifestyle” encouraged the personnel and staff of the agency to adapt healthy lifestyle to fray the diseases of the heart and vascular system which is made up almost one third (30.2%) of all deaths (Philippine Health Statistics, 2003).

Participated by the RO XIII personnel and staff, Bureau of Jail Man-agement and Penology (BJMP) and Philippine National Red Cross , the cele-bration commenced by the getting and knowing of the individual partici-pant’s Cholesterol, Uric acid, Blood Sugar level, Blood pressure, weight and height.

Held at Almont Inland Resort last February 13, the participants were reoriented and updated of the different Non-Communicable Diseases and of healthy living through an open forum. The day ended with an enigmatic zumba dance.

Blood Donation services was catered in the afternoon headed by the Philippine National Red Cross.

~ Above all else, guard the heart from bad food choices and stress because it is the wellspring of life. ~

By: Catrina Sibi, RN, Program Assistant, NCD

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1As the country celebrate this year’s Wom-en’s Month Celebration with the theme “Juana, Desisyon mo ay Mahalaga sa kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!”, the Regional Development council- Gender and Development Coordinating Committee (RDC-GADCC) Caraga together with DOH-RO XIII prepared and organized series of ac-tivities which promotes the full participation and equitable representation of women in all spheres of society particularly in the decision-making pro-cesses in government and private entities, in order to fully realize their role as agents and beneficiar-ies of development (R.A. 9710).

By: Joy Dyana Cervantes, Health Program Researcher

Despite the scorching heat of the sun, the activity-filled celebration which is annually being observed by the participating agencies in Caraga opened up this year with a ‘Color Fun-Walk’ on March 3, 2015 from the city’s Guingona Park to the Provincial Capitol Covered Court. It was well represented by different agencies and most of the participants wore white shirt filled with different colors using Holi Powder thrown in the air during the fun-walk. The event was then for-mally opened by Agusan del Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member, Elizabeth Marie Calo, and had stressed that we shall continue to highlight the key roles and accomplishment of women in the society. Also, Atty. Marylin Pintor- RDC-GADCC Chairperson and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Caraga Regional Director expressed her warm thanks to all participating agencies and partner stakeholders for the sup-port of the activity. Indeed, it was a kick-off that everyone enjoyed. Meanwhile, Brigadier Charito B. Plaza of the AFP Reserved Forced also shared her wonderful life experiences. She articulated that as a former lawmaker, she was inspired to do hardwork and learn more and became one of the 25 women leaders in the congress. The event was successful and was entertained by different performances and talents from the participating agencies.

A week after the kick-off, on March 11, 2015, different government agencies gathered around Balanghai Hotel, Butuan City to celebrate KALANDRAKAS on its 11th year. Booth Exhibits were showcased from par-ticipating agencies. The Department of Health- Regional office offered free BP taking, free weight assessment and health teachings to all participants.

On March 12, 2015, a day after the Kalandrakas, the 1st Women’s Congress was established. This was spearheaded by the city government thru Sangguniang Panlung-sod (SP) Committee on Women, Children, Youth and Family Concerns headed by Atty. Rema Burdeos in coordination with RDC-GADCC. Women organizations in the region gathered and rose out relevant concerns.

The culmination for the celebration was held through the premier showing of the winning videos for the Salida Festival; a short film making contest that calls for the participation of all bonafide college/ university students of private and public schools in the region. The festival was a chic red-carpet Awards Night with grandi-ose food and glistening outfits of the

The whole month of March in observance of the Women’s Month Celebra-tion solicited the country’s commitment to strengthen the call to the ordinary Juana and Juan in harbouring deep concern for women and children.

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2015 Papal Visit:

The Department of Health Regional Office XIII extended their

support and services for the 2015 Papal visit in the Philip-

pines specifically in Tacloban City by sending two teams to

assist in the event as response team in the airport and in the

motorcade.

The teams dispatched made sure that the logistics and medi-

cal supplies were enough to address untoward incidents.

Pope Francis arrived around 9:30am on Saturday, January 17

at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, Tacloban City. This was

followed by a holy mass where it is attended by an estimate

of 100,000 or more people. In between the solemnity, elder-

lies experienced hypothermia which was managed by the

response team.

With the hustle and bustle of the activity, and the short time

of stay of Pope Francis, it was not only the grandiose persona

that made the event historical but everything in between,

including the preparation up until the final blessing.

As delivered by the Pope's translator, Msgr Mark Gerard

Miles:

“Jesus……..in his passion, he assumed all our pain. There-

fore he is capable of understanding us.”

A Fragment of Reflection:

“ Even by just looking at his face and his smile, I feel blessed.

It is not everyday that you get to see the highest priest exhibit

humility by being with us and go through the same footing of

understanding with the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. I will

never forget this experience.”

-Cheryl Mary Plaza, RN, Nurse V

Amid strong winds and pouring rain, Pope Francis celebrated

the mass but his stay in Leyte was cut short because of an

approaching storm.

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Welcome to the