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ASANTEMAN COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA (ACONA) Introduction The Board of Directors of Asanteman Council of North America (ACONA) intends to build seri
The poor and the elderly population of the Ashanti Region are relatively much higher than those in the rest of the regions. The problems of this group of the population are well documented. Poverty, health and wellness top the list. Inaccessibility to well-equipped medical facilities and inability to pay for medical treatments and services inhibit them from receiving adequate medical attention. Even when formal fees are low or non-existent, the poor and the elderly often face expenses for transport, medication, and food or lodging for the sick or their family members when they travel to seek medical attention from other providers in the region. Our project will create an avenue for the poor and the elderly to obtain quality health care at an affordable cost through our Health and Medical center and the mobile clinic services. Without this program, many seriously ill poor patients may go without the necessary life-saving health care that will enable them to fight their diseases.
Improving the health of the poor and the elderly will not only enhance the lives of individuals and families; it will also contribute to the economic and social well being of the greater community in the interest of development. Our mission is to promote healthy and positive prevention habits, as well as providing points of entry service centers to available health services in the region. Our mission is to establish specialized health care facilities and mobile clinics that will serve the poor, the elderly and the disabled people in Ashanti in particular and the rest of the country in general regardless of their socio-economic status. The centers, located in some selected towns in the region, will provide high quality comprehensive health care services. ACONA will develop an accessible and sustainable health care system and train the management and other support staff for the center.
Resource needs for this project include, but not limited to adequate land, cash, building
Health care and wellness services will be provided at the center. Health care services will include screenings and treatments for such health problems as malaria, dysentery, diabetes, arthritis, blood pressure, muscle weakness, and other conditions. Screenings will be followed by referral to appropriate ACONA clinics. Wellness activities will include preventive care, such as exercise programs and healthy eating.
The Medical-Surgical Service will assure that top quality acute health care is available, immediately accessible and efficiently provided to all eligible patients as clinically indicated. The Medical-Surgical Service will assure that clinical professionals and expert specialist have a significant voice in program assessment and outcome analysis.
As a part of its overall public health mission, Acona Health and Medical Center will provide local leadership in helping to control the HIV epidemic by working with community, national, and international partners in surveillance, research, and prevention and evaluation activities. Our HIV Prevention initiative aims at reducing barriers to early diagnosis of HIV infection and increasing access to quality medical care, treatment, and ongoing prevention services for those living with HIV. The initiatives will include programs: Prenatal HIV Prevention, AIDS Community Demonstration Projects and Prevention Outreach Initiatives.
The Mobile Clinic component of the program known as “Health on Wheels”, with the goal of improving the health of the medically underserved rural folks, will provide free, convenient and confidential medical care for low-income and elderly people in the rural communities in the region.
Expected Results
ACONA member associations are committed to investing up to 20% of the total project cost. ACONA’s investment will comprise of cash and material contributions as well as voluntary services. In addition to membership donations, ACONA will seek funding and donations from international agencies and corporations, such as the World Bank, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Johnson & Johnson, Lions and Rotary Clubs, Project Cure and other Charitable Foundations. From the initial stages of the project development, ACONA’s contribution will increase gradually each year until the target contribution is reached.
Nana Kwasi Antwi Boasiako ACONA REPRESENTATIVES IN GHANA |
es of specialized Health and Medical Centers in the Ashanti region to cater for the poor and the elderly population in the region and the rest of the country. Our goal is to provide comprehensive patient-centered health care services to the poor and the elderly residents of the region, and other parts of the country. The centers will serve as treatment and referral centers and as points of entry (POs) to the various health services available in the region and other parts of the country through a series of partnerships with health service providers
materials, hospital equipments and appliances. Other needs will include medical volunteers such as doctors, nurses and paramedics. Others include architects, building technologists, carpenters and masons and laborers. ACONA is seeking a total of about 200 acres of land distributed throughout the Ashanti region and about $6,200,000 grant to construct the facilities, procure start-up equipments, and support the salaries and benefits of twenty-five staff positions for the next five years. The positions include: one Medical Director, four Medical Officers, one SPO supervisor, two part-time Nursing Sisters, four full-time Nurses, two Social Workers, one Administrative Officer, two Administrative Assistants, two mobile clinic drivers, and two auxiliary staff members. The lead agency for this effort, ACONA intends to continue to solicit funding around the world for the long-term development of the center.
Senior Volunteer Program, Home Assistance Program, Nutrition Program, Geriatric Care Services Program, Case Management Program and Caregiver Support Program.