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Healthcare
The Schweitzer Institute is dedicated to expanding
access to health care, improving the quality of care through
medical education and public health programs, providing humanitarian
aid and promoting humanitarian values in health care.
The
Quinnipiac institute's main program activities in health
care development are the Schweitzer Conferences and Seminars
(SCS), sponsored by the Open Society Institute, Network
Public Health Program (OSI, NPHP). A series of meetings
for health care leaders held in Central and Eastern Europe
and the Former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU), these conferences
explore clinical, public health, human rights, and ethical
issues with the goal of improving the region's ability to
respond to the unique health needs of vulnerable populations.
Since
1994, dozens of these “Schweitzer Seminars”
have been conducted by the Institute in collaboration with
OSI, NPHP and a variety of national and international partner
organizations, making SCS one of the most extensive health
education series operating in the CEE/FSU region.
The conferences and seminars focus on priority health care
topics of critical importance to the CEE/FSU region, including
palliative care, physical and mental disabilities, HIV /
AIDS, tuberculosis, reproductive health, prison health,
and child and adolescent health. Conference participants
explore how these topics impact vulnerable populations –
people who have historically been discriminated against,
neglected, or ignored. The programs seek to improve clinical
expertise, strengthen public health capacity-building skills,
and foster deeper understanding of health care ethics and
human rights.
Designed
for audiences of 20-100 people, the programs stimulate interactive,
interdisciplinary learning and professional networking as
well as foster innovative public health projects and policy
development. SCS creates an environment where geographically
and professionally diverse people teach, learn, and become
inspired to make changes.
At
the heart of the program are healthcare professionals from
around the world who volunteer their time to deliver presentations
in their areas of expertise.
SCS
has sparked the creation of new health organizations, follow-up
training courses and consultations, changes in government
policies, improvements in clinical practice, and donations
of materials.
The
institute believes all people affected by health issues
need to be actively involved in planning and implementing
health care reforms. SCS therefore encourages the participation
of diverse groups of people, including doctors, nurses,
public health professionals, activists, scholars, human
rights advocates, ethicists, government officials, and journalists,
among others.
The
institute has established valuable partnerships with individual
experts and major institutions worldwide. It has also cultivated
an extensive network of SCS volunteers working in the areas
of medicine, public health, ethics, and human rights throughout
Europe, the FSU and the United States. |
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 ALBERT SCHWEITZER
The teachings and philosophy of Albert Schweitzer encourage
us to concern ourselves with the relation of humankind to
all life - the earth and all its inhabitants. Dr. Schweitzer
believed that each one of us could do a little to ameliorate
suffering and misery in the world. He believed the "destiny
of mankind is to become more and more humane."
JOURNAL
Click to download the latest issue of The Schweitzer Institute Journal of Philosophy.
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