Doctor V Goes Over The Sea

We celebrated a great occasion today in Eldoret – the official launch of AMPATH PLUS!

AMPATH PLUS stands for Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare – People-centered, Leadership, Universal Access, Sustainability.

With a commitment of five more years of funding from USAID, the US Agency for International Development, AMPATH PLUS will be a new phase of our partnership in Kenya, in which the Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and the Ministry of Health facilities work together to improve the health of our catchment area in Kenya. In this new phase, not only will we seek to find, link, treat, and retain all HIV-infected people within our catchment area, but we will dramatically increase our primary care and chronic disease management services. AMPATH is poised to serve as a model of innovation, ultimately creating knowledge on the best practices that can be shared with other USAID programs, with the Government of Kenya and with healthcare systems throughout the world.

We marked this special day with celebration – a big gathering, special visitors, music, cake and speeches.

Joe and Sarah Ellen Mamlin.  I think of Joe Mamlin as AMPATH’s visionary-in-chief. He is the one who said we have to be able to fight this HIV virus here and who ultimately grew AMPATH into a healthcare system caring for 150,000+ patients over the western third of the country.

This man is “Patient 129″ out of 152,000+. He spoke movingly about what it really means that AMPATH “leads with care” — lives extended, people given hope.

I accepted the results, I adhered to medications, and I gained motivation from my fellow patients,” said Patient 129. “I have lived over 13 years on medications…To me, AMPATH is the hand of God. I will take my [HIV] medicines until a cure is found.”

We also heard from Patients 1 and 4. Powerful reminders to what these last 10 years have given to so many.

AMPATH’s chief of party, Dr. Kimaiyo reminded us of our primary goal: “We want to demonstrate a sustainable, replicable model of care that will bring HIV to its knees.”

Dr. Einterz described what it has meant for Indiana University to lead the AMPATH Consortium, the significance of this generous gift from the American people, and how special it is to see AMPATH PLUS move forward under the leadership of our Kenyan partners.