John Snow, Inc.-Press Room- In the Press

JSI Work to Reduce Maternal Deaths Featured in USAID Frontlines

The May 2010 issue of Frontlines, published by USAID, features a story about JSI's Maternal and Child Health Integrated program (MCHIP). The article focuses on the project's efforts to reduce maternal deaths while encouraging men to take an active role in their partners' pregnancies. MCHIP integrates men into maternal health programs at the community level through activities such as: training them to be male motivators and community volunteers, encouraging them to accompany their partners to clinics, setting aside funds for emergency hospital visits, and reaching out to community groups and leaders to support their engagement in maternal health.

MCHIP is currently implemented in 27 countries, and JSI leads its work in the areas of child health, immunization, and pediatric HIV and AIDS. Various country programs are highlighted in the article, and JSI's Steve Hodgins, MCHIP Global Leadership Team Leader, is quoted.

MCHIP partners include JHPIEGO, Save the Children, PATH, PSI, Broadbranch, and JHU IIP.

Read the Frontlines article

JSI's Carrie Hessler-Radelet Appointed Peace Corps Deputy Director

Washington, June 23, 2010-- Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Director of JSI's Washington, DC office and JSI employee for more than 20 years, has been appointed Deputy Director of the United States Peace Corps by President Obama, effective immediately. Her appointment was confirmed by the Senate on June 22.

For the past fifteen years, Ms. Hessler-Radelet has overseen the management of JSI's global public health programs. She has worked in the field of public health for two decades, specializing in HIV&AIDS and maternal and child health, and has worked in more than 25 countries around the world.

"JSI has benefited from Carrie Hessler-Radelet's leadership for many years. If we have to lose Carrie, we are happy that it is to Peace Corps, an organization that shares JSI's commitment to improving the delivery of basic services to those who are most in need," said Joel Lamstein, president and founder of JSI.

Ms. Hessler-Radelet received her B.A. from Boston University and her Master's in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. A Johns Hopkins Fellow with USAID in Indonesia, she assisted the Indonesian government to develop its first national AIDS strategy. Ms. Hessler-Radelet later assisted in the development of the strategy for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Ms. Hessler-Radelet was a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa, where she taught high school and helped design a national public awareness campaign on disaster preparedness. She also lived and worked in: The Gambia, where she founded Special Olympics; Indonesia, where she was the country director for JSI's Norplant Surveillance Project, and; Australia where she taught health promotion to MPH students. She has served on the steering committee of the US Coalition for Child Survival for the past 6 years.

Ms. Hessler-Radelet has served as both a board and advisory council member of the National Peace Corps Association for the past 8 years. Her family is the first four generation Peace Corps family and her grandmother, Ruth Pearsall, is the oldest living Returned Peace Corps volunteer.

The positions of director and deputy director are the only two Peace Corps positions that require Senate confirmation. As Deputy Director, Ms. Hessler-Radelet will work with Director Aaron Williams to re-invigorate the Peace Corps and enhance its impact.

"Throughout the years, JSI has worked closely with Peace Corps in a number of country programs," said Mr. Lamstein. "We look forward to continuing that collaboration as Carrie assumes her new role. Congratulations, Carrie!"

JSI/Smokers' Helpline featured on WBZ story about cigarette tax in MA

Boston, May 21st, 2010: Local ABC News affiliate WBZ ran a story that included a glimpse of the Massachusetts Smokers' Helpline, which is managed by JSI. The piece looks at how funds garnered from cigarette taxes in Massachusetts are allocated. JSI's Gina Kelleher, Clinical Supervisor of the Massachusetts Smokers' Helpline, is shown counseling a tobacco user.

JSI has been working with the State of Massachusetts to reduce tobacco use since 1993, and has managed and operated the Smokers' Helpline since 2001. The toll-free Helpline can be reached Monday-Thursday from 9am-7pm, and Fridays from 9am-5pm, at 1-800-TRYTOSTOP (1-800-879-8678).

JSI also operates the tobacco helplines for the states of New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Watch the news segment.

JSI tobacco cessation specialist featured in the MetroWest Daily News

March 30, 2010: A report in the March 26, 2010, MetroWest Daily News noted that, despite lower rates of cigarette smoking among the states' teens, other types of tobacco use has risen, as a result of tobacco industry tactics that help teens conceal tobacco use.

JSI's Ann Marie Rakovic, Director of The Smokers' Helpline for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire reinforced those findings in a letter to the editor on March 30th.

Thanks to smokeless "tobacco products that are cheaper than cigarettes and are packaged in highly attractive and flavorful varieties," Rakovic says, smokeless tobacco use is difficult to detect. "We used to look for and sniff out smoke. Now it's even harder to determine if our children are getting hooked on tobacco and nicotine" says Rakovic. Adults need to be updated on clues that can indicate tobacco use.

JSI has managed and operated the Smokers' Helpline for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health since 2001, and has been working with the state to reduce tobacco use since 1993.

A link to Ms. Rakovic's letter to the editor has been placed on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website. Tobacco Free Mass, a local anti-tobacco advocacy group, will use the letter as supporting documentation in meetings to educate state legislators on the danger of smokeless tobacco.

Read Ms. Rakovic's letter to the editor.

JSI advises on expansion of health care safety net in Tennessee

March 18, 2010: Health care coverage in the U.S. has been at the forefront of public and political debate for many months. Meanwhile, health care policy experts from JSI continue decades of work with local and state entities to increase the reach and efficiency of the safety net, which is meant to ensure health care for people who are left out of or dropped by the system.

JSI has been working with the Nashville Metro government to develop a better business model for their health care safety net system. Recommendations include collaboration and resource pooling amongst the various providers in the Nashville Metro area. Senior Consultant Reesa Webb of JSI's Denver office says that the proposed recommendations would improve access to health care for more of the people who "...don't have the resources to either have health care or pay for their medical care."

The Tennessean and several other local media outlets covered the story.

News Channel 5 story and video clip.

Bantwana Featured on WBUR's Here and Now radio program

February 26, 2010, Boston MA: The Bantwana Initiative's work in Swaziland was highlighted today in a radio interview on WBUR's Here and Now program. In Swaziland, Bantwana is working with schools to provide a range of comprehensive services for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. The interview highlights the difficulties poor school children face--particularly in a country like Swaziland which has the highest rate of HIV in the world.

At the end of January, two Swazi teachers engaged in the Bantwana program, Welcome Mkhaliphi and Thulani Tfwala, and Bantwana monitoring and evaluation officer Mavis Vilane, visited Boston to speak about the struggles that young children and adolescents in Swaziland face and how volunteers are dedicating their lives to help these children cope and thrive.

The Bantwana Initiative for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, a program of World Education and John Snow, Inc., helps communities expand and increase the quality of comprehensive services to areas where orphaned and vulnerable children live. Building on effective community practices and cultural traditions, Bantwana helps caregivers and teachers find and create solutions to addressing the complex needs of children living in their midst. Bantwana also links communities with policymakers and government officials to ensure common understanding and joint problem solving about how to support these children. Learn more at www.bantwana.org

Listen to the interview on Here and Now

SCMS work in Haiti highlighted in the Boston Globe

January 21, 2010: The Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) project's work in Haiti delivering drugs after the earthquake has been highlighted in the Boston Globe newspaper. Implemented through the Partnership for Supply Chain, an initiative of JSI and Management Sciences for Health, SCMS has been working in Haiti for more than two years.

The SCMS staff in Haiti have distributed medicine kits and other medical supplies from existing stock in the project warehouse to 16 hospitals and 14 clinical sites in Port-au-Prince. As of January 19, more than 40,000 pounds (18,000kg) of medicines and emergency medical supplies from warehouse stock had been distributed. Kits included: antibiotics (including co-trimoxazole), blood transfusion sets, exam lamps, first aid supplies (bandages, tape, alcohol wipes, cotton), ibuprofen, syringes and needles, and other essential drugs.

SCMS made its first routine resupply of antiretroviral AIDS medicines to a health facility. Without uninterrupted supply of antiretroviral medicines, patients will soon relapse and are at risk of developing drug resistant strains of AIDS. The staff helped treat the wounded immediately after the earthquake. SCMS staff in Haiti and around the globe are determining other ways to contribute to the relief effort.

SCMS is a USAID-funded project that manages warehousing and distribution of HIV & AIDS commodities for the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in the country.

JSI had three other projects working in Haiti at the time of the January 11 earthquake. All staff are safe and are now assisting with the relief effort.

Read the Boston Globe article

The Guardian reports on JSI's work to lower maternal deaths in Tanzania

November 23, 2009: In Tanzania, where the mortality rate is 950 per 100,000 live births, access to contraception is scarce. Cultural and religious beliefs opposing the use of modern contraceptives and myths about side effects further discourage their use. JSI's Tim Rosche, Director of the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT in Tanzania, is urging the government to accept new birth control drugs that could help decrease the maternal mortality rate.

Read the article

JSI's Richard Brennan: Building Back Better in Liberia

November 17, 2009: Dr. Richard Brennan heads the Rebuilding Basic Health Services (RBHS) in Liberia Project. In this personal profile in the Australian North Side newspaper, Dr. Brennan reflects upon where he's come from and what inspires him.

Read the article

JSI Selected a Top Place to Work in Boston for Second Year

November 8, 2009, Boston, MA: For the second year in a row, John Snow, Inc. (JSI) has been recognized as a Top Place to Work in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe newspaper. JSI ranked 50th among the almost 300 companies that fully participated in the survey and 22nd in the Small Companies category.

The results are based solely on the opinions of employees provided through an online survey covering company leadership, career development, work-life balance, job satisfaction, compensation and training, values and ethics. JSI employees specifically acknowledged that the company operates with strong values and ethics and gives them respect and flexibility which helps foster a positive work environment. The employees also expressed their feeling that the organization values them during difficult times.

"I am pleased that we have received this recognition from the Boston Globe two consecutive years," said JSI president and founder, Joel Lamstein. "In this very challenging economic time, I am glad to hear that the employees have confidence in their work and feel that we are going in the right direction. It is all our staff that help make JSI such a terrific place to work."

You can read direct quotes, pulled from the surveys, of why staff enjoy working at JSI in the Globe's online feature at the Globe's Top Places web feature.

The Globe 100's Top Places to Work 2009 magazine was published in the Boston Sunday Globe on November 8, 2009. 269 companies and more than 86,000 employees participated in the survey. The report and other features can be found online at www.boston.com/topworkplaces

NUMAT responds to NY Times Columnist's Half the Sky Competition

September 23, 2009: Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times, is hosting a special contest focusing on women and girls around the world. He is encouraging readers of his blog to share stories that show the work being done for women and girls around the world and shed light on the possibilities for change. Diana Sera and Florence Aliba of the NUMAT Project in Uganda responded with a touching story from their work.

NUMAT's story on Half the Sky Competition

Joel Lamstein Recipient of 2009 Social Leadership Award

September 10, 2009, Boston, MA: JSI President Joel Lamstein has been chosen as the recipient of the 2009 CEO Social Leadership Award, a program funded by the Lewis Family Foundation. The award comes with a $25,000 donation to be used for a social initiative.

"Joel Lamstein embodies the CEO who completely walks the talk around social responsibility," said George Donnelly, editor of the Boston Business Journal and a member of the CEO Social Leadership Award selection committee. Lamstein was selected for his commitment to both local and global social issues. Of particular note in the nomination was his support of Boston Partners in Education, a nonprofit that provides Boston Public School children with one-on-one volunteer support.

Lamstein was honored at the Boston Business Journal's annual Corporate Citizenship Summit on Sept. 11.

The award is sponsored by the Lewis Family Foundation, led by Alan and Harriet Lewis, owners of Grand Circle Travel. The CEO Social Leadership Award is administered with the help of the Boston Business Journal. To read the article on Joel, visit the Boston Business Journal

Watch an interview with Joel on the New England Cable Network

Liberian President presides over JSI youth program launch

TMCnet, August 21, 2009
The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, announced the launch of the President's Young Professional Program. The program, an initiative of JSI, focuses on preparing promising young Liberians to become professionals to develop the nation. Participants are college graduates who demonstrate leadership skills and character and are committed to building Liberia's future.

Read the article

JSI's RH for Refugees team blogging for RH Reality Check

August 19, 2009: On World Humanitarian Day, JSI's Astarte/Reproductive Health for Refugees team has been blogging about reproductive health in conflict zones.

Read the blog at RH Reality Check

JSI's Steve Hodgins cited in The Lancet article on Nepal

August 2009: This month's The Lancet includes a World Report by Thomas C. Tsai that looks at the state of public health in Nepal after 10 years of civil conflict.

JSI Chief of Party for the Nepal Family Health Program, Steve Hodgins, is quoted in the article. "...it appears there has been a real reduction [in the maternal mortality rate in Nepal]. I would attribute this to the marked increases in literacy among young women and the associated relative empowerment. These gains are durable and we expect further gains as a result of further improvement in population-level coverage of life-saving services and interventions."

To read the entire article, visit The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9689, Pages 515 - 516, 15 August 2009.

JSI has worked to improve health outcomes in Nepal for 30 years.

JSI's Coast Guard study cited in article on boating safety

July 6, 2009: Timed to coincide with the onset of the summer holidays, the Poughkeepsie NY Journal ran a story about the use of personal floatation devices (PFD) and boaters. The article cites JSI Research & Training Institute's ongoing U.S. Coast Guard study, which monitors PFD usage across the U.S. and was recently funded for a twelfth year.

The Coast Guard gathers information about lifejacket-wearing behavior in order to assess if educational campaigns for all boaters and regulations for children have increased usage. The Coast Guard uses JSI's data in its annual reports to Congress to illustrate how it is meeting agency goals to increase lifejacket use.

All states require that children under the age of 13 wear lifejackets while onboard, and that all boats be equipped with enough PDFs for every passenger. Only in limited instances, however, do any states require that people over the age of 13 wear lifejackets.

This inconsistency is problematic on many levels. "Parent's don't realize that although their kids go out on the water wearing life jackets, if the parents themselves aren't wearing one, their ability to rescue their kids and save themselves is inhibited," commented JSI Principal Study Investigator Dr. Tom Mangione. "It's a bitter irony when a kid survives because a parent was smart enough to put her in a lifejacket, but the parent dies because s/he didn't wear one."

There are approximately 700 boating-related drownings each year, and the Coast Guard maintains that 85% of those deaths could be prevented if boaters were wearing lifejackets before falling into the water.

JSI leads project to develop best practices and reporting for healthcare-associated infections in MA

JSI's Health Services has prepared a report for the State of Massachusetts on the prevention, monitoring and cost of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). JSI coordinated the work of a multidisciplinary panel of experts and 6 working groups charged with examining the problem of HAIs and developing evidence-based recommendations for prevention, surveillance and reporting. Other report-informing activities included extensive literature reviews, cost analysis, a survey of practices at 73 acute care hospitals across the state, reviews of educational approaches for prevention, focus groups with hospital executives about HAI prevention, and reporting and formative research on communicating HAI information to the public. The report, Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Massachusetts, presents the groups' findings and recommendations. Co-authored Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn, Senior Clinical Advisor at JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., and member of related-project Massachusetts Healthcare Associated Infections Prevention and Control team, comments in the Boston Globe. The story is also covered on the Kaiser Network news website. www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46815

Read the article in the Boston Globe

JSI Denver working to provide better access to care in La Plata County, CO

June 28, 2007: With news of its health care professional shortage area designation, La Plata County, Primary Health Care Community Coalition Chairman Pat Murphy will rely on JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. to use the designation to suggest ways to deal with the health-care crisis. JSI Senior Consultant Reesa Webb says that the designation is a key to solving the primary care access crisis, which has left many local residents without care. JSI Research & Training Institute was hired by the Coalition for its expertise in rural primary care development.

JSI's Anti-Malaria Work Noted in New York Times

June 28, 2006: JSI's anti-malarial efforts in Uganda are acknowledged in Celia Dugger's "Push for New Tactics as War on Malaria Falters," first of a series of two articles entitled "Fighting an Old Scourge."

In Uganda, more than 1.6 million children are affected by malaria each year. JSI's Uganda Program for Human and Holistic Development (UPHOLD) project works to prevent malaria by procuring and distributing insecticide treated nets to those at highest-risk for contracting malaria, including expectant mothers and infants, especially those who are who are displaced in refugee camps, where there is a higher incidence of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. When insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are regularly available, retreated regularly and used properly, they are a highly effective mechanism of protecting against mosquito bites that may carry malaria.

The UPHOLD project promotes various approaches to increase use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and presumptive treatment for pregnant women. UPHOLD facilitates malaria prevention and treatment counseling between health workers and mothers, and has developed behavior change through radio messages, drama groups, and posters.

UPHOLD is also working to ensure that those affected by malaria receive appropriate treatment and care, both in health facilities and at home. Fever in children under five can be effectively managed through simple interventions that mothers and caretakers can do. UPHOLD's home-based management of fever strategy is training volunteers to dispense Homapak, a pre-packaged dose of antimalarial medication, for treatment of fever in children under five-years-old, thus reducing the need to go to health facilities. Last year alone, UPHOLD-supported health providers and volunteers treated over 1.5 million children with Homapak.

Read the New York Times article online