Bright and early, the team met up at 7 am, grabbed some hard boiled eggs, and hit the road. Today we traveled to Kono to catch up with SCCAN, an advocacy group that has developed a screening and counseling program. We also visted to Koidu Hospital which is run by Partners in Health.
With big rolling mountains, and not many other drivers on the road, the drive to Kono was very scenic. In a short two hours, we arrived at SCCAN. SCCAN welcomed us into their clinic and set up chairs for us. We were met by one of their nurses, a screening technician, an individual that works on education materials and outreach efforts, and a medical student that has worked at SCCAN for several years. They told us their experiences with screening and educational efforts, and described to us a close partnership they have with the nearbyKoidu Hospital. They also shared that they are conducting outreach efforts next year in which they will bring screening devices, and educational materials. They expressed that education is crucial in pushing for change in the perception and availability of resources for Sickle Cell Disease. We showed them the flipbook and the posters we have been working on and they expressed interest in partnering together to develop future materials. They said they could use flipbooks, posters and fliers for educational materials. Nicole and Addy have been drafting various educational materials during this trip so they were excited to find a connection that wants to partner, and distribute them as they conduct outreach. After discussing the educational materials, we ran the test strip with running buffer to show them the product we have been working on. This was our first time showing, and running the strip to our partners, making this an exciting moment for all. The SCCAN team gathered around, took videos, and asked questions about the test. The test developed and showed a clear control line. After running the test, the SCCAN team gave us an updated contact list. While in the meeting, they shared the contact of the doctor they work with at the hospital for sickle cell testing and advised us to go there next.
After the SCCAN meeting, we made our way to the Koidu Hospital. We have not met with doctors at this hospital before, but have been told by several partners to speak with doctors and personnel connected to Partners in Health. When we arrived at the hospital, we were met by a doctor that works closely with Partners in Health. He invited one of his colleagues, who was also a doctor, into the meeting. He shared with us that they work with several sickle cell patients and has been trying to figure out ways to increase follow-up retention and resources. He told us that they were both booked out for the rest of the day, but would be in Makeni the next day and Saturday for a conference, and would like to meet in Makeni to continue our conversation.
After the meeting with the doctors, we made our way to the lab where we met the lab manager. We explained our initiative and he expressed his interest in our project and gave us his contact. He gave us a tour of the lab. The lab had several departments such as data collection, bio-chemistry, reception, micro-biology room, and hematology lab. The lab was organized, each department had staff specialized to their department, and they were equipped with more resources than SicklED has seen yet. They had a hematology analyzer, incubators, PCR machine, microscopes, and more. The organization and management of the hospital sets a standard and presents a model that SicklED could learn a lot from as we work to develop the end to end system.