By Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Elizabeth Fine
Why did WiRED International believe it vital to create a training program dedicated solely to the concept of One Health?
One Health recognizes the intrinsic link between human, animal and environmental health. Climate change has intensified global health stressors resulting in mass migration and food insecurity, the proliferation of zoonotic diseases and severe environmental degradation. This assault calls for integrated health strategies to address emerging crises across every continent. Underserved communities are disproportionately affected, yet they often lack educational resources needed to address these risks or prepare frontline workers for an effective response.
In response, WiRED created a five-part One Health Curriculum last December to train our community health workers (CHWs) about how climate change simultaneously impacts environmental, animal and human health. This interconnectedness is best described through the One Health framework, which guides our approach and informs the training we provide.
WiRED’s One Health module series
Module 1: One Health Introduction- Module 2: Human Considerations
- Module 3: Animal Health
- Module 4: Environmental Considerations
- Module 5: Teaching One Health Concepts to the Community
What does the One Health series hope to accomplish? The program equips CHWs, often the first and only point of care in low-resource regions, with skills to identify emerging health threats across human, animal and environmental domains. For instance, when CHWs walk into a community, they are trained to look at the health of farm and domestic animals and environmental conditions such as water and food supplies and sanitation facilities. Problems with any of these community components can spell health problems for the others.
The curriculum strengthens frontline surveillance, builds climate-resilient communities, expands preventive capacity, leverages a community-based workforce and ensures sustainability through continuous learning.
WiRED recognizes the critical role CHWs can play in teaching disease prevention measures and helping underserved communities prepare for emerging health risks — especially as global health resources have been severely cut, leading to fragile health structures.
One Health: Where the health of people, animals and the environment meet
The following volunteers contributed their expertise in the writing, editing, reviewing and designing of this One Health training series.
Emily Bardo, D.V.M. Is an equine veterinarian who brings to this project an in-depth perspective on zoonotic disease and biosecurity as it relates to human health.
Lisa Eshman, D.V.M. is a small animal veterinarian and retired professor of Veterinary Technology at Foothill College, where she promoted a One Health approach to veterinary nursing training.
Charlotte Ferretti, Ed.D., R.N., taught at San Francisco State University as a Professor of Nursing for 15 years and directed a school-based state-certified health center.
Matt Lang has worked with WiRED for the past 10 years and operates the WiRED website. He designs, integrates and maintains WiRED’s extensive collection of training modules. Matt’s work reflects his deep commitment to the health and well-being of the local and global communities served by WiRED.
Ann Curtis Mangold is a retired educator from the Bay Area of California. For more than ten years, she has volunteered with WiRED as a quality control manager and senior editor for WiRED’s training modules.
Hussein Mohamed, Ph.D. teaches at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. His research focuses on public health.
Miriam Othman, M.D., M.P.H. is Director of the Global & Community Health Division and Assistant Professor at Western University of Health Science College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Gary Selnow, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus at San Francisco State University who has been providing health education in underserved regions for nearly three decades.
WiRED mindfully integrates our training programs, projects, videos/animations and apps to guarantee that our CHWS remain informed and their skills up to date. CHWs have immediate access to hundreds of WiRED modules, which are continually revised, and new modules added. CHWs can connect easily to all our training programs via our HealthMAP app, designed for both Android and iOS. Further, WiRED just released an updated Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program and webpage that is available without cost to CHWs worldwide, whether trained by WiRED or other organizations. CHWs are required annually to earn 50 CME credits to maintain WiRED certification.
WiRED is an entirely volunteer organization that runs on a small budget. Please consider donating to us!
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