Sound and Sustainable Improvements to Infrastructure and Services in Liberia

The program's three main objectives are to strengthen national coordination mechanisms for survivor care, improve access for survivors to sub-specialty health services for common post-EVD sequelae, and strengthen health systems and reduce stigmatization of survivors. The program improved infrastructure at six of the eight targeted facilities in Montserrado, Margibi, and Lofa Counties: JFK Medical Center; Dolo Town Health Center; and Redemption, Tellewoyan, Kolahun, and Foya Boma Hospitals. APC/ETP&SS addressed specific infrastructure improvement needs at each of the six facilities, including ensuring safe water supply, constructing perimeter walls to improve infection prevention control (IPC) adherence, upgrading physical infrastructure, and supplying new equipment. Infrastructure improvements began in earnest in September 2017, with the award and signing of the first two contracts for the renovation of the Redemption Hospital Emergency Triage and Eye Clinic, and the renovation of the Tellewoyan Hospital Laboratory and the Dolo Town Health Center perimeter wall. The existing Redemption Hospital Emergency Triage Unit was transformed into a permanent structure with ceramic tile-surfaced masonry walls and sliding glass window panels, and the eye clinic was renovated and extended to include a small fully air-conditioned surgical room supplied with new ophthalmological equipment. The project constructed a 295-foot borehole that provides clean water to Kolahun Hospital, and a water tower was constructed and equipped with two 5,000 liter poly tanks that are supplied by a solar-powered submersible pump system. The system is fully functional, and the hospital administration is grateful to USAID and JSI for providing an increased supply of safe drinking water. The contractor also provided training to the Hospital Water and Sanitation Team so they can manage the system. At Foya Boma Hospital, which struggled with an insufficient water supply, a new potable water well with a solar-powered submersible pump and a new rain water harvesting system provide water year-round. The laboratory at JFK Medical Center Outpatient Infectious Disease Clinic was renovated, adding work space, improving toilet facilities, increasing the number of consultation and counseling rooms, improving the laboratory, and creating a drug store, lounge, and furnished dressing room for staff. The infrastructure improvements brought massive changes to the physical structures and service delivery at each of the six targeted facilities, bringing immense relief not only to the facilities themselves but also to the communities that they serve. At Redemption and Tellewoyan Hospitals, structural repairs and modern equipment have improved service delivery. At Dolo Town Health Center, structural changes improved patient flow and triage, and have increased security of the facility and its staff. JFK's redesign and renovation improved service delivery for infectious disease control and treatment. Kolahun Hospital now has a fully functional solar-powered potable water system.