Publication Date December 1, 2023 Research & Evidence

Learning From Health Systems Strengthening Responses to COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems worldwide, examining their resilience in maintaining essential services while preventing and responding to COVID-19. MOMENTUM Knowledge Accelerator conducted a learning synthesis to understand the extent to which three MOMENTUM projects in India and Sierra Leone used health systems strengthening (HSS) approaches in their COVID-19 response activities. Furthermore, the work sought to distill factors that facilitated, or inhibited, the implementation and outcomes of HSS-oriented COVID-19 response activities. Lessons and recommendations can inform future approaches to integrating HSS in outbreak and pandemic responses.

Publication Date December 1, 2023 Research & Evidence

An Investment Case for Sierra Leone’s Community Health Worker Policy: An integrated approach from child health and community health systems

MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership collaborated with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health to develop a national “Investment Case for Sierra Leone’s Community Health Worker Policy.” The Investment Case provides the Government of Sierra Leone and development partners with clear financing requirements and impact projection justifying continued investments to ensure institutionalization of sustainable, accessible, and equitable community health services at scale. Using the Community Health Planning and Costing Tool (CHPCT 2.0), the Community Health Worker Coverage and Capacity (C3) Tool, and the Lives Saved Tool (LiST), this investment case analyzes the costs and benefits of the CHW program from 2021 to 2026.

Publication Date December 1, 2023 Program & Technical Resources

Strengthening Health Resilience through Multisectoral Population, Health, and Environment Programming in Tanzania

MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience is implementing an integrated, multisectoral population, health, and environment (PHE) approach to address complex, interconnected challenges in Tanzania while strengthening health resilience. Three specific approaches in this PHE model include: Model Household/Boma Initiative, First-Time Parents program, and Community Conservation Microfinance Groups.

Publication Date December 1, 2023 Webinars

Advancing Local Solutions and Innovations for Lasting Impact: Applying Strategies for COVID-19 Vaccination to Routine Immunization

On December 6, 2023, the Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative, in collaboration with MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity, held an event to share best practices and innovations used to achieve high equitable coverage of COVID-19 vaccination and reach hard-to-reach priority populations, and how they could be applied to routine immunization. The event focused on key themes such as community engagement to promote vaccine confidence and improve accessibility, strategies for reaching priority populations, partnerships between government and NGOs, strengthening data availability and use for decision-making, and adapting supply chain management to meet the needs of new vaccines. Speakers discussed opportunities for applying these strategies to routine immunization, and what is needed to facilitate that transition.

Publication Date December 1, 2023 Program & Technical Resources

COVID-19 to Routine Immunization Information System Transferability Assessment (CRIISTA)

The COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine introduction led many countries to invest in new immunization information systems (IISs) to collect, manage, and use COVID-19 vaccination data. Many countries have recognized these investments as a potential opportunity for strengthening routine IISs. The COVID-19 to Routine Immunization Information System Transferability Assessment (CRIISTA) aims to facilitate a thorough process for collecting and reviewing relevant information to support decision-making around whether it is appropriate to scale a COVID-19 IIS, or parts of it, for use in routine immunization.

Publication Date November 1, 2023 Program & Technical Resources

Family Planning (FP) Resilience Checklist

The Family Planning (FP) Resilience Checklist is an Excel-based tool to assess the extent to which voluntary family planning efforts, particularly in fragile settings, are integrating interventions to strengthen resilience of individual, couples, communities, and facilities to shocks and stresses, with the aim of scaling and sustaining demand, access, and use of family planning.  

Publication Date November 1, 2023 Program & Technical Resources

COVID-19 Vaccination Program in Review: Vietnam

As MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity’s COVID-19 vaccination program in Vietnamcomes to an end, we look back on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned that the project had in reaching underserved and priority populations, strengthening health systems management, and improving the health workforce. Download this report to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccination program in Vietnam, which was conducted from November 2021–September 2022, and March 2023–September 2023. 

Publication Date November 1, 2023 Webinars

Targeted Assessments to Identify, Reach, and Monitor Zero-Dose and Under-Immunized Children

On November 15, 2023, MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity held a learning exchange webinar to discuss targeted assessments for identifying zero-dose and under-immunized children. The exchange focused on the use of some of these methods, including LQAS (lot quality assurance sampling) and cluster surveys, drawing from experiential knowledge from colleagues in two countries using these techniques, as well as reflections from WHO on how these approaches can be used as part of “The Big Catchup.”

Publication Date November 1, 2023 Program & Technical Resources

Counseling, Informed Consent, and Debriefing (CCD) for Cesarean Section: Hard to Define, Achieve, and Monitor – Key Findings from a Mixed Methods Study in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), India, and Nigeria

Counseling, informed consent, and debriefing (CCD) before and after cesarean section comprise important aspects of respectful maternity care. However, prior research indicates significant gaps may exist in these elements of care in many low- and middle-income countries. To better understand attitudes, preferences, and practices related to CCD in the context of both emergency and non-emergency surgical obstetric care, MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics conducted a mixed methods study (including interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and record reviews) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), India, and Nigeria. This fact sheet outlines key findings. 

Publication Date November 1, 2023 Research & Evidence

Safe Cesarean Delivery Checklist Landscape Analysis

The Safe Cesarean Delivery Checklist Landscape Analysis presents findings from a landscape analysis to identify current global and regional tools being used to improve communication and decision-making during cesarean deliveries. The landscape analysis also includes a care pathway delineating critical moments in service delivery for cesarean deliveries and identifies gaps in how existing tools address the type and quality of care patients receive along this pathway. This work will inform the future development of a new Safe Cesarean Delivery Checklist in India.