HealthRise Brazil

About the HealthRise Brazil Program

THE NCD CHALLENGE IN BRAZIL

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs account for approximately 74% of total deaths in Brazil. More than 30.8% of the Brazilian population has raised blood pressure and 10.2% of adults between 20-79 years of age have diabetes, and the prevalence of these diseases is growing. In Brazil, NCDs represent the largest burden of disease, with 6.3% and 23.3% of adults living with diabetes and hypertension, respectively. A disproportionate toll is taken on those who cannot afford care, cannot physically access care, or have limited knowledge of their condition.

HEALTHRISE BRAZIL PROGRAM OVERVIEW

In 2015, the HealthRise program organized exploratory meetings in Brazil to meet with government officials and other stakeholders to introduce the program and understand the NCD landscape in Brazil with specific focus on microregions in Minas Gerais and Bahia. The HealthRise Brazil program will be managed by who will guide the program by engaging stakeholders, supporting the community assessment and contributing to the design, award and monitoring of multi-year grants for demonstration projects.

HealthRise conducted a needs assessment and discussions with local stakeholders to better understand the gaps and barriers in CVD and diabetes detection, treatment and care in Minas Girais and Bahia. These efforts revealed the following:

An estimated one third of individuals with hypertension and 15% to 25% of those with diabetes are not aware of their condition and awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviors is generally low.
Although data on treatment rates and disease control is limited, available data suggest that significant gaps exist in the receipt of treatment and meeting treatment targets.
Inconvenient facility hours and long wait times, limited awareness regarding patient rights and access to free medication, and a lack of access to the same doctor or primary care unit for follow-up care were some of the major barriers communicated by patients and providers.
Hypertension and diabetes are higher among women, individuals with lower levels of education and older individuals.

The HealthRise Brazil program is implementing community-based interventions in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais and Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia.

Map highlighting target districts in Brazil

HEALTHRISE BRAZIL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

Current Demonstration Projects

HealthRise is strengthening health care delivery and extending care into community and home-based settings to improve health outcomes for underserved populations. Interventions conducted by HealthRise Brazil partners Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa (FUNDEP) and Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Extensão (FAPEX) include:

Increasing family knowledge and engagement to strengthen support for patients in the management of their care.
Introducing electronic records in public pharmacies to improve monitoring of treatment adherence.
Reminding patients of their appointments through SMS messages to improve treatment adherence.
Linking community health agents, specialists and laboratories through telehealth to increase access to care.