Guyanese will benefit from a Comprehensive Child and Youth Health Program headed by Dr Rachel Vreeman, Chair of the Department of Health System Design and Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The Guyana Ministry of Health will partner with the New York medical institution to allow Dr. Vreeman, Director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health, specializing in global health systems and implementation research, to conduct the months-long outreach program.

During a Facebook video presentation, Dr. Vreeman said “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with the Ministry of Health in Guyana around the new initiative to offer health screening to every single child in the country.”

“I am the mother of a six-year-old boy and as he prepares to head back to school, I would recommend that he has exactly what we’re putting in place for every child in Guyana, health screening. With health screening, we can help every child in Guyana to have the very best chance at growing and learning to the very best of their capabilities. We would recommend that every child have screening for things like their vision and their hearing and their oral health, said Dr. Vreeman.

She added, “The reason that this is so important is that it really sets them up to learn as well as possible. If a child is having problems seeing they may not be able to read or participate as fully as they might be able to otherwise if they’re having trouble. Their hearing their speech and their social skills, might be delayed and even problems with baby teeth in the mouth can really get in the way of children’s learning at school as well as their nutrition, said the medical professional. 

 “What I would recommend for every child in nursery school and moving through the school system is to have a comprehensive health screening. We’re so excited that that opportunity is going to be there for the children of Guyana.”

The author of three popular books debunking medical myths and who appeared as a voice for science on Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS Evening News, Dr. Vreeman said. “We hope that you will be eager for them to get this health screening, and whatever it is that will help your child to grow and learn and be the healthiest child they possibly can be.”

“I really believe that this is an opportunity for Guyana’s children to reach their maximum potential, noted, Dr. Vreeman, a Professor of Pediatrics whose research portfolio focuses on the long-term care of children and adolescents living with HIV globally.

 According to the website, the Arnhold Institute specializes in global health systems and implementation research. The global research programs generate evidence about how to build and sustain better healthcare systems. 

The current work includes programs to enable hospitals and community health networks in Nepal to keep newborns alive and to build supportive, lifelong HIV treatment programs for children and adolescents in Kenya.

The medical program partners with academic institutions, health systems, government partners, and leading community-based organizations to maximize the impact at scale. The institute is committed to applying global lessons from developing country contexts to low-resource settings in the United States.