Grant awarded to My Little Patient (MLP)
Founded in 2014, the goal of MLP is to work towards equitable, sustainable healthcare across the globe. This includes but is not limited to education, medical and dental services, housing and clean water, all essential to good quality of life. Since its recent inception, MLP has been successful in partnering with other non-profits to provide education, services and construction in multiple countries including Ethiopia, Jordan, Puerto Rico and India.
The Appalachian region (205,000 square miles with 25 million residents) includes some of the poorest counties in the United States, with a median income 20% lower than the rest of the nation. Many areas are either rural or extremely isolated, which results in geographic health disparities for residents due to lack of transportation and greater financial concerns. Residents in some Appalachian communities in Virginia are 23% more likely to die from heart disease, 28% more likely to die from complications of diabetes, and 44% more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when compared to residents of the rest of the state. In many counties in rural Appalachia, lack of healthcare resources have been associated with the lack of specialty providers, and patients may experience several months wait for outpatient services. The grant will provide assistance to residents of these communities by creating free clinics to bring healthcare services directly to their neighborhoods. Funds will be used to purchase a location, pay for medical supplies and other needed supplies and two forty foot shipping containers. Funds will be spent from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2022 and used specifically for underserved women and children in the Appalachian region of Southwest Virginia. With increased access to resources for reproductive health care, sex education and birth control, a significant difference will be made in preventing unplanned pregnancies.