Maya Health Alliance:
Unlocking health care for those who need it the most.
We have both clinical programs and training/knowledge-sharing programs.
In the clinical arena, we are recognized leaders in the detection and treatment of chronic childhood malnutrition and also in the management of adult diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One of our most exciting clinical programs is our referral program, which accepts complex patients with challenging conditions (such as individuals with advanced cancer) from other organizations and helps with their case management and treatment plans.
In the knowledge-sharing arena, we have developed validated, effective training programs which teach other organizations to design and implement their own child nutrition and women’s health programs, and we actively support them in this process.
We are also committed to training the next generation of global health leaders and we provide long-term mentorship and practical, field-based experience to numerous anthropologists-, physicians-, and entrepreneurs-in-training.
Soluciones innovadoras a los problemas de salud persistentes para las comunidades pobres, marginadas e indígenas de Guatemala.
We serve the indigenous Maya population of Guatemala, which is 50% of the population of 15 million. The Maya are rural and marginalized. According to the WHO, rates of chronic child malnutrition are among the highest in the world. Adult illness is also rampant; cervical cancer, for example, is the most frequent cause of death in indigenous women after childbirth. We counter these disparities by building high quality chronic illness programs that use Mayan languages and value Mayan culture.
For Guatemala’s indigenous population, poverty and discrimination have led to staggering burdens of chronic diseases, such as child malnutrition and adult diabetes and cancer. There are no quick fixes for these socially determined illnesses, but Maya Health Alliance leverages a unique blend of world-class medical expertise, local cultural competence, creative financing, and sheer determination. We are closing the health care gap and improving the vitality of these communities.