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The ELMA Relief Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and UBS Optimus Foundation Support Gradian Health Systems in Building Critical Care Capacity in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda

Jun 22, 2020

The ELMA Relief Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and UBS Optimus Foundation have awarded grants to Gradian Health Systems to increase much needed critical care capacity in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda in response to COVID-19, as well as strengthen future healthcare infrastructure for managing critically ill patients.

The grants will support training for clinicians and will build upon medical technology investments made by all three governments in the Gradian Comprehensive Care Ventilator (Gradian CCV) and other critical care equipment. The aim of these funds is to ensure providers have high-quality equipment as well as high-quality training to treat severe COVID-19 and other critically ill patients.

In addition to developing, distributing, and sustaining medical equipment for resource-limited settings, Gradian Health Systems also plays a role in training frontline anesthesia and critical care providers, and we are committed to supporting their needs now more than ever.

These grants will help further develop and increase access to the Gradian Training Resource Center, an online platform with a library of high-quality product and clinical refresher trainings that providers can use to build skills when and where they need. These funds are being deployed immediately to prepare frontline critical care workers in all three countries to respond to this global health crisis using tailored, localized curricula designed to strengthen critical care service delivery at a national scale. This work is made possible by leveraging our existing network of clinical trainers, strong relationships with professional societies, and previous investments in simulation training infrastructure, including university-based sim labs and mobile simulation training kits.

Key training activities by country include:

  • Kenya: Using our simulation lab at the Kenya Medical Technical College (KMTC) as a broadcast center for remote simulation training
  • Sierra Leone: Deploying self-guided and trainer-led remote simulation training sessions in collaboration with a team from Johns Hopkins University and conducting ongoing clinical coaching tailored to the specific needs and levels of providers
  • Uganda: Collaborating with the Association of Anesthesiologists of Uganda and Critical Care Society to create a course for nurses that blends Gradian’s simulation product training with critical care training for the management of critically ill patients

We thank The ELMA Relief Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, with funding from the Government of Canada, and UBS Optimus Foundation for their investment, partnership, and commitment to organizations on the frontlines.