Medellín Meeting on Hidden Costs of Reform
Health officials from nine countries met with representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Antioquia, Colombia, in September to discuss the effects of structural adjustment and health reform on community health in Latin America. The fiveday meeting, organized by PAHO and the University of Antioquia, examined evidence that increases in efficiency in health systems have in many cases come at the cost of individual health rights, equity, and social protection. Participants were urged to renew their focus on the essential public health functions of the state and on protecting community health. Participants in the meeting included Mayor of Medellín Sergio Fajardo, Governor of Antioquia Anibal Gaviria, and PAHO/WHO Representative Pier Paolo Balladelli. A PAHO field office in Medellín is supporting efforts to improve the health conditions of low-income and marginalized residents of the city, including some 3,000 displaced people.

PAHO, USDA to Collaborate on Food Safety
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and PAHO signed an agreement in June to work together to improve food safety and boost food trade throughout the Americas. The two agencies will work together to better protect the food supply and animal agriculture from contamination and diseases; to promote science-based decision making and standard setting; to support the harmonization of standards affecting trade and public and animal health; to promote exchanges among scientists, officials, producers and consumers in the region's countries; and to better coordinate and share resources for program management and scientific research. The USDA has participated in the Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture (RIMSA), the region's main forum on veterinary public health.

Bristol-Meyer Squibb Joins Child Health Alliance
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation granted $400,000 in August to the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), becoming the latest partner in a CMMB-PAHO project aimed at preventing child deaths in El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The project, Action for Family Health to Scale-up the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Strategy (IMCI), promotes the use of IMCI to reduce infant mortality and the effects of childhood illnesses and to improve growth and development of children under 5. It provides essential IMCI and antiretroviral drugs and includes efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The funds provided through this new public-private partnership will also help strengthen the capacity of faith-based organizations and ministries of health to coordinate and step up efforts in these areas.

University of Geneva, PAHO in Disaster Program
PAHO has signed an agreement with the University of Geneva to intensify cooperation in education and professional training in the area of disasters. PAHO's Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief program and the university's Multifaculty Program in Humanitarian Action will work together in the areas of professional development, academic research and analysis. The organizations will cooperate in identifying candidates for the masters' program in Geneva and will create a network to facilitate contact among graduates of the Geneva program and participants in related PAHO courses. PAHO will also consider Geneva students for internships in the Washington emergency preparedness

program or in its subregional disaster offices in Barbados, Costa Rica and Ecuador. The University of Geneva's humanitarian action program includes courses on humanitarian crisis management, public health and humanitarian action, emergencies and development, and law and humanitarian action.

Health Congress Draws Hundreds in Ecuador
Ecuador's Second National Congress for Health and Life drew 801 delegates from different sectors throughout the country to Guayaquil in mid-September for discussions on national health policy priorities and the organization of the National Health System. A large number of participants in the congress were from civil society organizations, including women's groups, youth and indigenous organizations, and community associations. Key topics included equity and the right to health, health care models, and networks for expanding access to health care. The congress was organized by the National Health Council with support from PAHO, the U.N. Population Fund, and UNICEF.

Family Health International Partners with PAHO
PAHO and Family Health International, a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina, USA, have signed an agreement to continue working together to improve family and reproductive health services and research in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organizations have been carrying out joint efforts in areas including research, training, capacity building, information dissemination and provision of services for maternal and child health, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and adolescent reproductive health. Specific activities covered by the new agreement include design and implementation of clinical trials for new contraceptive technologies and epidemiological research to help assess the benefits and risks of family planning methods.

PAHO, UNICEF Step Up Joint Work in Health
PAHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed an agreement in late July to step up their joint efforts in disasters, immunization, HIV/AIDS prevention, and monitoring of nutrition. The agreement places priority on collaboration aimed at achieving equity in health, improving the quality of life of children, and protecting children's rights. The agreement covers training of PAHO and UNICEF staff in technical areas related to preparedness and response in emergencies, development and utilization of PAHO's SUMA emergency supply system, and collaborative efforts in national vaccination days, nutrition and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Safety first

Formula One racer Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia appears in a PAHO public service announcement promoting road safety. The PSA has aired throughout the Americas.