Posters

The purpose of this study is to assess currently used or proposed methods for detecting counterfeit/substandard medical products, here called CSMP, to identify their shortcomings and to analyse if a new tamper evident packaging method using vacuum may resolve some of these shortcomings. With the new method, the product and a pressure sensor with a signalling means are placed in a gas proof bag which is vacuum sealed. If someone tries to open it, air gets in and the sensor registers the loss of vacuum and sends an alarm and/or memorizes a time stamp of the event to be read at future inspections. See Patent (2010), Patent (2016) and TamperSeal (2017).

The design/methodology/approach used comprehensive literature and patent studies combined with about 70 unstructured interviews were performed followed by construction of a multi-layer packaging security model. This framework together with the criteria found in the literature were applied to evaluate both current and the new methods. Finally, a cost-benefit analyses were performed on a real case.

Immunization supply chains in low resource settings do not always reach children with necessary vaccines. Digital information systems can enable real time visibility of inventory and improve vaccine availability. In 2014, a digital, mobile/webbased information system was implemented in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The purpose of this poster presentation is to highlight improvements and stabilization of supply chain performance following introduction of the digital information system.

Humanitarian organizations utilize social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to broadcast information to key stakeholders. For instance, organizations issue appeals for donations to donors and provide updates on goods and services for beneficiaries over social media. On social media, a user's posts are instantly transmitted to their connections, or followers, and this means that a user's set of followers represents her direct audience.Therefore, humanitarian organizations should aim to expand their follower networks to maximize the number of users that can be immediately reached and the diffusion of their posts.

Our research analyzes what mechanisms drive follower growth for organizations involved in disaster relief. We utilized the Twitter dataset from the 2016 Ecuador Earthquake to track the growth of Twitter follower bases for approximately 65 organizations involved with disaster relief during a two-week period that spanned one week before and one week after the earthquake. 

Supply Chain management strategies are extremely important in developing sustainable public health sector and humanitarian distribution structures which deliver quality product to the populations. Existing stakeholders’ infrastructures and support functions are paramount in ensuring that Public Health Supply Chain and Humanitarian Response can be both efficient and cost effective whilst benefit from agile solutions suitable for their evolving needs. In an environment where Supply chain costs contribute between 15 to 41% of the total landed cost pf products, leveraging existing infrastructure and having collaborative approach can result in `value creation up to 30%. On the one hand, leveraging existing logistics infrastructure enable the rapid but cost effective deployment of both temporary (for example for emergency response) and long term solutions (Public Health Strengthening). On the other hand, support functions in Supply Chain contribute meaningfully to costs. Support functions in supply chain including logistics (warehousing and distribution, procurement, and materials management), technology, quality health, environment, and safety (QHSE); human resources; and finance, can constitute anywhere between 10 and 45 percent of these operating expenses. This poster will highlight strategies of private sector stakeholders’ structures.

The Community-Based Integrated Health Programme, known locally as MAHEFA, was a five-year USAID-funded programme led by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., and implemented in partnership with Transaid, The Manoff Group and 15 national NGOs. The overall aim of the programme was to reduce maternal, child, and new-born mortality and malnutrition rates through increasing the uptake of health-related community-based interventions and essential products. While transport has been widely recognised as a barrier to the provision of and access to health service in rural areas (46% - INSTAT, 2010), few community health programmes have integrated transport interventions as an enabler to support the provision of services. From its onset, MAHEFA’s core strategy included trialling innovative solutions to improve access to health care through emergency transport systems (ETS). This poster presents the implementation of ETS in Madagascar.

This poster is a compliment to the model "Ebola Community Care Center" that may be toured during the conference. See tour time slots on website for details and you may sign up in person on Day 1 of the event:  https://hhl2017.chhs.gatech.edu/program/ebola-ccc.

For 70 years, supplies have been central to UNICEF’s emergency response. Supply Division (SD) is UNICEF’s global headquarters for procurement and logistics and has a critical role in coordinating with humanitarian partners and governments to ensure that life-saving supplies are efficiently mobilized and delivered to affected communities. The complexity and scale of the 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak was like no other in UNICEF’s experience. Bringing EVD under control required a rapid response on a global scale as well as intensive commitment at a community level.  UNICEF Supply Division’s work complemented UNICEF’s programme focus on community and household level interventions, for example, raising awareness about the EVD and encouraging preventive actions such as handwashing and avoiding physical contact with infected people. This outreach was complemented by the large-scale supply of basic hygiene and sanitation such as soap and chlorine.  In five intensive months, UNICEF delivered 5,500 tonnes in emergency supplies, by air and by sea to the three Ebola-affected countries.

When epidemiological evidence confirmed that breaking EVD transmission required isolating people showing EVD symptoms and caring for the sick where outbreaks occurred, UNICEF worked with communities to design and establish temporary Community Care Centres (CCEs) which could be rapidly set up and to treat and provide palliative care. In all, UNICEF worked with governments and communities to construct 51 CCCs in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Family support and community leadership were critical to the success of CCCs.

Equipping CCCs with adequate protective personal equipment (PPEs) and training personnel to use these safely, were also essential. Supply Division facilitated the dialogue between humanitarian agencies and industry worked to develop, standardize and scale up production of Ebola resistant protective equipment used front-line workers and burial teams. Brand new supply chains were established to meet soaring demand for protective masks, gloves and coveralls and other PPEs. 2014’s EVD supply response experience generated important lessons that are helping to strengthen preparedness for future health emergencies.  

Safe Injection Equipment (SIE) , including Auto Disable Syringes and Safety boxes, play a crucial role in immunization activities, reducing the risk of transmission of blood borne diseases through reuse of syringes and needle stick injuries. UNICEF, in supporting immunization activities globally, plays a key role in the procurement of SIEs alongside Vaccines, procuring on behalf of UNICEF Programs, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and Procurement Services Partners (Governments) for approximately 100 countries annually. The value of SIE procurement is small in comparison to Vaccines, but has large programmatic impact if not delivered in time. Given the above, UNICEF considers SIE strategic supplies and has actively engaged within SIE procurement and supply - including changing the tendering approach and business processes - to obtain better results for children.

Use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) remains a key UNICEF-supported malaria prevention strategy.  UNICEF is one of the leading procurers of LLINs for children and families. In 2015, UNICEF procured 22.3 million LLINs that were distributed across 30 countries.  UNICEF key procurement objective is ensuring un-interrupted and sustainable supply of affordable LLINs of assured quality.  UNICEF nets supports the distribution of nets through routine systems and also contributes to mass campaigns –this includes strengthening countries’ supply and logistics. This poster is showing an example of a supply chain strengthening and optimization model using the 2014 mass campaign in Ivory Coast.    

As a key motivation to explore approaches to improve supply chain performance, SCV measures can tell where to put the focus. SCV is rated as the most important measure for supply chain performance both by business leaders and researchers. In a wide perspective, authors define SCV as the ability of a focal company and related actors within a supply chain to capture, share, integrate, and create intelligence from key information, or making that information ready for monitoring, controlling, changing or decision making purposes.GS1 define SCV as “the awareness of, and control over, specific information related to product orders and physical shipments, including transport and logistics activities, and the statuses and events and milestones that occur prior to and in-transit”. Therefore, being able to efficiently measure and know the status of this influential aspect-SCV-in a given pharmaceutical supply chain has a significant value for benchmarking or improvement purposes. 

Rehabilitative shelters are an important component of protection and prosecution efforts of anti-human trafficking efforts. While survivors of human trafficking exist in every U.S. State, only roughly 2/3 of the 50 states currently provide dedicated rehabilitative shelters. Furthermore, the demand for such shelters exceeds the current capacity, even in states that have rehabilitative shelters. Shelters entail a large investment, typically from the non-profit sector. In addition to safe housing, many shelters are also linked to a network of services such as medical treatment, psycho-social care, education, life-skills training, and legal advocacy that aids in a holistic approach to rehabilitation. Yet, significant disparity exists between states with regard to the legislative environment to combat trafficking and provide auxiliary services to rehabilitate survivors.

This project develops a decision analytic approach to evaluate the impact of opening a rehabilitative shelter dedicated to trafficking victims at the U.S. state level. Using concepts from health and social welfare economics, we develop a budget allocation problem that maximizes societal value. We quantify the societal value as a combination of dollar converted disability-adjusted life years (DALY)s averted and labor productivity gained, adjusted by state legislative environment, less construction and operating costs.

Fridge-tag 3 ® is a wireless temperature monitoring system for cold chain equipment (CCE). Fridge-tag 3 ® transmits data and provides real-time temperature alerts through audio alarms and SMS (text messages). Technical features include: sim card slot for local or international sim card use; rechargeable battery with long life and operation; various antenna, external digital sensor (long cable integrateable in fridges); upload through GPRS and SMS; transmits data even during power outage.

OpenLMIS is a state-of-the-art, open source, web-enabled electronic logistics management information system (LMIS) purpose-built to manage and strengthen data collection and visibility in health commodity supply chains. The OpenLMIS initiative incorporates a community-focused approach to develop open source and customizable LMIS systems specifically designed for low-resource settings. The initiative provides an environment where software modules and datasets from newly developed code and existing systems are made available in a public repository.

The majority of low-income countries continue to experience a critical crisis in human resources for health. Severe shortage of pharmaceutical workforce, especially in remote rural settings, is affecting equitable access to essential medicines and other health commodities. Inevitably, this translates to poor health indicators and outcomes. Relevant publications were identified from websites of organizations working in the study area and contacts working in the field. Task shifting is being used as stop-gap measure rather than a fully fledged policy shift. No formalized/systematic shift of tasks - change of job descriptions, formal training and orientation, incentives etc. are currently in use in multiple organizations. An absence or lack of conducive policy, legal, regulatory frameworks and enabling environment currently hampers proper implementation of task shifting in health supply chain management.