The Atipan Project: Community Telehealth

ABOUT US

The Atipan Project is a telehealth program in partnership with 10 underserved vulnerable indigenous and rural poor communities in the Guimaras and Panay Islands of Western Visayas.

Inspired by the Hiligaynon word atipan which means "to take care of" and the 7 Ati communities we are proud to be working with and for, we provide free medical teleconsultations, as well as technology and training for 23 community health workers, along with basic medication and health kits.

The Atipan Project stands on the foundation of a decade-long relationship of trust built by the University of San Agustin with each community. Led by its Center for Informatics and its expertise in Data Science, we apply an intersectional approach that is responsive to the urgent needs of our partner communities.

OUR GOALS

The Atipan Project aims to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and improve access to vital medical health to underserved and vulnerable communities
Our specific goals:

to capacitate our communities with infection prevention and control measures such as contact tracing and health protocols
To provide the means to conduct free telehealth consultation services for community members, especially the eldery and women
To employ and train 23 community health coordinators and 1 community work assistant.

OUR APPROACH

Compassionate and efficient solutions are at the core of all that we do at The Atipan Project. Achieving our goals requires a multi-disciplinary approach. We have doctors trained to work with each community, IT experts, Indigenous Community Development Experts working side by side with Data Science Experts.

Our doctors undergo cultural sensitivity training through our community and indigenous experts and are fluent in the lingua franca. Our Health Coordinators (HC) onsite are trained in the use of informatics equipment and the electronic medical record (EMR), an app developed by our Center for Informatics team. Our HCs are trained to collaborate with our medical health experts: to communicate symptoms and physical examinations to the doctor. Being tasked with the vital health records, all are trained in ethics and data privacy.

With our backbone relying heavily on technology, the Center for Informatics holds the fort to keep our systems running smoothly, while providing analysis of the real-time data needed in order to be responsive to community needs.

Our community and indigenous experts work hand-in-hand with our Health Coordinators in each community, assuring that the accomplishment of our goals always have care and ‘atipan’ at the center and ethics at the forefront.