Clinton Foundation Helen McDonald

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Reflections Paper #1 The William J. Clinton Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded by President Bill Clinton in 2001. Its mission is to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods and health and wellness, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among businesses, governments, nongovernmental organization, and private citizens. (www.clintonfoundation.org). There are several areas this foundation concentrates on. The Clinton Climate Initiative, The Clinton Development initiative and The Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative apply business-oriented tactics to fight climate fluctuations and promote economic evolution that is sustainable in Africa and Latin America. Alliance for Healthier Generation promotes healthy children and helps to fight childhood obesity. The Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative assists families and individuals to succeed and helps surge small business growth in underserved communities. The Clinton Global Initiative meets with global leaders to discuss and implement pioneering solutions to world issues. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) focuses its efforts on AIDS and HIV health care in underdeveloped countries. (www.clintonfoundation.org) In September of 2008 the CHAI began programs to assist in global efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in six countries. They are providing a comprehensive approach to support both mother and child from pregnancy to delivery and straight on through to long term treatment of the disease. This is the first program of its kind as many other programs focuses on one aspect of the continuum. This initiative has helped to reduce prices of antiviral medication by collaborating with medication manufacturers to help transition markets

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to increase medication production volumes and decrease cost. This enabled millions of people in underdeveloped countries to access the medications they needed to treat AIDS and HIV as well as other treatable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. CHAI reduced prices of antivirals by 90 percent for adults. It had cost $600 per year for an adult to receive treatment but in 2006 the reduced cost was $60 per year. (www.clintonfoundation.org) Children and infants in underdeveloped countries had been neglected of adequate dialogistic testing for HIV and AIDS. Only 1 in 40 children were receiving proper treatment compared to 1 in 8 adults who were. Pediatric testing for the virus was rare. Liquid medications were the only thing available for pediatric patients making it difficult to distribute and store due to its bulk. CHAI helped to decrease pediatric treatment costs from $745 in 2006 to $102 in 2010, an 87% reduction. The initiation worked with governments to increase the amount of testing sites for infants from 200 to 4,600 in 2009. (www.clintonfoundation.org) The initiation helped to develop pill form antiviral medication for children which reduced cost of transportation and storage. CHAI founded programs to improve data management of patients to improve follow up care and compliance with treatment plans. CHAI preforms research and data analysis and they found there was a need for human resources for health care providers. They worked with governments to reform strategies to hire, train, retain and manage health care recruits. CHAI also concentrated their efforts on pediatric vaccinations, partnering with governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malawi to support the new pneumococcal and rotavirus to infants. This helped to prevent 50,000 childhood deaths annually. CHAI is helping to support nationwide implementation of these vaccines in these countries. (www.clintonfoundation.org)

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Founding sources for The William J. Clinton Foundation are diverse and are not limited to anyone. Steven Spielberg donated between five-hundred thousand and one-million dollars. Barbra Streisand donated one-million. Bill Gates contributed ten-million dollars. Some controversial donations came from people who didnt care for President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. In fact some of these people spent large quantities to sabotage his presidency and Hillarys possible election. Of these, Richard Mellon Scaife paid big money to disgrace the Clintons while in office, donated 100,000. Another was a disreputable trial lawyer, William Lerach, who was serving prison time for illegal payback schemes to plaintiffs. (www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/12/bill-clintons-foundation-discl.html) In all more than 200,000 donors have contributed to the foundation including Saudi Arabia and other government agencies such as Australia and the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Norway and Taiwan. (www.nytimes.com) The William J. Clinton Foundation offers many job opportunities at four different locations in Boston and New York. The Global Health Team at the Clinton Global Initiative identifies and improves solutions to old and new health challenges. Interns are expected to have experience in global and public health. The Alliance for a healthier Generation works with Healthy Schools Program and gains experience with research, management of projects and correspondence to help reduce childhood obesity and promote healthy living. The CHAI expects applicants to be familiar in international and public health specifically concerning AIDS and HIV, Milaria and Tuberculosis. There is not a specific job opening for a nurse. However, a background in nursing gives a substantial background in focused areas for these programs. The knowledge base of a nurse who has experience in public health could more than qualify for any of these

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positions. Additionally, I feel a new position could be proposed specific to the nursing role and would easily be accepted by this organization. I believe there could be a demand for nursing in this foundation.
References: Baker, P. & Savage, C. (2008) In Clinton List, a veil is Lifted on Foundation. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/us/politics/w19clinton.html Bill Clintons Foundation Discloses Diverse List of Donors. (2008). Open Secrets Blog. *Data file+ Retrieved from www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/12/bill-clintons-foundation-discl.html www.clintonfoundation.com