Engineers Without Borders

HEALTH COMMITTEE

The health committee attends to the health of the traveling EWB-UCIN members and ensures that EWB-UCIN acts as an agent of public health in the community in which the project is being implemented.  Public health being defined as:
Organized community efforts aimed at the prevention of disease and promotion of health.  It links many disciplines and rests upon the scientific core of epidemiology.  (Institute of Medicine, The Future of Public Health)

The health committee works closely with the culture committee and the engineering committee to ensure that the project meets the goals of improved public health for the community.  Some metrics used to measure improved public health include:
   - decreased illness due to new water systems
   - decreased signs of malnutrition
   - improved local ability to attend to health of community

Major responsibilities of the health committee include collecting personal health checklists from traveling EWB-UCIN members, identifying and arranging needed vaccinations for traveling members, conducting, analyzing, and following up the Community Health Assessment, and engaging in community health education.

By participating in the health committee, members can expect to:
   - learn about the health issues facing communities in developing countries
   - evaluate existing solutions and create new solutions to such problems
   - gain some degree of familiarity with epidemiology
   - drastically improve the quality of life – in fact, even save lives in a community

Individuals who would like to join the Health Committee should contact EWB-UCIN to get plugged in.