Health Access Connect

VISION To set the standard for how to bring sustainable, equitable health services to remote, marginalized communities. MISSION To link remote communities to healthcare. LEARNING ABOUT THE NEED Kevin Gibbons and Carolyne Ariokot started Health Access Connect based on the need for anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and other health services that they witnessed in fishing villages on Lake Victoria. Many people fail to get health services because it’s too expensive and difficult to travel to the nearest facility. They said, “There must be a way to address this problem!” HAC came from that initial need that they learned from the communities, and their programs are all designed to serve their mission to link Ugandans living in remote areas with healthcare resources. COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS Initially, they thought, “Let’s start a delivery service to deliver anti-retroviral drugs to remote villages.” But as they discussed the idea with health officials, they informed them that only health workers can distribute medicine in Uganda, so their model developed into a way of bringing the health facility to these remote areas on a monthly basis. Over time they have worked with health workers to integrate more services, including malaria treatment, vaccinations, perinatal care, child checkups, and family planning.