Saving Lives, One Ride at a Time…
The Moving Health team has spent six years becoming experts in emergency transportation, and our combined expertise in engineering, nonprofit operations, and local contexts create a holistic approach that positions us well for delivering this solution.
We conducted hundreds of hours of research into emergency systems to learn about differences in staffing and equipment provision, implementation methods, and the local factors that determine a given system’s success. We worked with twenty public and private emergency response organizations in the region, and understand the contexts of this transportation gap and the considerations that need to be made to resolve this healthcare problem.
The 3 Delays
Worldwide, 1 in 7 people do not have access to the healthcare that they need. To break this down, our team uses the 3 delays model to understand how we fit in.
The First Delay
Delay in the decision to seek care due to: previous poor care, poor understanding of risk factors, acceptance of maternal health, or financial implications
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What we do:
Previous poor care: Many choose not to go to the hospital because the previous journeys to the hospital have been painful and long, which can exacerbate medical conditions. People have also heard of and seen friends have serious complications along the way. Our ambulance creates a safer option, and a better reputation around local medical systems by offering local inexpensive transport.
Financial Implications: Our ambulances cost 1-2% the price of a traditional ambulance. By offering a less expensive product, NGOs, communities and emergency services can afford a vehicle to use for emergency services and mobile health clinics. Our team also provides educational campaigns and trainings to spread awareness about how to use an ambulance and why you might need to go to the hospital.
The second delay
Delay in reaching care due to: distance to clinics, availability and cost of transportation, poor roads, or geography. How can one be connected to the healthcare that they need? **Our primary focus.
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What we do:
Communities participate in our design process through interviews, focus groups, prototype review, and manufacturing. Every aspect of the vehicle is tailored to the needs of each community, providing a safer, faster, and more trusted option for communities to get to the hospital when they are facing an emergency.
Distance to clinics: Our ambulances are set up in the rural areas at Community Health Compounds. This ensures that the vehicles are close to those who need it, and the patient does not have to wait for a vehicle to come all the way from the district hospital.
Availability and cost of transportation: The ambulances have designated riders and are always stationed at the Community Health Compounds. The communities set up evergreen funds to pay for ambulance fuel and rides.
Poor roads and geography: Our are manufactured locally for convenient maintenance, and include a tested suspension system that minimizes turbulence on difficult roads.
The third delay
Delay in receiving care due to: poor facilities and lack of medical supplies, inadequately trained/motivated staff, or inadequate referral system.
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What we do:
Lack of medical supplies: Not only can the Moving Health ambulances be used in emergencies, but in the downtime, they are often used to transport medical supplies from hospitals to health centers. Moving Health has also helped with last mile vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team is very interested in exploring these two areas in more detail.