Timmy Global Health

Our approach

Timmy Global Health seeks to expand access to healthcare by building the capacity of on the ground partners, providing direct medical services in underserved communities, and investing in behind the scenes “health systems” that ensure low-income patients have the support, finances, and resources they need to get the care they deserve. 

Health Programming

Timmy’s health programming seeks to utilize the symbiotic relationship between short and long-term efforts.  While we recognize that short-term medical brigades (focused on family medicine and located in marginal or remote locations) are limited in their ability to provide a wider scope of healthcare access, we believe that these efforts paired with longer term commitments to partner organizations and individual communities can improve health outcomes in a systematic, sustainable, and profound fashion.  With an increased focus on the responsibility and quality of our health efforts, Timmy attempts to take its week-long medical brigades and complement them with year-round funding to partner organizations.

Pairing short-term medical brigades with long-term capacity-building

Timmy Global Health connects each of our university, student-led chapters and corporate partners to one of our established international health partners – organizations that are working year-round to expand access to healthcare for underserved communities.  Each student chapter is responsible for a 52-week commitment to raising funds for their partner; procuring many over-the-counter medicines for a medical brigade; and advocating on behalf of their partner organization, Timmy, the communities we serve, and global health issues in general.  Utilizing this approach, the organization is able to:

• Provide direct medical care to underserved patients in the developing world through short-term medical brigades;
• Channel financial, medical, in-kind, and human resources to our international partners;
• Empower students to lead the efforts, become more dedicated humanitarians, and develop a life-long passion for service.

Timmy staff coordinates the work of our student chapters and complements their outreach with additional fundraising, medicine procurement, supply warehousing, strategic partnerships, and overall programming improvements. Throughout the year, the organization’s staff, volunteers, and generous network of supporters are dedicated to improving the outreach of our partner organizations and expanding health care access to the patients we serve.

Community Adoption

Recognizing the irresponsibility of “one-hit wonder” brigade organizations, Timmy  has adopted specific communities in Ecuador and Guatemala—selected for their limited access to healthcare—with the aim of providing consistent care to those in need. Medical teams are sent in a year-round continuum to each of these selected communities, evenly spaced in two-to-three month intervals. With time, our hope is to improve the overall health outcomes in each of the adopted communities and provide a long-term, sustainable source of healthcare.

A 52-week Presence

In order to promote greater sustainability, Timmy Global Health has organized a year-round presence in each of the countries we serve.  Medical teams travel every two-to-three months to the same communities, allowing us to care for the chronically ill and track patients over time.  Timmy also employs on-the-ground coordinators, patient advocates, and medical professionals to serve as liaisons to our partner organizations, community leaders, and patients.  Both through our coordinators and via our local partners, Timmy has a year round presence in the communities where we work.

Patient Tracking System

Timmy now creates, monitors, and analyzes patient histories to track patients over time. Medical professionals are able to reference patient intake forms from previous clinic visits to make more informed diagnostic decisions and assess patient progress. The tracking system also allows us to follow chronic patients that need longitudinal care and a steady supply of medicines.

Critical Referral Systems

The scope of care provided during short-term brigades is limited.  To complement the attention provided in our medical clinics, Timmy Global Health has established critical referral systems that provide patients in need of more advanced diagnostic testing, treatment, or surgery with specialized consultations at our partner institutions or local hospitals. Timmy subsidizes the costs of these consultations to further decrease patients’ barrier to healthcare access.  Over the years, Timmy has made a number of modifications to its programming that has increased the referral system’s the effectiveness.  In 2008, recognizing that many patients failed to follow-through with their referral consultation and/or treatment, we instituted a community bussing system.  Following a medical brigade, buses were sent to each adopted community to transport referred patients to and from our partner organization.  In 2009, we modified this system to provide a financial incentive for patients who complied with their referalls.  As Timmy’s programming has grown, we have established a variety of partnerships that allow us to enhance our referall services.  In Guatemala, Timmy now refers directly to Partners for Surgery, a US NGO that manages a surgical center.  In Ecuador, Timmy has begun to establish a web of public and private providers that accept Timmy patients following primary care clinics.

Educational Programming

During Timmy’s history, we have supported a number of partner organizations in both the healthcare and educational realms.  Although Timmy continues to consolidate its outreach to focus more exclusively on access to quality healthcare, we continue to look for opportunities to invest in important educational initiatives.  In Ecuador, Timmy is currently supporting a scholarship program for Ecuadorian doctors with a passion for volunteering and a dedication to low-income patients.  In Nigeria, Timmy continues to provide financial support for the Bebor and Bane school systems, and has recently assisted with the construction of latrines, boreholes, and other sanitation facilities that can improve the overall health of the school populations.