Integrated RH/FP Services

Integrated RH/FP services are the centerpiece of CATALYST Project Technical mandate. The goal of integrated RH/FP services is to improve quality of family planning services for women and their families. CATALYST’s approach to integrated services is organized into two broad categories: 1) providing integrated services at the health care facility and in the community, and 2) creating linkages between clinical and non-clincical programs such as literacy and microcredit. 

Define and promote adoption of existing best practices in service integration

All of the USAID cooperating agencies working in the health field have a common goal of providing services that are accessible, of high quality and tailored to the needs of their clients. There is currently a wealth of information available on how to improve the quality of family planning, reproductive health and maternal and child health care services. Yet there is currently no universal definition of “best practices” integrated RH/FP/MCH services.

To this end, WHO joined USAID and 10 cooperating agencies in a broad initiative to facilitate the utilization of best practices in the design and implementation of reproductive health care programs throughout the world.  Most organizations working in the health field agree that best practices should have several common characteristics:

• Best practices should be innovative,
• Best practices should make a difference,
• Best practices should have a sustainable effect,
• Best practices should have the potential to be replicated,
• And most importantly, best practices should be evidence-based.

Continued leadership and participation in the Best Practices Initiative

USAID, WHO and the agencies involved in this initiative have formed a Consortium on Implementing Best Practices (the IBP Consortium). CATALYST is a member of the IBP Consortium.  In the past, the CATALYST has played a key role in the Best Practices Initiative, beginning with the planning and implementation of a regional meeting held in Cairo, Egypt in October 2001.

IBP Conference in India

CATALYST played an active role in the next international best practices meeting which was held in India in October 2003.  CATALYST staff delivered presentations, participated in the meeting follow-up, evaluated the meeting, facilitated small group exercises, and mentored country teams.

Conference on Best Practices on Integrated RH/FP/MCH services in ANE Region
CATALYST will host a Best Practices Conference in the ANE Region in 2005. The focus of the meeting will be on best practices related to the integration of RH/FP/MCH services.  The Conference will also present an ideal opportunity to present CATALYST’s experience in applying model interventions on how to integrate services components on OBSI, EMM, PAC, gender equity and community linkages as well as promote further South-to-South exchanges

The CATALYST Consortium is a global activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development. For more information contact us at: INFO@RHCATALYST.ORG