THE CAITLIN O’HARA COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC

Why?

Laikipia County, Kenya has a shortage of well-equipped, community-based, medical facilities to deliver primary health care to those most in need. Poor road conditions, limited access to transportation, and under-resourced clinics and dispensaries impede equitable access to quality care.

The COVID-19 pandemic as well as extensive conversations with local leaders and candid feedback from The Kenyan Ministry of Health repeatedly reaffirmed the need for improved access to health services within our community. Kenya has a shortage of well-equipped, community-based medical facilities. With poor road conditions, limited access to transportation, and an under-resourced health system, many do not have access to care. We are changing this. 

OUR RESPONSE.

In August 2023, The Caitlin O’Hara Community Health Clinic opened its doors to the public, providing services for primary health, nutrition, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child health. As our largest health initiative to date, The Caitlin O’Hara Community Health Clinic is a result of years of meticulous planning. We formed a partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Health (MoH) and collaborated with global health specialists. Build Health International lended their expertise in medical infrastructure to lay the groundwork for our facility and ensured our clinic was designed sustainably, for optimal flow of treatment. 

The Health Clinic is run by an experienced team of nine healthcare professionals. Together, they deliver equitable, sustainable, accessible health services to the community through holistic outpatient care and outreach programs. The Health Clinic provides comprehensive primary health, nutrition, mental health, sexual and reproductive health and maternal and child healthcare services. With our fully-equipped laboratory, pharmacy, ambulance services, point of care ultrasound, electrocardiogram, and cardiotocography, we are filling many of the existing gaps within our catchment area of 500,000 people. Our ambulance enables us to broaden our reach to rural communities and provides emergency transfers for patients in need of additional care. Our outreach programs bring prevention, screening and treatment services to the harder-to-reach and more vulnerable population groups within Laikipia County. In partnership with Amazon Web Services, we have built out a proprietary electronic medical records system to harness data that will improve service delivery.

HEALTH CLINIC EXPANSION.

In response to feedback from the community, we have begun official planning and development for the expansion of the Health Clinic. In collaboration with Build Health International and a network of advisors, we will build an in-patient hospital to expand the services we can offer, particularly maternal and child health.