SAFER CHS (Sustainable Activities for Empowered and Resilient Community – Care for Human and Its System)

The flagship extension program of the College of Health Sciences, named “SAFER CHS” (Sustainable Activities For Empowered and Resilient community – Care for Human and Its System), aims to assist and empower communities to become more resilient to face health crisis and achieve optimal level of functioning. Activities for these aims include health education activities, seminars on health promotion and prevention of illnesses, wellness and nutrition, training on disaster preparedness and emergency health services, and other relevant skills for a proactive and sustainable development. 

The three academic programs of the College also anchored their specific projects on SAFER CHS. These include the “Capability Building and Health Promotion for Women and the Youth” for BS Midwifery, “Building Community Resilience to Disasters and Health Crisis” for BS CHM/BS EHS, and the “Kalusugan Panatilihin, Healthy Lifestyle Ugaliin” for BSMLS. Under SAFER CHS, the College forged partnership through establishing memoranda of agreement for adopt-a-community and school program at Caparacadan and Villamar of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur and at Sived, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur. Needs assessments were conducted, and the results was the basis for the planning and implementation of programs and projects in the recipient communities.

The “Building Community Resilience to Disaster and Health Crisis Project” of the BSCHM/BSEHS is focused on empowering and capacitating Barangay Caparacadan, on disaster preparedness, mitigation and prevention, response, and recovery and rehabilitation. It also aims to ensure safety in the community and capability building to members of the community to provide emergency interventions in times of disaster and health crisis, and other health promotion initiatives. 

The BSCHM/BSEHS program conducted trainings on disaster preparedness cum lecture on violence against women, basic first aid, basic rescue techniques, and basic life support. The program also conducted training on emergency interventions and gender issues and disseminated faculty members’ research during the pandemic. 

During interactions with some of the community participants of the different activities conducted, they stated that through these activities, they have learned mitigation activities that would help them be prepared and to limit the effects of specific hazards that may arise. They have learned and practiced the proper interventions for common emergency situations, the proper way of transferring or transporting accident victims to safe place or to the health facilities, and to ensure a safe home or environment to members of the community especially the vulnerable members across the life span. The disaster preparedness, basic first aid, basic life support and basic rescue techniques and mass casualty incidence training are most requested program by other agencies and communities.

The Bachelor of Science in Midwifery, through their extension project named “Capability Building and Health Promotion for Women and the Youth,” forged partnership with Sived, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur as their adopted community. The extension project aims to empower and capacitate women and mothers the knowledge and skills in caring for pregnant mothers, infants, and children. 

To ensure safety and health promotion to the vulnerable population, the program conducted activities like seminar-workshop on women empowerment, hypertension and diabetes, familial role and child care, reproductive health, child safety and parental concerns and responsibilities in child rearing, care for the vulnerable population especially the elders, health assessment and basic health skills. 

Seminar-workshop on leadership and management cum gender and culture in leadership and care of pre-school children. The extension programs organized and implemented in Sived Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur developed deeper partnership between the community people and the program. It has helped the people particularly the Brgy. Officials, BHWs and leaders improved their knowledge and skills on health making them more responsible and equipped to serve the people in the community.

The “Kalusugan Panatilihin, Healthy Lifestyle Ugaliin” project of the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science aims to promote, maintain and improve individual’s and community health by reducing morbidity and mortality due to preventable health problems, develop positive attitudes towards health issues and promoting informed health related decision-making among the residents and capacitate them to render better primary care services in the community. The program conducted series of seminars and training in the barangay such as training on non-communicable diseases like alcohol related diseases, hypertension, kidney diseases. They also conducted health assessment like FBS monitoring and blood typing, as well as medical mission. Due to these activities and with the interactions with some of the residents of Villamar, Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, community residents have maintained and improved their health, there is a positive change in the behavior towards health and the quality of primary care services rendered by the barangay health worker