Brazil

Figure 2 displays the geographic locations of the nine projects.

Figure 2. Map of HealthRise sites

Brazil

Teófilo Otoni – UFMG, UFVJM, TNMG

The HealthRise program in the Teófilo Otoni region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was implemented by a collaborative team composed of the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) and the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais (TNMG), a network of universities led by the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).

The region of Teófilo Otoni, in the state of Minas Gerais, has low literacy and low per capita income relative to other regions in Brazil. While primary health care covers essentially all patients within the HealthRise area in Teófilo Otoni, access to laboratory testing is often limited, frontline health workers are not always well integrated with primary care service, and many patients do not feel empowered to manage their health conditions.

The HealthRise efforts in Teófilo Otoni largely focused on the following areas:

• Improving the technological capacity of basic health clinics through the provision of WiFi-connected computers, notebooks, and tablets; facilitating data sharing; and furthering integration with the

Central TeleHealth Unit. • Developing and promoting web-based and in-person instructional courses for all primary care providers and community-based health workers, which addressed topics such as strategies to manage chronic diseases and the importance of risk factors such as diet and exercise. • Engaging with representatives from local government and health departments at the municipal level to ensure buy-in and coordination with the public sector. • Developing a clinical support system promoting the utilization of updated guidelines for the treatment of hypertension and diabetes among frontline health workers.