VYLH joins 2011 VisMin Reunion of Saved Babies

Written by DJ Buensalido (NSCV) and P Bermudez (NSCMin)
(Original title: 2011 Reunion of Saved Babies)

Pictures by VYLH-Philippines Volunteers
Originally published in the Newborn Screening Newsletter
Official Publication of the Newborn Screening Reference Center
Vol. 15 Issue No. 4. October - December 2011

More than 45,000 babies have been saved from death, mental retardation and other associated disabilities in affected infants since 1996, when newborn screening was introduced as a pilot project and subsequently mandated by Republic Act No 9288 or the Newborn Screening Act of 2004.

In line with the celebration of Newborn Screening Week, the Newborn Screening Centers organized Reunions of Saved Babies in Mindanao and Visayas on October 10 and 27, respectively. It was the first reunion held in Mindanao while second in Visayas.

Read More

Caraga Pioneers conduct VYLH Regional-wide Workshop

Written by Edbert Jasper Jover, RN*
Originally published in the Newborn Screening Newsletter
Official Publication of the Newborn Screening Reference Center
Vol. 15 Issue No. 4. October - December 2011

The Caraga-Wide Youth Leaders Orientation and Planning Workshop with the theme “Mobilizing Youth for Promotion and Advocacy on Newborn Screening” was successfully held on October 21-22, 2011 at Lucianna Inn, Butuan City.

The event was another milestone for the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health Pioneers and K4 Batch representatives of Butuan City Health Office, headed by Mr. Anthony Torralba. It was directed towards creating linkages with Local Government Units and Centers for Health Development to materialize needed support in terms of resources for advocacy materials and funding. Participants were primarily the SK Chairman of the different barangays, representatives from RHUs and CHOs of neighboring towns, health oriented organizations, and a university also joined the event. Speakers and special guests from DILG, CHD-Caraga, NIH-UP Manila, and NSC-Mindanao gave inspirational talks that fired-up the youthful spirits of the participants for the cause of Newborn Screening, Folic Acid Supplementation, and Support for Rare Disorders. There were 25 official participants who became members of VYLH after the two-day event. 

Three days after the workshop, the VYLH Tandag team, through Vincent Mendez and Ma. Aliana Carmen (RHU Tandag Youth Volunteers) initiated a courtesy call at Tandag City Health Office, and together with Deivon Jeiv Mozar (SK Federation President) coordinated with the Philippine National Police to conduct a ride-on advocacy campaign on NBS and Folic Acid Supplementation during the PNP Mass Feeding Program at Tandag City on October 25, 2011. They continued the campaign through the distribution of NBS brochures in the community. – EJ Jover 

___________________
* Edbert Jasper Jover, RN is a Researcher and Birth Defects Surveillance Nurse at the Newborn Screening Center - Mindanao (NSC-Min) which is located at the Southern Philippines Medical Center, Davao City. He is also the VYLH-Philippines Mindanao Cluster Secretariat.

Read More

Cebuano News: Caraga-wide Youth Leaders’ Orientation-Workshop nagmalampuson

Originally published at the PIA-CARAGA website
Written by Mr. Gerry G. Gabiana


BUTUAN CITY, Okt. 27 (PIA) -– Gitambungan sa mga nagkalain-laing SK Presidents gikan sa mga nagkalain-laing probinsya, syudad ug munisipyo sa Caraga Region ang gipahigayon nga unang Caraga-wide Youth Leaders’ Orientation Workshop ubos sa temang: “Mobilizing Youth for Promotion and Advocacy on Newborn Screening” niadtong Oktubre 21-22, 2011 sa Luciana Inn Convention Center, ni’ng dakbayan.


Gikat-onan sa mga mipartisipar ang mahitungod sa VYLH-Philippines, VYLH mission-vision, current health situation of CARAGA and New Born Screening kon NBS Situation, Nat’l Comprehensive NBS and Nat’l BDS project, Pre-lecture Survey on Folic Acid Supplementation Awareness.


Suportado kini nga programa sa lokal nga panggamhanan sa Butuan pinaagi kang Halandong Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr., kinsa kasamtangang tsirman sa Caraga Region League of Cities and Municipal Mayors, Regional DILG pinaagi ni Mr. Donald Seronay-Monitoring Evaluation Chief Technical, Regional DOH-Caraga Center for Health Development Dir. Leonita P. Gorgolon-CEO VI, City Health Office, pinaagi ni Dr. Jocelyn C. Chua, ug uban sa mga mamumulong sa UP Los Baños Genetic Society.


Pagkahoman sa gipahigayong pagbansay, dala sa mga mipartisipar ang angayang buhaton ngadto sa mga sook-sook nga dapit ning rehiyon hilabi na sa hisgutanang bag-ong pagpanganak sa mga kababayen-an nga angay’ng proteksyonan ang kabataan gikan sa mga nagkadaiyang hinungdan sa ilang pagkawalay insaktong pag-isip ug mga hinanaling kamatayon.


Misaad usab ug mikompermar ang mga partisipantes nga pagkahoman sa pagbansay ilang ikadangat ngadto sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka lugar ang importansiya niini nga programa ug adbokasiya alang sa pagmintina sa kaayong panghuna-huna ug maayong panglawas ug layo sa kamatayon sa kabataan nga bag-o pa lamang gipanganak diha sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka lugar. (Butuan City PIO/PIA-Caraga)

Read More

Cebuano News: Panawagang boluntarismo sa mga SK Leaders sa Caraga bililhon

Originally published at the PIA-CARAGA website
Written by Mr. Gerry G. Gabiana

BUTUAN CITY, Okt. 27 (PIA) – Boluntarismo ang kinauyokan sa gipahigayon nga unang Caraga-wide Youth Leaders’ Orientation-Workshop niadtong Oktubre 21-22, 2011 sa Luciana Inn Convention Center, niining dakbayan sa Butuan, ubos sa temang: “Mobilizing Youth for Promotion and Advocacy on Newborn Screening.”

Gihatagan ug dakong bili ingon man usab ang importansiya sa boluntarismo ngadto sa tanang mitambong nga mga SK Leaders gikan sa nagkalain-laing lugar sa rehiyon sa Caraga, ingon nga nailhan na nga pinaagi sa mga kabatan-onan mahatagan ug igong solusyon ang nagatubo sa klasing kabataan nga may mga kakulangon sa pag-isip ug kadaghanan may gitawag nga birth defects.

Pinaagi sa Center for Health Development-Caraga napahigayon ang pagbansay arun ipakaylap sa tanang katawhan pinaagi sa boluntarismo sa kabatan-onan ang New Born Screening kon NBS.

Sa mensahe nga gipaabot ni Dr. Glyna B. Andoy-MPH, Regional NBS Medical Coordinator sa CHD-Caraga nga siya nagatoo nga ang boluntaryong pagpahimangno ug pagpakaylap alang niini nga pagbansay ang mga kabatan-onan lamang ang makabuhat, kung diin sila ang aktibong nga mopaabot ug kabag-ohan sa kumunidad nga ilang gipoy-an.

Sanglit pinaagi sa boluntarismo mapakaylap ug mapakusog ang Youth leader’s network for health ngadto sa mga kababayen-an kinsa bag-ong nanganak, nga mopatsek-up usab pinaagi sa Newborn Screening, folic acid supplementation, metabolic disorders, ug uban pang isyu may kalambigitan sa pagkab-ot sa maayong panglawas sa bag-ong gihimogso nga kabataan.

Pinaagi usab sa boluntarismo isip bag-ong stratehiya may katumanan ang pangandoy sa mga ginikanan nga mabatonan nila ang insakto nga pag-isip, maayong kondisyon sa panglawas og siguradong ehemplo ang mga bag-ong matawo nga kabataan sa kumunidad nga ilang gipoy-an ug gimat-an. (Butuan City PIO/PIA-Caraga)

Read More

CARAGA Regional Camp

Written by Renz Marione Bulseco* - VYLH Mindanao Region 11

Last October 21-22, 2011, the VYLH Mindanao, spearheaded by the VYLH Region 13 youth leaders, conducted its first regional camp held at Luciana Inn & Restaurant, Butuan City, Philippines. The said camp was attended by 25 participants hailing from different provinces under the CARAGA Region (Region 13). Most of the participants were SK Chairmans or youth leaders in their respective municipalities.

Like any other VYLH camps, the first CARAGA-wide camp was filled with fun-filled activities and lectures about the Folic Acid Awareness, Importance of Newborn Screening and Rare Orphan Disorders organized by some of the Pioneer and K4 members of the said network.

CARAGA Volunteers

Read More

NBS Hour Special: Pay it Forward

Written by Edbert Jasper Jover, RN*
Originally published in the Newborn Screening Newsletter
Official Publication of the Newborn Screening Reference Center
Vol. 15 Issue No. 4. October - December 2011

The Newborn Screening Center-Mindanao, together with the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health–Mindanao Cluster, celebrated the Annual Newborn Screening Awareness Week with a special program, the Newborn Screening (NBS) Hour. The program was done with the simultaneous distribution of newborn screening materials throughout Mindanao by the VYLH Mindanao volunteers on October 5, 2011. 

The NBS hour was passionately and enthusiastically joined in by volunteers from the cities of Zamboanga, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Digos, and Davao. On the spotlight was the “The Pink Campaign” and “Pay it Forward” scheme developed by the VYLH Volunteers from Zamboanga City, Ms.Joan Mae Barredo. The scheme was initiated by giving Pink Brochures to students from Ateneo de Zamboanga. Each student, in turn, had a goal of distributing the NBS Pink Brochures to at least five people outside the school campus. Places visited by the students included houses, public utility vehicles, streets, fast foods, and other public places. Volunteers from other regions performed equally well with advocacy activities done in barangays, health centers, schools, streets, neighborhoods and subdivisions, malls, hospitals, government offices, public utility vehicles, and review centers.

What made the NBS hour more fun and interesting was that every volunteer was tasked to get a photo with the people they were advocating, upload it on Facebook, and tag all the VYLH representatives in the Mindanao region. Furthermore, as a gesture of overwhelming gratitude and appreciation, a customized NBS Tumbler was given to VYLH Mindanao volunteers who participated and submitted their activity reports. 

Indeed, all these efforts helped in enriching public awareness on NBS and generating support from concerned sectors.

___________________

* Edbert Jasper Jover, RN is a Researcher and Birth Defects Surveillance Nurse at the Newborn Screening Center - Mindanao (NSC-Min) which is located at the Southern Philippines Medical Center, Davao City. He is also the VYLH-Philippines Mindanao Cluster Secretariat.

Read More