Rethinking Healthcare Spaces In The Developing World
Steelcase Health & Containers 2 Clinics Partner To Convert Shipping Containers Into Healthcare Clinics
Grand Rapids, MI – (Aug 2013) – Containers 2 Clinics (C2C), a nonprofit established in 2008, has recently created an innovative delivery model that converts shipping containers into health clinics so that women and children in developing countries can more easily access high-quality primary healthcare. In partnership with a healthcare solutions company, Steelcase Health, the organization has managed to retrofit containers, furnish them and staff them with local personnel.
The most recently opened clinic caters to women and children in a rural settlement of more than 8,000 people. It is located along the western coast of the African nation of Namibia. Since opening in February, the clinic has served over 1,500 patients and is still counting. The primary objective of the clinics is to reduce the distance women and children have to travel to receive vital healthcare. Bringing healthcare closer to communities promotes preventive care and reduces illness and deaths.
Allison Howard-Berry, Director of Global Operations and Partnerships, said, “C2C is delighted to be partnering with Steelcase Health and the Namibian Ministry of Health to provide care to more than 2,000 women and children this year.. The Namibian population density is the third lowest in the world, with just over 2 million people in the entire country. Population centers are quite spread out, so people are often forced to walk for many hours to reach any sort of clinic. C2C’s clinics provide an excellent solution for bringing health care closer, as they are hardy, designed to work well in low-resource settings. Our partnership with Steelcase Health ensures our clinics look just like any doctor’s office in the United States – allowing our patients to receive care in a clean, respectful setting. In the coming year, we hope to open several additional clinics, and look forward to sharing stories of bringing life-saving care to new communities.”
Steelcase Health will also be involved in providing casegoods and furnishings for C2C’s next container – this time bound for Haiti. Rob Heitmeier, General Manager at Steelcase Health, says, “Healthcare is something that is so full of advancements, intrigue and development yet still so bound by challenges and everyday restrictions. The containers, that are the brain child of Containers 2 Clinics, are testament that in a world of chaos, original yet simple thinking is what is key.
We are very proud to be part of such a creative and effective initiative and look forward to seeing it grow even further. Healthcare design doesn’t need to be thought of only within the confines of hospital walls.”
For further information on the latest projects of Containers 2 Clinics or to follow their progress visit here.
About Steelcase Health
Steelcase Health is a company dedicated to providing user-centered solutions in healthcare. Steelcase Health views the healthcare environment as an integral part of the healing process and provides holistic solutions that focus not only on product, but space as a whole, delivering research-driven, evidence-based solutions to complex problems in healthcare environments. For more information on Steelcase Health please visit here.
About Containers to Clinics
Containers 2 Clinics saves the lives of women and children by bringing primary care to their communities. The organization operates fully-equipped primary care clinics, made from retrofitted shipping containers and staffed with local personnel, to treat women and children in the developing world.
Media contacts
Aideen Doherty, Brand Communications, Steelcase Health, adoherty@steelcase.com (+35796897947)