Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health is seeking to expand its footprint in the African nation of Ghana, according to a Sioux Falls Business Journal report.
Here are six things to know about the initiative.
1. Jim Slack, vice president of Sanford International Clinics, who is helping lead clinic development in the African nation and worldwide, told the Sioux Falls Business Journal the goal is for Sanford to be the No. 1 primary healthcare provider in Ghana.
2. In the last 60 days, Sanford has opened 12 clinics in Ghana, for a total of 17, according to the report. The health system plans to develop at least 300 clinics in the country.
3. Sanford has worked on this venture with Global Health Corps., a New York-based nonprofit led and founded by Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush. Moving forward, GHC plans to work with Sanford to develop healthcare professionals and identify and implement best practices in areas such as EMRs, medication standardization and clinical education, according to the report.
4. In Ghana, Sanford's hub clinics provide a range of primary and reproductive care to all ages, and are staffed by medical professionals supplied by the Ghana government, according to the report. Some — about 50 percent — are newly built, while others are renovated existing clinics. Once Sanford runs fiber, builds wireless towers and sets up an intranet structure, rural clinics can be connected to the hub network, and healthcare expertise can be delivered remotely through telehealth, according to the report.
5. A lot of Sanford's growth in Ghana is supported by grants.
6. While Sanford continues to expand in Ghana, the system also is expanding its pediatric services in China. In 2014, a clinic opened in Kunming as a partnership with YMCI Calmette Medical Investment & Management Co., a state-owned company of the Yunnan provincial government, according to the report. And in Europe, the report notes, a new portal clinic is operational in Germany, supporting Sanford's stem cell research efforts. The model used in Ghana could also potentially work in other African countries, as well as rural China, according to Mr. Slack.
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