RN HEALS (Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION RNheals intends to address the surplus in inexperienced nurses, promote health of the people and bring the government closer to them. The project will deploy nurses in rural and underserved communities for a period of one year. Nurses under this project will undergo learning and development in accordance with the roles and functions required by this project. A certificate of competency and employment will be given to those who have satisfactorily completed their engagement with the project. While on deployment, nurses will be given an allowance to cover for their meals, transportation and other incidental expenses. Competencies gained by the nurses upon completion of the training cum deployment project shall cover both clinical and public health. TARGET AREAS Community based volunteer nurses will be deployed in all regions and provinces nationwide where DSWSs Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) is being implemented as well as DOH Basic Emergency Maternal Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEMONC) facilities are being upgraded/strengthened. BENEFICIARIES Ten thousand registered nurses will undergo learning and development during their deployment; 2.3 million household will benefit from delivery of health services. GAIN The project will provide the registered nurses with an allowance of Php8, 000.00 per month; A total of 10,000 nurses shall undergo learning and development during the deployment period to enhance their community and clinical health competencies to increase their employability; The project will address the shortage of skilled and experienced nurses, both domestic and international through a structured competency development program.

CCT and BEMONC areas will benefit from improved health care services. The project will also augment the nursing workforce of health facilities from identified CCT and BEMONC areas of needed clinical and public health nurses. PROJECT IMPLEMENTERS The community bases nurses deployment shall be a joint project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), theDepartment of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), and the Professional Regulation Commission Board of Nursing (PRC-BON). The Philippine Nursing Association (PNA), regional/provincial health officers of government and Local Government Units shall also be involved in the implementation of the project. DOH shall: Lead in the implementation of the learning, development and deployment of nurses; Assess the quality of healthcare in the identified communities; Craft the Orientation and Training Module for community based volunteer nurses in collaboration with partner agencies for the BEMONC areas; Lead in the formulation of policies and implementation guidelines of the project in collaboration with partner agencies; Lead in the orientation and exit conference of the trainee nurses; Lead in the monitoring and evaluation of the community based volunteer nurse; DSWD shall: Identify participating communities and health facilities (CCT areas); Collaborate with DOH in the formulation of policies and implementation guidelines of the project; Craft the orientation and Training Module for community based volunteer nurses in collaboration with partner agencies for the CCT areas; Overseas and monitoring the project implementation; DOLE shall: Lead in the recruitment activities for the project;

Receive applications and screen nurse applicants for training; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the project; PRC-BON shall: Validate license of nurse applicants; Assist in the formulation of orientation and training modules and related learning and development activities; Development code of discipline for the nurse in the project; In collaboration with PNA, conduct periodic competency assessment of the nurses; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the community based volunteer nurses; Philippine Nurses Association shall: Collaborate with partner agencies in the development of modules; Develop journal templates and competency assessment tool for nurses; Conduct periodic competency assessment of the nurses; Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the community based volunteer nurses; Regional/Provincial Offices of DSWD, DOLE, DOH, PRC-BON shall: Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the community based volunteer nurses; Support nursing activities in the areas; Local Government Units shall: Ensure the safety and security of the community based volunteer nurses; Provide modes board and lodging; Exercise administrative and technical supervision over the community based volunteer nurses; Program Coverage Unemployed registered nurses who are physically and mentally fit and willing to serve in their hometowns and who meet the following requirements may qualify under RNheals: With valid PRC license; Resident of the identified CCT area/s;

Medical certificate issued by government hospitals stating that the applicant is fit to work; and NARS Project drop-outs will not be considered
Poor communities in the country can hope that their access to health care services will be eased as the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched in February the training cum deployment of 10,000 unemployed registered nurses in communities for the improvement of local health systems and support the countrys attainment of its Millennium Development Goals targets. The project billed RN HEALS, an acronym for Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement And Local Service, seeks to make essential health services available to all Filipinos and to contribute to the eradication of poverty and hunger, promotion of gender equality, reduction of child mortality, and improvement of maternal health. RN HEALS is also expected to address the shortage of skilled and experienced nurses in 1,221 rural and unserved or underserved communities for one year. This will benet some 2.3 million households from the delivery of health services. Community-based volunteer nurses will be deployed in all regions and provinces nationwide where DSWDs Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) is being implemented as well as the DOHs Basic Emergency Maternal Obstetric and Neonatal Care facilities under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program are being upgraded. The regions with the most number of municipalities with both DOH and DSWD programs include: Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) with 48 municipalities; Region V (Bicol Region) with 33; Region IV-B (MiMaRoPa) with 26; Region VII (Central Visayas) with

23; and ARMM with 20. Northern Leyte in Eastern Visayas is the province with the highest (33) number of both DOH and DSWD programs. Volunteer nurses will undergo learning and development during their deployment. The DOH and DSWD have crafted orientation and training module for these nurses. The DSWD has identied participating communities and health facilities, and during the course of the deployment of nurses, the DOH will assess the quality of healthcare in the said communities. RN HEALS, a priority project in the Aquino Health Agenda, is in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Regulation CommissionBoard of Nursing (PRC-BON), Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and the local government units (LGUs). Recruitment and Selection At the height of

the Senate investigation that looked into reports of registered nurses on onthe-job-training (OJT) who are made to pay for their training, work experience, and certication, instead of being hired as regular hospital sta, the DOH and DSWD announced the RN HEALS Project through a press conference on January 12. In a way, the Project would be able to address the proliferation of these socalled volunteer OJT nurses. DOH Secretary Enrique T. Ona and DSWD Undersecretary Alice Bala said that the nurses, while on deployment, are given an allowance of Php 8,000 per month by the DOH. This translates to about Php 366 per day for a 40 hours training/work week. The LGU where the nurses are assigned supervises them, ensures their safety and security, and provides modest board and lodging. Likewise, LGUs were encouraged to provide additional allowances and benets worth at least P2,000 for these nurses. PhilHealth and the Government

Service Insurance System provided group insurance to the nurses while private corporations were encouraged to chip in through their available resources. Registered nurses who are physically and mentally t, and willing to serve in their municipalities applied online at the DOLE website from January 17 to February 4. Preference was given to residents of the municipalities covered by the DOHs Health Facilities Enhancement and DSWDs CCT programs. The list of successful applicants with their areas of assignment were posted online at the DOLE website from February 7-10, and an orientation was held on February 11-12 in their provincial centers of assignment prior to deployment. They underwent learning and development in accordance with the roles and functions required by the project. The PRC-BON and the PNA participated in the development of modules,

development of journal templates and competency assessment of these nurses. A certicate of competency and employment will be given by the DOH, DSWD and the PRC-BON to registered nurses who have satisfactorily completed their engagement with the project. The competencies that will be gained by the nurses upon completion of the training cum deployment project will cover both clinical and public health practice. Eventually, these nurses will be part of the pool of competent nurses for later employment or absorption in health facilities, thus addressing the inadequate supply of skilled nurses and increasing the nurses employment rate, Ona concluded.