John Snow sponsors MEDEA 2011 conference

John Snow, Inc. (JSI) is a proud sponsor of MEDEA 2011, a two-day conference (February 1 and 2) dedicated to improving the country of Georgia's health system by the year 2020. The conference, led by the government of Georgia, brings together high level Georgian and American health professionals to begin to solve some of the country's most pressing health problems.

The conference is designed to seek both ideas and investment from the Georgian and U.S. private, public, and nonprofit sectors. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, will be the keynote speaker.

JSI Senior Technical Advisor, Nino Berdzuli, MD, MPH, serves on the board of MEDEA 2011 and will play a key role in helping the Georgian government implement the recommendations and action plan that result from the conference.

JSI has been working in Georgia since 2003 to improve the health of women and newborns, modernize maternity care, and increase access to modern methods of family planning. JSI's work has led to a sizeable decline in the country's postpartum hemorrhage rate—a major killer of women worldwide—from 8% in 2003 to less than 1% in 2008.

JSI has also done important work in the area of women's cancers. According to a 2008 JSI-led study, breast and cervical cancers are responsible for the most deaths among women of reproductive age (15-49) in Georgia. In response to this shocking statistic, JSI led a unique public-private partnership in Georgia to expand breast and cervical cancer screening, improve women's access to screening services, and increase the public's awareness of the importance of screening.

JSI also partnered with a local Georgian NGO and the Susan B. Komen Foundation to inaugurate an annual Race for the Cure© in Georgia—significantly raising awareness around breast cancer.

Taking place at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC, MEDEA 2011 is hosted by the First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs; the Georgian Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs; and the Georgian Embassy to the United States and Canada.