The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) recently awarded Baylor University a $900,000 grant for Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH) to construct a new Women’s and Children’s Healthcare and Research Center in Bengaluru, India.

The new Women’s and Children’s Center will help cultivate positive relationships between citizens of the U.S. and India. It will increase the number of services delivered to more women and children in Bengaluru; empower them to lead healthy lives and improve access to healthcare among vulnerable populations; build future healthcare leaders—particularly among women; and serve as a setting to implement U.S. evidence-based practices and new innovations in obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology, and pediatrics.

Bengaluru is the third largest city in India and has staggering health indicators for rural and urban women and children. BBH operates a peripheral rural hospital that serves 1,700 surrounding villages and 12 urban slum regions. As BBH has expanded its trusting relationship with these communities in recent years, the patient demand—especially women and children—has increased as well as the need to train more future healthcare professionals. Approximately 7,200 high risk women are seen in BBH’s antenatal clinics each year, but there are very few clinics in Bengaluru that provide high-risk obstetrics care that is accessible to all sections of society. The new Women’s and Children’s Center will not only include a high-risk obstetrics care clinic, but it will increase the total number of facility beds at BBH from 340 to 442. The new Center will also serve as a hub for training in and implementation of the latest evidence-based practices including neonatal and pediatric palliative care programs and infusion of U.S. preventive care guidelines. New innovations will include the design of mobile technologies to improve healthcare access for women and children.

Baylor University’s relationship with BBH dates back to 1974 and has included faculty development, student exchanges, and research on building nurse capacity. In 2015, Baylor University and BBH were awarded a separate USAID/ASHA grant to build a Simulation Education and Research Center for Nursing Excellence in Bengaluru, India. The new Women’s and Children’s Center will complement the existing Simulation Center as trainees will practice skills using simulation equipment prior to practicing in this new patient care setting.

Overseeing the implementation of this project is Shelby Garner, Ph.D., R.N., Assistant Professor at Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing. Dr. Garner has collaborated with BBH for the past six years on various initiatives and will lead research in mobile health technology to improve health outcomes among patients receiving care at the center. Dr. Thomas Naveen, Director and CEO of BBH, will serve as the Project Manager in India and will be supported by a team of project consultants and assistants, engineers, and a Construction Manager. Dr. Tanya Sudia, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing, will oversee the development and implementation of an in-patient and community-based Pediatric Palliative Care Program in collaboration with a team of healthcare professionals at BBH. Additionally, several LHSON faculty will contribute expertise, in neonatal pediatric, and obstetrical care.

It is anticipated that construction will begin in 2019, and the project will be completed by September 2022.

ABOUT THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide. USAID’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) provides assistance to schools, libraries, and medical centers outside the U.S. that serve as study and demonstration centers for American ideas and practices.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) located in Dallas was established in 1909 as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor Scott and White Health’s Baylor University Medical Center and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The first Baccalaureate degrees were granted in 1952 establishing the school among the earliest baccalaureate nursing programs in Texas. In 1999, the School was renamed the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, who made an endowment gift to the school. Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education,* LHSON offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees through a Traditional program and FastBacc® (one year accelerated) program. LHSON also offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership and Innovation program, as well as Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to include, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwifery and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. LHSON was featured in U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) for the 2019 Best Graduate Schools ranking the DNP program #54. The Nurse Midwifery program’s #10 ranking remains in place for four years until 2019 under the health disciplines category. In 2017 and 2018, USNWR ranked the Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Innovation online degree program at #39 of the Best Online Graduate Program. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/nursing

ABOUT BANGALORE BAPTIST HOSPITAL
Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH) is a private, 340 bed, non-profit, tertiary care medical specialty teaching hospital in Bengaluru, India. The mission of BBH is to provide quality, holistic care to all people and train others to do the same.