As Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards Foundation, Inc.’s sponsor and consistent technology partner for four years, Lenovo has once again supported the organization in promoting Filipino youth’s active involvement in their communities. This year, Lenovo presented the “2014 Most Innovative Project” award to the Order of Asclepius (OA) of West Visayas State University’s College of Medicine for its innovative use of technology in spreading health information around Iloilo barangay communities.
“Lenovo aims to become an agent of national change by empowering local communities through technological innovation. We are proud to honor the Order of Asclepius as this year’s Most Innovative Project awardee, and we hope to inspire more youth groups to become nation-building advocates that leverage on the power of technology in serving their respective communities,” said Michael Ngan, Country General Manager, Lenovo Philippines.
As a health-oriented non-profit organization, OA promotes community health and offers humanitarian services in the spirit of social responsibility. It is composed of 55 resident members along with over 500 senior members and medical professionals who regularly conduct free medical and surgical missions as well as other healthcare campaigns.
Having seen the disproportionate number of barangay health workers serving barangay residents, OA produced a two-episode video, Order in Action: Videos for Health Skills (OAVHS), to ensure that communities have access to basic health care. OAVHS demonstrates how to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, temperature, and respiratory rate – reducing barangay residents’ reliance on local health centers, some of which can only accommodate a maximum of 50 patients per day. The two-part video also provides first aid instructions for handling basic wound care, fractures, and animal bites. OA has distributed the OAVHS videos and even provided DVD players along with basic health kits to health centers in five local barangays.
The OAVHS videos have since helped barangay residents become more responsible by placing their health in their own hands. Through the health initiative, beneficiary communities have become more health conscious, with proper health records and monitoring practices.
Following OAVHS’ success, OA plans to reach out to barangay health centers in more rural communities. OA will also continue making videos to educate barangay residents with topics covering basic life support, mental health awareness, and basic hygiene. OA eventually intends to leverage on mobile devices like tablets to meet the organization’s growing presentation needs while reducing reliance on DVD players, which can only be used in health centers with electricity.
“The Order of Asclepius is continually developing more videos to make health care and sanitation information more accessible to rural communities. As we expand our video library, we are banking on tablets such as the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2, to better spread the word and improve health literacy, especially in areas without access to electricity,” said Angeli Nicole Portigo, Grand Lady Asclepian, Order of Asclepius.
As a token, Lenovo sponsored OA with a Yoga Tablet 2 to help the organization cope with presentation requirements in more rural areas. Featuring an epic 18-hour battery life, the Yoga Tablet 2 functions effortlessly in Hold, Tilt, Stand, and Hang modes, shattering the norm in tablet endurance and user mobility. With the Yoga Tablet 2 in hand, OAVHS can cross various adoption barriers such as power outages and the absence of electrical sockets with ease, thus solidifying their cause to emphasise the importance of healthcare in rural areas.
