The 2014 monitoring of the integration of Nutrition Assessment Counselling and Support (NACS) into routine health care in South West (SW) Uganda and Namutumba district in East Central (EC) Uganda was designed as a follow-up to the 2012 and 2013 NACS assessments.
The SPRING/Haiti program closed out on October 13, 2015, after three years of nutrition programming work in-country.
Evidence-based nutrition interventions exist that can positively impact maternal and child nutrition. They also can significantly reduce mortality, if sufficient programmatic coverage is achieved (Bhutta et al. 2013).
The Tool for Rapid Evaluation of Facility-Level Nutrition Assessment, Counseling, and Support (REF-NACS) is a generic tool that helps gather information on the capacity of health facilities to implement NACS for pregnant women, children, and people living with HIV (PLHIV).
SPRING/Haiti has played a key role in enhancing Nutrition Assessment, Counseling, and Support (NACS) leadership at the district and facility level. Last year, SPRING/Haiti participated in several meetings with the both national and international partners to track the health facilities’ progress in integrating NACS services into their current programs.
At the facility level, SPRING/Uganda works to strengthen nutrition assessment, counseling, and support (NACS) services as a complete package that is fully integrated as part of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and/or antiretroviral therapy (ART) services in HIV clinics. SPRING/Uganda also supports the implementation of Ministry of Health guidance to expand NACS beyond HIV clinics to be fully integrated as part of routine health services, and cover everyone, irrespective of their HIV status.
Authors: Lamstein S; Tharaney M; Kappos K; Nekatebeb H; Mokori A; D’Agostino A; Racine N; Exume R; Lyons C; Pomeroy, A; Lerebours, G
In Uganda, SPRING is enhancing the capacity of health facilities to implement nutrition assessment, counseling, and support (NACS)1 activities.