What We Do   Community Health Care Centers   Specialized Services   Mobile Clinics & Outreach Programs   Lending Centers   Health Education   School Health Program   School of Community Health   Emergency Response Program   Community-Based Rehabilitation   Chronic Diseases Program   Well-Baby & Child Health Program   Women’s Health Program   Community Mobilization Programs   Advocacy & Public Awareness	School of Community Health UPMRC's School of Community Health is a non-profit educational institution with accreditation from the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education in the field of Community Health and Primary Health Care training. It was formally established in 1984 to train qualified Community Health Workers and to provide continuing education to physicians and other health care professionals. Currently, the school offers a two-year Diploma in Community Health, a diploma course in Primary Health Care for newly graduated physicians, and continuing education in the form of seminars, conferences, workshops and training packages in various health fields that are linked to World Health Organization protocols and guidelines in the management of diseases. The school is located in the West Bank town of Ramallah, but it draws students from all over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the year 2000, UPMRC completed a total of 886 hours of training for 1,014 trainees and graduated the 11th group of Community Health Workers. The 20 students completed their second year of practical training in UPMRC clinics, classroom instruction in Palestinian Society and Health in Palestine, and comprehensive written, oral and practical examinations. The program combines theoretical education and practical training with an emphasis on the particular health needs of Palestinian communities. All students of Community Health, whether physicians or Community Health Workers, receive a solid grounding in the concepts of prevention, health promotion and education, community participation, and comprehensive, holistic health development. The school trains health professionals for UPMRC, the Palestinian National Authority's Ministry of Health, UNRWA, and a number of non-governmental organizations. This builds the capacity of UPMRC and the entire health care sector to provide quality health care services to the most vulnerable members of Palestinian society. At the same time, the school's training empowers young Palestinian women to play an important role in the health and development of their own communities as Community Health Workers. Training for Newly Graduated Physicians: In 2000, four groups of newly graduated physicians (49 total) completed the school's three-month course in Primary Health Care. The 360 hours of classroom instruction and practical training in health centers of UPMRC and other organizations completes the internship year in a way that bridges the gap between classical biomedical training and the holistic community health approach of Primary Health Care. Physicians gain the knowledge and confidence to work independently, to implement appropriate PHC protocols, and to manage Community Health Centers effectively. Continuing Education Courses: In 2000, UPMRC offered a wide range of continuing education courses including: Primary Health Care Dermatology Conference Breast Feeding Promotion and Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Pap Smear Training Chronic Diseases Women's and Child's Health Diarrhoeal Diseases Protocol Family Planning Workshop on the psychological effects of Israeli violent acts on Palestinian children First Aid Participants include among others, newly graduated physicians, midwives and nurses from the Red Crescent and the Ministry of Health, and UPMRC staff and doctors. Determining the Curriculum: The School of Community Health, in cooperation with the various programs, identifies training needs of UPMRC health personnel based on: national studies of training needs in the health field; surveys conducted in local communities, for example through the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program; database outputs on training and information systems; and monitoring and evaluation in different programs including needs identified by field health workers. In addition, UPMRC creates courses upon request to fulfill the training needs of other health care providers and institutions. Adapting to the Intifada: In 2000, UPMRC began training its 12th group of Community Health Workers. Twenty-four applicants were accepted, including 18 women from the West Bank and six from the Gaza Strip. As Palestinians have not been able to move in or out of the Gaza Strip because of the harsh closure imposed during the Intifada, a duplicate course had to be set up at the UPMRC center in Gaza city for the six students from the Gaza Strip.