Name of organization: Teen Health Washington
Operational area: Washington State
Main aim of the organization
The aim objective of Teen Health Washington is to empower people especially people of color and migrant population with the appropriate information and resources to enable them to take the right decision to improve their health and wellbeing. The organization provide health education to African immigrants with much focus on children and young people within their adolescent age.
+1 269 443 4807
4760 22nd Ave NE Apt 3, Seattle, 98105 WA, USA
Various Models
This is a model we are adopting to help build minority communities’ trust in the healthcare system. This initiative can be fully realized if we partner with major stakeholders. We intend collaborating with the Washington State Health Department, the Public Health Department of the University of Washington, churches, mosque etc. to implement this model. Building trust in the healthcare system will motivate people to seek healthcare and this will improve people’s health and wellbeing and ultimately reduce mortality.
The Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) model was designed by Teen Health Washington to engage young people from the ages of 15 to 26. We carry out health education on STDs through online or in person medium. Using culturally appropriate methodology to sensitize young people on STDs and motivate them to protect themselves and seek early treatment. We share with them available community based or non-profit clinics that can help them better when necessary. The role of the organization is to educate them and let them know there are community resources available to help them. We also engage them on career development, menstrual hygiene education etc.
We assist international students to prepare and submit their graduate studies applications. Organize airport pick-ups and help them settle on campus. Assist students to search for affordable apartments, help them with essential household items like cooking utensils, couch, reading lamps, study tables, chairs etc. Link these students to the various items and help them to pick it.
This model was designed to improve the health of women and children. The activities to be carried out include proper hand washing, personal hygiene, preventing and managing non communicable diseases through the eating of appropriate foods, exercising etc.
Profile of Founder
Isaac Kwabena Ayereka
Founder & Managing Director, Teen Health Washington
Isaac Kwabena Ayereka earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Development Studies from the University for Development Studies in Ghana in 2008. Isaac then served a year of obligatory national service with the Social Welfare Department. He was responsible for bringing abusers of children and women to justice. This motivated his desire to help the underserved and promote social justice.
Isaac joined the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organization as a Project Officer in charge of malaria prevention and control. He registered and distributed free treated bed nets to vulnerable groups such as elderly people, pregnant women, and children under the age of five in remote areas.
Isaac worked as a Project Officer for MAP International in 2015, where he supervised the implementation of Adolescent Reproductive Health project activities. He collaborated extensively with peer educators to reduce teen pregnancies, illicit abortions, and STIs.
Isaac also worked as a consultant on Community Led Total Sanitation for USAID/Global Communities and as a UNICEF District Resource Person (DRP) on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). He later joined World Vision Ghana as Project Manager for WASH. He sought to enhance the lives of disadvantaged children in rural areas.
Isaac received his Master of Science in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the Institute of Local Government Studies in 2016 and his Master of Science in Community Health and Development from the University for Development Studies in 2017. In 2021, he also received a Master of International Development Administration degree from Western Michigan University. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Health Education at Columbia University and also a Research Affiliate at the Center for Health Policy (CHP) at the School of Nursing, Columbia University.
After graduating in 2021, Isaac worked as a Health Educator for the Edmonds School District, where he oversaw covid 19 contact tracing, health screening, and covid 19 testing in high schools. Isaac later accepted a position as an Administrative Assistant at NeighborCare Health in Seattle. NeighborCare Health is a non-profit clinic that offers comprehensive healthcare to low-income families and people who face barriers to care.
Isaac Kwabena Ayereka is the founder and CEO of Teen Health Washington, a non-profit he founded in Seattle in 2022. The organization educates the African migrant population in Seattle about health issues. Isaac was recently awarded at the 2023 World Anti-Bully Forum at Raleigh, North Carolina, USA for his contribution in the field.
Dr. Patience Binambiba Jaman
Programs Manager, Teen Health Washington
Patience Jaman is a physician and a second-year student pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health. Her interest lies in understanding how social determinants of health influence healthcare access among women in underserved communities. Using the lens of social justice, equity, and inclusion she advocates for changes in her community through research that highlights gaps in healthcare access and making targeted recommendations to improve policies and practices. Dr. Jaman currently serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Department of Global Health, University of Washington. She also serves on the Dean’s advisory council of Students.
Dr. Jaman is the founder of Teen Health Ghana, a non-profit in Ghana. She has extension knowledge in program design and implementation. Teen Health Ghana was established in 2018 to carry out health education in rural communities, churches, and high schools. With voluntary donations from benevolent people, Teen Health Ghana has reached out to over one thousand families and high school students with free hepatitis B screening and vaccination, sexual reproductive health education, free deworming of children, free breast cancer examination, etc. She mobilizes doctors, nurses, etc., to help carry out these free outreaches.