Applications to be a CSIA Supported Program
WHO WE ARE
AATS, ASCVTS, EACTS, HVS, LACES, PASCaTS, STS and the World Heart Federation jointly oversee an alliance charged with evaluating, endorsing, and empowering potential sites in low-income countries to increase access to sustainable cardiac surgery, with particular emphasis on rheumatic heart disease.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
CSIA initially selected 2 pilot sites, facilitating a bidirectional long-term relationship that has advanced & up-skilled these programs to achieve significant capacity growth & progress.
MENTEE/MENTOR: Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique/University of Cape Town, South Africa
MENTEE/MENTOR: King Faisal Hospital, Rwanda/Team Heart
WHAT’S NEXT
We are accepting applications for proposals to CSIA for support between additional Mentor & Mentee Sites.
Proposals can be:
Joint applications for a Mentor/Mentee site collaboration proposal
Institutional applications to become an adjunctive Training Site
CSIA sees itself as a facilitator of site-specific partnerships soliciting donor support as well as staff training and societal educational opportunities with the goal of increasing the delivery of cardiac surgery on the basis of local capacity.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
FOR MENTEE SITE APPLICANTS
Joint Proposals for a mentor/mentee partnership need to include a clear analysis and projection of need supported by the following documents:
1. A ‘‘project development plan’’ that lays out the financial and organizational details of the current cardiac surgical capacity as well as proposed growth curve over the next 5 years (eg, 50-200 cases annually) with clear distinction between existing local commitments and the gap that is sought to be closed by involving CSIA members and institutions.
2. Clear current staff establishment, showing the limits of capacity of the existing team and the needs arising from growth, highlighting the timeline when training needs to commence of further doctors/nurses/ perfusionists, and, again, the local contribution to these needs versus the gap requested to be closed with CSIA assistance.
3. Strong letter of intent by the local ‘‘initiator’’ explaining why he/she thinks that the site should qualify for CSIA support, and a statement that he/she will be the person(s)/organization interacting with CSIA and driving the process on the ground with passion and commitment.
4. Written commitment by a local authority (local government or city council, ministry of health, etc) that they support the program within the envisaged scope and guarantee their part for sustainability, including specific portions of the program for which they will guarantee support.
5. Written commitment by the mentee institution to be ‘‘enabling’’ regarding hospital space (intensive care unit, odds ratios, wards) and staff (doctors, nurses, perfusionists, etc).
6. Written commitment from the mentor institution regarding intentions & educational resources to support the mentee site partnership.
7. Statement of willingness to participate in a future cardiac surgical registry and database to help improve the gap in data available on cardiac surgery in lower resource countries.
Institutional Applications to become an adjunctive Training Site, serving as a force multiplier for specialty skill transfer (perfusion, anesthesia, critical care, advanced surgical techniques) will also be considered separately and should include and individualized & specific proposal for methods to augment established CSIA programs & providers
MORE INFORMATION
The ideal partnership will have the 5 pillars of CSIA supported projects, as demonstrated below with our Mozambique site:
Driver (Champion)
Local Guarantor
Sponsor
Training Site
Academic Partner