Our Model

Mission

To support frontline health workers through collaborations in emergency medical education.

Strategy

Collaborations are the foundation to our success. Each A Tu Lado initiative starts with an invitation extended by a local organization and is designed to ultimately grow and operate independently. While helping create university programs, we aim to source all inputs locally to ensure our partners have a viable and sustainable model.

Goals

• Build university-based, pre-hospital emergency medical training programs in medically underserved communities of Latin America;
• Develop standardized tracks for education and certification of emergency health workers using internationally recognized guidelines;
• Contribute to the development of efficient, effective, and accessible emergency medical systems.

Operations

A Tu Lado (ATL) is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we benefit from a growing network of partners, advisors, and supporters. From here we fundraise, plan projects, and build relations with national and international organizations interested in furthering our cause. ATL’s team includes nine staff and a five-member Board of Directors. Staff travel to the communities with which we work multiple times per year to complete mission-related activities. ATL does not currently financially compensate the staff or our partners for their contributions.

Context

A Tu Lado works in regions of Latin America where emergency medical service (EMS) education is fragmented and non-standardized, and where local organizations request ATL's partnership in building standardized training programs. Together, these elements indicate the need for ATL's expertise and the ability to launch a locally-sustainable initiative.

Products

1. Pre-hospital training programs. ATL’s central product is the development of a series of model pre- hospital training courses. We create a single unified curriculum based on NREMT and ILCOR guidelines that incorporates the best elements from divergent local curricula.
2. Inter-institutional relationships. The multi-lateral partnerships between ATL, local and international EMS providers, and public educational institutions provide platforms to synthesize diverse perspectives and shape educational and clinical standards.
3. EMS consulting. We consult with local EMS agencies looking to make innovations to their medical record and communication protocols.

Financials

A Tu Lado's current international partners do not have the means to pay for our services. Only a small fraction of course costs are covered by tuition. We rely on a "pay-it-forward" business model, in which we draw revenue (donations) from one community and re-direct it into another.

A Tu Lado is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3), tax- exempt nonprofit organization. To date, roughly half of our revenue has originated from individual donors, and half has originated from grants made by Princeton University and Macalester College. Revenue and expenses for the first two years of operation (2011-2012) totaled to less than $25,000.

Operational Objectives

Bolivia

• Launch Bolivia’s first university-based pre-hospital program at Universidad Mayor de San Simón.
• Assist partners in constructing electronic medical record databases to evaluate training and to research public health trends.
• Support legislation to mandate basic training for pre-hospital frontline health workers.

Venezuela

• Launch Venezuela’s first university- based pre-hospital course at Universidad Simón Bolívar.
• Assist partners in constructing electronic medical record databases to evaluate training and to research public health trends.
• Support legislation to mandate basic training for pre-hospital frontline health workers.

Strategy

PARTNERSHIPS: Collaborations are the foundation of ATL's success; each of our initiatives grows from an invitation extended by a local organization. From this connection, ATL and our partners invite the participation of key stakeholders, such as universities and emergency response groups. Upon receiving an invitation to a new project site, ATL initiates a three- step process:

NEEDS ASSESSMENT (Step 1): Visit the prospective site to meet partners and stakeholders, assess community strengths and needs, and define the curriculum.

MODEL COURSE (Step 2): A condensed course on pre-hospital care facilitated by A Tu Lado and co- caught with local instructors. This course serves as an opportunity to build and test the curricula and to strengthen our local partnerships. It can be repeated as necessary until our partners feel confident in launching the full course independently.

FULL COURSE (Step 3): An expanded course taught exclusively by local instructors. The course’s adoption and accreditation by a public university positions the program as a regional and national model for future replication.

EXIT STRATEGY: Our initiatives are designed so they can be grown and operated independently of A Tu Lado. While helping develop university programs, we aim to source all inputs locally to ensure our partners have a viable and sustainable model.

EVALUATION: We collect data on A Tu Lado’s programs through quantitative and qualitative evaluations with our students, graduates, and partners. The information allows us to improve our programs and adapt them to public health trends in the community.