Student Yusepe Garcia Designs Hospital Ward in West Africa
Yusepe Garcia, fourth year Bachelor of Architecture student at Woodbury, interned for Partners in Health this summer in Liberia. He worked with the infrastructure team under School of Architecture alumna Christine Lara to expand the Pleebo Health Center.
To respond to Liberia’s maternal and neonatal mortality challenge, Partners in Health is improving access to Maternal and Child Health (MCH) care at the existing Pleebo Health Center. Since opening in 2015, the center has seen a significant rise in deliveries and need for services. To accommodate this increased demand, Yusepe helped to design a new MCH ward that will establish a designated Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) consult space and prepartum four bed ward. It will also double the delivery room, and triple the postpartum ward bed capacity. The scope of the Pleebo Health Center expansion is part of a larger strategy to strengthen TB, HIV and Mental Health consult services and construct a dedicated Emergency Department where patients can come for routine health care and during emergencies. Partners in Health expects these services to be expanded as well after completion of the new MCH ward.
Yusepe has a passion for travel and wants to make an impact with his degree. Fascinated by tiny houses, he hopes to one day design and build homes for people in need, including those in third world countries.
Find out more about Yusepe Garcia and Partners in Health online.