Community Health Is Local: Why Imo’s Future Depends on Preventive Care at the Grassroots

 

Community Health Is Local: Why Imo’s Future Depends on Preventive Care at the Grassroots

By NOM | EOON Care

Health systems thrive when they start from the community. Across the world, countries that invest in preventive care at the local level not only achieve better outcomes but also stronger economies, healthier youth, and more resilient public services.

In Imo State, a growing conversation is underway. As election campaigns highlight the need for healthcare reform and economic revival, one area gaining attention is how we strengthen care at the local level. While hospitals and infrastructure projects attract headlines, the real breakthrough may lie elsewhere: in community-led, preventive health services delivered close to home.

One candidate making this a central focus is Dr Chima Amadi. His 8-point agenda proposes a new direction for Imo State, rooted in job creation, public-private partnerships, and improved access to healthcare through community-based models.

The Community Health Acceleration Programme (CHAP) aligns with that vision. Designed as a pilot initiative by EOON Care, CHAP aims to demonstrate how trained health coaches, drawn from local communities, can provide early intervention, support chronic disease prevention, and connect more residents to basic health services and insurance.

CHAP does not rely on new hospitals or expensive builds. Instead, it focuses on mobilising the people already closest to the problem—and giving them the tools to be part of the solution. 

This approach could mean:

• Regular home-based health checks and wellness education

• Jobs for young people as community health workers

• Better uptake of the state’s proposed insurance scheme

• Early detection of common conditions before they escalate

This approach supports elder wellbeing through preventive contact, home visits, early intervention, and social linkage. 

While the political path forward is still taking shape, one thing is clear: any serious health reform must reach into communities, not just policy rooms. That’s where real change happens.

With delivery experience from the NHS and a health coaching model adapted for local realities, the team behind CHAP is ready to support whichever administration shares this commitment.

Because preventive care isn’t a campaign promise—it’s a smart, scalable strategy for protecting lives and livelihoods.

#CommunityHealth #ImoState #PreventiveCare #HealthJobs #PHC #DiasporaEngagement