Touch Foundation Inc

“Form 990, part i, line 1 and part iii, line 1 touch foundation, inc. Is a secular non-profit organization committed to improving the health of the tanzanian population by stregthening the health system across different levels of care. Touch foundation expands its impact across tanzania and beyond by sharing the acquired knowledge with the local and international public health community. Form 990, part iii, line 2 significant program services in fy16, touch continued setting up the cardiovascular services program. See form 990, part iii, line 4c for further details of the program.”

“Form 990, part iii, line 4a treat & train touch is strengthening the health system in tanzania by establishing treat & train, an integrated healthcare and education network in the lake zone of tanzania. Treat & train focuses on two key elements of the system: 1) increase the quantity and quality of the health workers; 2) improve healthcare delivery mechanisms. The treat & train network is built around two flagship institutions - bugando medical centre (bmc), the specialty referral hospital for the lake zone of tanzania, and its affiliated medical university, catholic university of health and allied sciences (cuhas). Touch provides financial operational support (e.g. Direct student costs, faculty salaries), capital/special projects funding (e.g. Gis mapping, community based research projects for students), and strategic advisory and capability building support (e.g. Financial management, resource planning and allocation and fundraising). In the past 12 years, touch has helped graduate 668 physicians and over 3,000 allied health care professionals. Each year touch supports the education of ~3,000 students from cuhas and bmc across 16 cadres including ~980 physicians, ~50 assistant medical officers, and ~600 nurses. Through touch's health system strengthening initiatives in the lake zone, it provides better care to more than 660,000 patients per year at treat & train network facilities. Total expenses - $1,558,298 grants - $156,500 revenue - $0 program service accomplishments form 990, part iii, line 4b mobilizing maternal health in fy16, touch collaborated with vodaphone foundation and pathfinder international to implement the mobilizing maternal health program in two districts of tanzania, sengerema and shinyanga. Touch launched the referral and emergency transportation system for mothers and newborns in shinyanga, while continuing to run operations in sengerema. Touch finalized the construction of a new c-section theater and the renovation of the maternity waiting hostel at the shinyanga regional hospital to prepare the hospital for the additional flow of patients and emergencies. Total expenses - $638,836 grants - $337,689 revenue - $0 program service accomplishments form 990, part iii, line 4c cardiovascular services in fy16, touch continued setting up the cardiology services program, which includes the improvement of cardiology services at bmc and the implementation of a rheumatic heart disease (rhd) control program in the sengerema district. In an effort to build a cardiology center of excellence at bmc, touch completed a cardiology needs assessment with the support of a u.s. Based specialist. Program design for this program will be completed and syndicated with the hospital at the start of fy17. In fy16, touch worked with the national institution for medical research to develop an rhd needs assessment in the sengerema district. Touch became a member of the pan african society of cardiology rhd taskforce and two committees - electronic rhd registry and cardiothoracic surgery. Total expenses - $364,350 grants - $251,079 revenue - $0 program service accomplishments form 990, part iii, line 4d other program services: human resources for health (hrh) and deployment & retention policy in fy16, touch supported the tanzania ministry of health & social welfare (mohsw) to apply the workload indicators of staffing needs (wisn) model to select districts in the lake zone. Touch engaged with mohsw, the president's office-public service management (popsm) and the president's ministry of regional and local government to present findings and recommendations from the pilot in order to support national level stakeholders to further optimize the wisn tool for future application. Touch also continued to develop and socialize the prioritization & optimization analysis tool, an add on to the wisn designed to support the popsm and local government authorities in identifying where to allocate limited vacancy permits and redistribute health worker”

“Form 990, part vi, line 11b the form 990 was prepared by an independent accounting firm based on information provided by the organization and in consultation with touch foundation staff members and contracted accountants. The draft prepared by the accounting firm was then reviewed by touch foundation's legal counsel and by the foundation's finance, legal and audit committee. A copy of the form was provided to the board of directors prior to filing the form 990 with the irs.”

“Form 990, part vi, line 12c touch foundation has a well established conflict of interest policy. All of its directors, officers and key employees are required to review the policy annually and complete a notification of compliance form. Touch foundation's legal counsel determines whether a conflict exists and resolves any actual conflicts. Any board member with a conflict in a matter requiring action by the board is prohibited from participating in the board's deliberations or decisions regarding the matter under consideration.”

“Form 990, part vi, line 15a and 15b compensation for senior management is determined and approved by the touch foundation board of directors on the recommendation of the independent compensation committee. No individuals with a conflict of interest may be involved in the compensation determination process. Comparability data for similarly qualified persons in functionally comparable positions at similarly situated organizations is prepared by the organization and reviewed annually by the compensation committee of the board of directors. The minutes of the board of directors and the compensation committee are contemporaneously documented with the board's and committee's deliberations and decisions regarding compensation.”

“Form 990, part vi, line 19 touch foundation does not currently make its governing documents or conflict of interest policy available to the public. The financial statements are available at www.touchfoundation.org.”