Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Social Works Organization of Irmã Dulce, known by its portuguese acronym as OSID, is a private non-profit philantropical organization, established in May 26, 1959 by brazillian catholic nun Sister Dulce.

It consists of 14 nuclei, 13 of them at the Roma Hospital Complex, a 1.000 bed teaching hospital, in Salvador, Bahia. OSID also operates CESA (Santo Antonio Educational Center), a school that provides free education and social services for 800 children who live in extreme poverty, in Simões Filho, one of the most impoverished cities in the metropolitan region of Salvador.

OSID provides health, welfare and education services, with a strong commitment to medical education and research and a mission to "love and serve the poorest ones, offering them free health care and education".

It is chartered under Brazilian law; accredited at federal, state and municipal levels; and registered by the National Welfare Council and the Federal Ministry of Education.

Contents 1 Mission 2 History 3 Present 4 OSID Nuclei

[edit] Mission

To Love and serve the poorest ones, offering them free health care and education for life.

[edit] History

OSID was founded by Sister Dulce in 1959, as a result of her work with the poor people in Salvador.

Since 1949, the Servant of God had been providing health care for over 70 people in her convent's chicken yard. Then, the lack of physical structure was compensated by Sister Dulce's tireless determination and managerial capacity and the volunteer support of friendly doctors and the community as a whole. Sister Dulce used to walk the streets both at night, searching for sick people who had nowhere to go, and during the day, collecting food, medicines and whatever else people donated.

In 1960, a year after the foundation of OSID, the Santo Antônio Hospital, then with 150 beds, was inaugurated.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the organization went through of structural consolidation. An advisory council was stablished in order to help Sister Dulce manage OSID. During that time, a medical residency program was put in place.

After that period, expanding the services and ensuring the permanence of OSID became the main concern of Sister Dulce. In 1983, the new 1.000 beds Santo Antônio Hospital was inaugurated. Relation with the business sector and with the government were increased and an effort is made to make the management of the organization more professional.

In the late 1980s, due to economical instability and increased patient demand, OSID wentthrough a financial crisis, which worsened with Sister Dulce's deteriorating health condition. The institution established an agreement with INAMPS (National Social Security Institute for Medical Assistance), currently INSS. The agreement was still valid after the federal public health system was unified by SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde, or United Health System).

At that time, already very debilitated, Sister Dulce expressed her wish that her niece Maria Rita Pontes was placed at the head of OSID, which takes place in 1992.

In March 13, 1992, Sister Dulce died. The death of its founder put the future of OSID in doubt and the institution focused on their mission, in order to overcome the obstacles.

In the decade after Sister Dulce's death, OSID inaugurated 6 new nuclei, along with a Pediatric and an Adult Intensive Care Center and the Center for Admission and Treatment of Alcoholics (CATA). The Santo Antonio Educacional Center started taking care of over 600 children, offering them free basic and technical education.

Since 2000, the organization reformed its organizational structure and invested in strategic areas like Information technology, research, communication and company history, in order to support the increase in services provided ant to make possible a secure planning in the next years, facing self-sustainability as its biggest challenge. In 2001, OSID was awarded the ISO 9001-2000 certificate.

After a period of planned growth, inflation, loss of revenue and even bigger increase in patient demand (21,75% in Santo Antônio Hospital), caused OSID to go through another financial crisis in 2003, forcing the management to cut down on its expenses severely.

[edit] Present

Nowadays, 14 years after the death of its founder, OSID is the major health institution in the north and northeast of Brazil. OSID is responsible for the majority of patients service in the state of Bahia and is one of the top ten in the entire country.

It is the only health institution in Brazil with more than 1.000 beds provided exclusively on a public-care basis through SUS. The Roma Hospital Complex has 1.009 beds and houses, approximately, 400 [in-patients] in residencial care facilities for the elderly. The hallmark of OSID is humanized care and the practice of providing free services is faithful to Sister Dulce's wish of always keeping her door open to the needy.

Today, OSID owns 173.000 square meters of land, of which 39.000 square meters are occupied by constructed facilities at the Roma Hospital complex.

[edit] OSID Nuclei

• Santo Antonio Hospital

• José Sarney Ambulatory

• Children's Hospital

• 'Dona Dulcinha' Women Clinic

• Rehabilitation and Disabilities Prevention Center

• Social Medical Center Augusto Lopes Pontes

• Bioimaging center

• Rehabilitation Center for Craniofacial Anomalies

• Santo Antonio Educational Center

• Irmã Dulce Memorial

• Júlia Magalhães Geriatric Center

• Taciano Campos Clinical Laboratory

• Research Support Nuclei

• Professor Adib Jatene Learning and Research Center