CCIH Statement on Standards for Short-term Medical Missions

Short-Term Medical Missions (STMM) can provide much-needed care to a community and help strengthen capacity of local providers, and are often provided in emergency response or in long-term development situations. Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned STMM projects are designed and executed in ways that do not plan for sustained change or, worse, leave communities open to unintended harmful effects of their work. To help STMM effectively address needs, CCIH endorses three sets of standards for those who engage in this work.