Somerset native honored with humanitarian award
Apr. 21—A woman who grew up in Pulaski County is making her name known throughout the world with her social and health initiatives.
Iza Hehre, born Amy Elizabeth to Charles and Elizabeth Correll of Somerset, recently celebrated her 29th birthday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by accepting the Champion in Global Humanitarian Service Award at the Prodigy Bureau Global Gala.
"While this was not my first international humanitarian award, it was among the most special to me as it was my first time awarded in the UAE," said Hehre. "My heart longs to find a deeper connection within this country, and I am thrilled for the unexpected honor."
The 2010 Pulaski County High School graduate was 20 and volunteering in Africa where she got to see first-hand the plight of abandoned children who have no access to medical care.
Graduating from the University of Kentucky's Physician Assistant Studies Program, Hehre and her husband Robert moved to Kenya — ultimately opening a 60-bed hospital for children up to age 18 in December 2017.
A dually-licensed U.S. Physician Assistant, and Kenyan Clinical Officer, Hehre is the founder and CEO of OVI Healthcare as well as owner and lead visionary at Conscious Influence Co.
Hehre named her company OVI Healthcare after her late nephew Ovidio, (known as Ovi), who passed away when he was four years old. He was an orphan in Guatemala in the process of being adopted by Hehre's sister. This tragedy was the catalyst that inspired Hehre to start the charity in his name, an organization aimed at providing free, life-saving treatment to children in dire need and preventing children from becoming institutionalized orphans.
"One in 26 children die before age five, and we are on a mission to change that, forever," said Hehre. "OVI Healthcare exists to make critical healthcare and advocacy services accessible to every child on the planet—with a particular emphasis on reaching orphaned, abandoned, and medically vulnerable children."
From her base in Migori, Kenya, Hehre and her husband are pioneering a new way of treating and caring for vulnerable children that she plans to introduce across Africa and Asia:
—Treatment: Providing free, life-saving treatment to children who need it now. Through medical camps and rescue services, the OVI Healthcare team travels to remote regions and provides urgent medication and ongoing care plans. Where patients require hospital treatment, OVI Healthcare transports them to locally staffed facilities. Additionally, the organization provides outpatient hospital services to children who walk in or are referred for evaluation and care.
—Complete Care: Combining critical healthcare with holistic services that go beyond physical health. Counseling, education, and play empower patients and support them to health and happiness.
—Keeping Families Together: By understanding why abandonment happens, the OVI Healthcare team can intervene when support is most needed and help loving families stay together. OVI Healthcare offers bereaved fathers stability and support so they don't give up their children in despair as well as temporary care for the children of child brides, orphaned girls, and other vulnerable mothers who want their children but can't provide for them yet.
While healthcare is her mission, Hehre is also interested in helping others with their own humanitarian efforts with Conscious Influence Co., a full-service agency offering expert development and support for social impact movements.
Hehre is also a best-selling author and the youngest ever recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Global Citizenship, an honor she was awarded in 2019 and shares with fellow laureates like U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Christina Aguilera.
For more information, visit: https://ovihealthcare.org/.
