| The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have a long history of partnering their efforts with the aim to strengthen health priority areas in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region. In 2007, PAHO and USAID signed a new three-year regional partnership agreement to Strengthen Health Systems in the context of Primary Health Care (PHC) and to Improve the Quality of Services.
 The regional partnership agreement components
Health Systems Strengthening in the context of PHC (Cross Cutting Theme 1)
 Objective: improve the steering role capacity of the National Health Authority (NHA) to develop policies and implement strategies to reduce fragmentation in health through the integration of services, foment public health capacity and create synergies between targetted programs and systems.
Outcomes focus on the following areas:
Outcome 1: Steering role capacity of the National Health Authority at the national and sub- national levels strengthened to implement integrated delivery networks, improve public health capacities, and scale up health systems based on PHC.
Outcome 2: Health information systems strengthened at the regional, sub-regional, and national level for the analysis, management, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies and health systems to achieve the health objectives.
Outcome 3: Comprehensive policies, plans and strategies promoting universal access and effective interventions developed in collaboration with other programs and sectors, paying attention to gender inequality, providing a continuum of care throughout the life course, integrating service delivery across different levels of the health system and strengthening coordination with civil society and the private sector.
Outcome 4: The effective functioning of regional partnership (MNH Interagency Task Force) to promote policy dialogue in neonatal health within the context of the continuum of care approach in maternal, neonatal, and child health.
Improving Quality of Health Services (Cross Cutting Theme 2)
Objective: emphasizes the strengthening of national capacity to organize and develop appropriate and accessible quality health care services that reflect recognized standards and good practices.
Outcomes focus on the following areas:
Outcome 1: Primary Health Care Accreditation Model adapted to the characteristics and priorities of countries from the Central America and Andean Region, grounded on patient safety and with emphasis on networks and validated process criteria addressed to improve neonatal and maternal health.
Outcome 2: Enhanced capacity of endemic countries for increased coverage of HIV, malaria and TB prevention, treatment and care among the poor, hard to reach, and vulnerable populations.
Outcome 3: Provision of policy and technical support to Member States to enhance their capacity to carry out communicable disease surveillance and response as component of comprehensive surveillance and health information systems.
Outcome 4: Implement the Neonatal Regional Plan of Action within the continuum of care approach and raising awareness of the need to focus on improving the quality of neonatal healthcare services.
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PAHO-USAID Partnership 
PAHO-USAID Umbrella Agreement 2007-2010 Mid-Year Progress Report (10/2009 - 03/2010)
