Transcript The Center for Sustainable Health Outreach

The Center for
Sustainable Health Outreach
A collaboration between
The University of Southern Mississippi
and
Georgetown University Law Center
Rationale
Due to cultural, linguistic, and/or
economic barriers, U.S. families with
the greatest health risk are often least
likely to be appropriately served by
the health care system.
December 7, 2004
Rationale
“If the problems are in the community,
the solutions are in the community.”
Gilbert Friedell, MD
Former Director of Cancer Control
Kentucky Cancer Program
Lexington, Kentucky
December 7, 2004
Rationale
Community Health Workers provide
services within the cultural, linguistic
and other value systems of the
community.
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Definition
Lay Health Advisor/Worker
Community Health Advisor
Promotor(a) de Salud
Community Health Representative
“An individual that is indigenous to his/her
community and agrees to be a link between
community members and the service
delivery system.”
Service C., Salber E. (eds.): Community Health Education: The Lay Health Advisor Approach. Durham, NC,
Duke University Health Care System, 1979.
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Definition
Community Health Workers are an
effective means of improving
community health, because they serve
as a vital link between communities
and health care systems.
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Definition
“CHWs are not trained to substitute for
professionals, but rather act as
counterparts to assist health care
providers and other professionals in
their mission to improve health and
social conditions in ways these
traditional providers are not able to
provide.”
M.D. Barnes and J. Fairbanks
December 7, 2004
Definition
Community Health Workers can:
 educate individuals and communities
 facilitate access to needed services
 educate providers and health systems
 help craft services that are more
responsive to community needs
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Definition
Community health workers work in all
areas of public health including
 Maternal-child health
 Oral health care
 Chronic disease management
 Cancer awareness
 STD control
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Definition
Continuum of Lay Health Advisor Helping
Natural
Helping
Professional
Helping
Informal
End
Formal
End
Adapted from Eng, Eugenia, Parker, Edith, and Harlan, Christina. (1997). Lay Health
Advisor Intervention Strategies: A Continuum from Natural Helping to Paraprofessional
Helping. Health Education and Behavior, 24(4), 413-417.
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Community Health
Advisor Program
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
The CHA program recruits and trains
volunteer natural helpers who seek to
improve individual and community health by
identifying perceived priority health
problems;
organizing self-help action in their
communities;
linking people in need with available
health services; and
giving advice and assistance to
neighbors, friends and families.
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Deep South Network for
Cancer Control
The project’s purpose is to create a
community infrastructure to increase
cancer awareness in the AfricanAmerican population in both poor,
rural areas and urban areas of
Alabama and Mississippi.
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CHARPs…
 Increase awareness through formal
and informal presentations
 Talk with family, friends, neighbors
and acquaintances about the
importance of early detection,
accessing screening tests, and
diagnostic services
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CHARPs…
 Help people get to screening,
diagnostic, treatment and follow-up
services
 Assist people in understanding
treatment and follow-up
recommendations from physicians
and other health professionals
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M.I.H.O.W.
The Maternal/Infant Health Outreach
Worker program is a communitybased, home visiting program aimed
at improving family health and early
childhood development for lowincome families.
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M.I.H.O.W.
Because they come from the same
backgrounds as the families they
serve, MIHOW outreach workers
readily develop the trusting
relationships necessary for effective
home visiting.
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M.I.H.O.W.
M.I.H.O.W. workers conduct home
visits during prenatal, infant, toddler,
and childhood periods
 Teaching
 Anticipatory guidance
 Social support
 Intervention when needed
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M.I.H.O.W.
M.I.H.O.W. workers also
 Conduct group meetings with
participants
 Collect data for evaluation system
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CSHO Purpose
CSHO supports Community Health
Workers by providing support and
technical assistance in these areas:
 Public Policy
 Sustainability
 Education and Training
 Evaluation and Planning
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CSHO Communication
 Connections, a quarterly newsletter
 Web page with e-mail links
 Listserv
 Specialized direct mailings
FOR MORE INFO...
www.usm.edu/csho
e-mail us at [email protected]
December 7, 2004
or
CSHO CHW Inventory Project
W.K. Kellogg-sponsored project to
develop a national inventory of CHW
programs
 description of programs and CHW
activities
 their evaluation methodologies
 an annotated bibliography of articles
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Vision Statement
CSHO envisions Community Health
Workers who are valued as essential,
integral, powerful promoters of health,
wellness and disease prevention in
their communities.
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Contact CSHO
The Center for Sustainable Health Outreach
The Univ. of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #10015
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-6261 telephone
(601) 266-6262 fax
www.usm.edu/csho Web page
[email protected] e-mail
December 7, 2004