Every Woman Southeast Coalition

2 0 1 3 A Y E A R I N R E V I E W

Who We Are

A coalition of leaders in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to build multi-state, multi -layered partnerships to improve the health of women and infants in the Southeast.

Call to Action

     Tired of always being the “worst” states in the nation.

Decided that we can no longer ignore our legacy of health inequities.

Recognized that to get different results we needed to change the way we approach this work.

Strong interest in connecting with each other across states.

Desire to give voice to “grass tip” leadership.

Every Woman Southeast Objectives

 Engage a wide range of stakeholders to build and sustain an equity focused, life course approach to women’s wellness.

  Promote and integrate program and policy strategies to support low income women and men in creating and actualizing their reproductive and life goals.

Give voice to the ideas, needs and vision of women in our region.

Frameworks & Guiding Concepts

A woman's health is her capital. Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Life Course Approach

Optimal Life Trajectory Early Programming Life Trajectory Impacted by Inequity Cumulative Pathways The experiences you have each

Socio-Ecological Model

Public Policy Community Relationships between organizations Organizational Organizations and social institutions Interpersonal Families, friends and social networks

Individual

Knowledge, attitudes and skills

Health Equity

When all people have the opportunity to attain their full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance.

 Identify root causes of inequity  Use an “equity” lens to assess the potential for differential impact of public health interventions.

Reproductive Justice



The right for people to…

  Have the children they want.

 Raise the children they have in a safe environment.

 Plan their pregnancies through access to safe and reliable contraception.

Emphasizes that each person’s ability to live out their rights is uniquely shaped by social injustices including: lack of education, poverty, racism, sexism, gender identity, discrimination, and ableism.

Collective Impact



Creating a network that links numerous organizations and helps them to coordinate their varied efforts around a common goal.

City MatCH Gathering

Public Health Work Group Partnership Dinner and long conversation about “isms”, big concepts and what to do about the real challenges in the South 25 EWSE’ers We Need to Start a Social Movement!

What We Have Done

www.EveryWomanSoutheast.org

Our Blog

Pin Us!

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Look for EveryWoman Southeast

Reproductive Life Planning Pilot Grants

 Developed a review process, solicited applications and made funding decisions together!

 8 pilot projects that utilize the life course approach to address reproductive health.

 All of the projects include teams that are interdisciplinary and include at least one non traditional partner.

Project Snap Shots

 Peer-to-Peer Education   Cradle Me 3 – NC Central Univ – NC Peer Education for the Soul – Duval Co. Health Dept – Jacksonville, FL  Community Linkages  RLP During Post-Abortion Care - Choices – TN    RLP for Young Men - Delta Health Partners – MS RLP & Life Course Approach – Barren River Health District – KY Transportation Across the Life Course – Urban Health Partnership – Miami, FL  Media and Communication   Choose Today a Healthy Tomorrow! – PASOs – SC Great Start – RLP & PCH via TV and Internet – Healthy Start New Orleans - LA

Cradle Me 3 – Durham, NC

 Using peer educators to address topics of preconception health and  reproductive life planning with the students of NCCU – an HBCU in Durham, NC    All of the peer educators have been certified in the OMH’s Preconception Peer Educator program Coordinate with other groups on campus addressing similar topics, such as intimate partner violence and STIs Starting a survey of all freshmen about PCH/RLP topics – will follow them for 4 years Are also working with the residents of McDougal Terrace – a nearby public housing community – on improving health across the life course for residents

Peer Education for the Soul – Jacksonville, FL

 Work with 18-24 year old Peer Health Advisors from 4 area churches to address RLP and preconception health for young adults in church and surrounding neighborhoods  Have brought a variety of training opportunities to community young adults and those who work with them  Project has sparked inter-generational conversations about health and other needs of young women and men in the churches and the community

Choices - Memphis, TN

Two-pronged approach: 

Revamped post-abortion counseling to shift away from solely contraceptive methods counseling to true RLP

 Worked with local university’s clinical psychology program to train health educators on motivational interviewing  Engaged QI process with health educators to incorporate new skills and more robust documentation 

Strengthened referral process to and from local community agencies that address social and economic needs of clients

 Invited agencies to attend open house to learn more about the services Choices provides  Went out to the other agencies to learn more about what they could offer Choices’ clients  Now have system of warm referrals – has proven to be more effective than just handing out pamphlets

Delta Health Partners – Marks, MS

 Provided series of trainings and technical assistance to community agencies that engage with boys and young men  Sherriff’s Office, juvenile justice, local churches, middle and high school  Training topics have included male health needs, contraception and STIs, RLP, parenting, and communication and conflict resolution skills

Barren River Health District – Bowling Green, KY

 Formalized RLP within the Health District clinical settings  Pulled from existing tools to create appropriate RLP tool for their setting  Educated community about life course approach  Worked with BabyNet to share Life Course Games with different maternal and child interest groups  Lay groups  Health Care provider groups  Currently working with middle and high schools to implement Life Course Games in those settings

Transportation Access Throughout the Life Course Miami, FL   Assessed transportation access to  existing RLP & preconception care services  Found that timeliness and convenience of multi-model transportation options may affect access to health care more than number of sites Conducted ~300 surveys with community members about transportation use, knowledge of clinics and clinic services, and how they access those clinics Dissemination of Findings:     Presentation to engage those concerned with poor outcomes at the Child and Infant Mortality Review Coalition , which covers FIMR as well as Black Infant Mortality Workgroup Invited to participate in the Strategic Planning for Miami-Dade Transit, Transportation Access committee commencing December 2013 Will continue with community presentations and continuance of website efforts Looking to expand efforts and seek funding for a phase 2 of the project which would be implementation

Choose Today a Healthy Tomorrow! Columbia, Beaufort, & Charleston, SC • • 

Promotores

present on a monthly radio show, as well as provide warm referrals to community agencies Why use the radio?

o Radio is considered an engaging and effective way to reach the Latino community with health messages  What makes a successful program?

o o o o o Personal stories Information that is meaningful to the community Information that is presented in a way that values Latino culture and celebrates strengths Visiting experts Radionovelas Topics have included:         Nutrition, exercise, folic acid Family Planning Using community health resources Maternal stress & depression Role of fathers in families Healthy relationships HIV/STI prevention Immigrant rights & resources

Great Plan – Healthy Start New Orleans, LA

 Provided in depth RLP and interconception health care training and TA for Healthy Start and ICC care managers  Produced and distributed “Map Your Life” RLP tools for women and men  Worked with Bounce TV to produce RLP-focused commercials and a website: www.greatplan.net

Sharing the Results

 Poster presentation at City MatCH (Cradle Me 3)  Presentation to EWSE Leadership Team (Urban Health Partners)  Panels at AMCHP in January 2014  2 Topic-Based Webinars in 2014  Manuscript

Show Your Love Campaign

February – May Set goals and strategies EWSE You Tube Video and picture collection Social Media Blasts Support from Sasha Gomez Most website “hits” to SYL logo in the country!

Respond to Evaluation

Show Your Love Campaign

A Woman’s Health is Her Capital

Harriett Beecher Stowe

Webinar Series Archived and Available!

 City MatCH, AMCHP and National Healthy Start Association – Partnership to Eliminate Disparities in Infant Mortality  Addressing Racism’s Impact on Women’s and infant’s Health: Lessons Learned from the Racial Healing Projects in Tennessee  Connecting Women with Health Care in the South: Overcoming Challenges and Leading the Way  Closing the Black/White Gap in Infant Mortality: Ideas, Successes and Lessons Learned from the Wisconsin Life Course Initiative  Life Course Theory to Practice – Magnolia Project and the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition

Women’s Voices Survey

 From May-July 2013 we collaborated with our state teams to launch a regional survey.  The purpose was to guide our work to improve women’s health by helping us understand barriers to care and women’s ideas for their community  The findings from the survey are on our website.

Methods

 Approved by the UNC Institutional Review Board  Electronic and paper survey formats  Completely anonymous  Distributed via a letter / scripted email to EWSE leadership team, state team, grantees and key partners  Convenience sample  Mid-May 2013 to Mid-July 2013  1,951 total responses

Women’s Ideas for Improving Their Health

 Access / Insurance  Accountability / Self Control / Motivation  Education  Fitness / Nutrition / Weight Loss  Physicians  Career Advancement  Environmental Modification  Stress/Time  Other

QUESTION

 When we listen to women more broadly – across different groups – our understanding is opened and some preconceived notions are challenged.

How can we find more ways to listen to women?

QUESTION

 Women are getting into care but may well not be receiving all the screening and services they need.

How can public health and community groups partner with health care providers to make it easy for them to ask the key questions and then refer women to the resources they need to improve their health?

QUESTION

 Per our results, women with health insurance may not be able to afford health services and/or have limited access. How can we provide messages and information to women with insurance about their new benefits?

How can we best understand the real problems that could arise for these women with ACA? How can we counter fears with facts?

QUESTION

 Per our results, women with health insurance may not be able to afford health services and/or have limited access. How can we provide messages and information to women with insurance about their new benefits?

How can we best understand the real problems that could arise for these women with ACA? How can we counter fears with facts?

On the Road!

 Fall presentations in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina and Kentucky!

 Spring 2014 in Florida and Louisiana  USB Sticks, Coolers, Flyers, Games!

Looking Ahead to 2014

Every Woman Southeast Organizational Chart • Executive Director • Project Coordinator • Evaluator • Fellow Staff • National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative Workgroups Pilot Projects Committees Special Projects Communication Leadership Team (includes representation from state teams, committees, and peer educators) Friends of the Southeast Friends of State Team (E.g. Title V & Title X Coordinators) State Teams AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN Disseminate Information

State Teams

 Activities   Assist in building connections.

Increase team membership to include more nontraditional and non health sector partners.    Launch a speaker’s bureau about our coalition, the life course model and preconception health. Provide support to pilot projects and guidance to coalition development.

Select key activities unique to their state to advance reproductive life planning, preconception health and access to health care among others.

State Team Building

 FINDING NEW CONNECTIONS  State Teams have sent ideas and leads  Google is our friend  Angela’s exploration  NEW STRATEGY  Locate new partners in each state  EWSE staff will work with state team to coordinate first meetings  Make state team meetings DIFFERENT by not having the same people around the stable

“Ask” for New Partners

J O I N O U R L I S T S E R V / R E C E I V E N E W S L E T T E R C O N N E C T S O C I A L M E D I A PA R T I C I PAT E I N S TAT E T E A M M E E T I N G S S H A R E I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T T H E I R W O R K V I A B L O G / N E W S L E T T E R / W E B S I T E S U B M I S S I O N C O N S I D E R N E W , J O I N T P R O J E C T S

Starter Ideas for Future Funding

 More pilot projects / continued funding for some current pilot projects  Regional Women’s Health Gathering  Provide formal support and technical assistance to agencies seeking to incorporate life course concepts  Social Media and Virtual Networking (Meet Ups, etc)   Women’s Voices Initiative – photovoice / storycorp Leadership Development – particularly around equity  Administrative Support  Connecting / supporting Preconception Peer-to-Peer

Thank you for your support!

Happy Holidays!