Healthy Communities Movement

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Healthy Communities Movement

• D. Beth Kennedy, M.S.
• Laurine T. Charles, M.H.S.
• S.C. Area Health Education Consortium
• 19 Hagood Avenue Suite 802
• P.O. Box 250814
• Charleston, SC 29425-0814
• kennedyb_at_musc.edu
• charlelt_at_musc.edu

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Developed as part of an Enhanced AHEC Community
Partnership for Health Professions Workforce and
Educational Reform project funded by the Health
Resource and Service Administration (HRSA)
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Objectives

• Healthy Community movement
• Successful healthy community initiatives

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Healthy Communities Purpose

• This module is designed to introduce the concepts
  of healthy communities for improving the health
  of diverse populations

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What is Health?

• Health is more than physical well being
• World Health Organization definition Health is
  the state of complete physical, mental, and
  social well-being, and not merely the absence of
  disease. WHO, 1947

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What is Community?

• Defined by the people in it.
• Determined by geographic lines, cultural lines,
  economics or other factors.
• All communities have assets.

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Discussion Time

• What is your definition of a healthy community?
• What helps us measure health?

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What Helps UsMeasure Health?

• Schools
• Low crime rate
• Good jobs
• Access to health care
• Good race relations
• Safety of all
• Culture/art
• Community spirit

• Lack of fear
• Low teen pregnancy, low infant mortality
• Ample care for individuals with chronic and acute
  disease
• Affordable housing

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The Healthy Communities Movement

• Community-based health and quality of life
  improvement initiatives
• Locally determined focus
• Well-informed people work together in a process
  to make local change

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Healthy Community Principles

• Broad definition of health
• Broad definition of community
• Shared vision from community values

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Healthy Community Principles

• Address quality of life for everyone
• Diverse participation, widespread ownership
• Focus on systems change
• Build capacity using local assets and resources
• Benchmark and measure progress and outcomes

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Pieces of the Puzzle

• Knowledge of the Environment
• Identifying Resources
• Forging Collaboration
• Creating Ownership
• Measuring Performance

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Knowledge of the Environment

• Environmental Scan
• Demographics
• Research

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Environmental Scan

• Brief but important step in healthy communities
  planning
• Early in the effort, it is valuable for
  stakeholders to develop a broadly shared
  understanding of the major events, trends,
  technologies, issues, and forces that affect the
  health profile of their community.

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Demographics

• Define a population by its age, sex, race
  distribution
• US Census Bureau primary data source, reported
  down to the household level. Significant trends
• Growth in elderly population
• Shift in racial mix

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Demographics

• Describe the disparities in health outcomes of a
  population.
• Documented gap between majority and minority
  populations
• African -Americans and Hispanics carry much
  heavier burden of disease than whites

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Research

• Structured investigation which builds and test
  hypotheses.
• Health status
• Health determinants
• Disease
• Environmental threats to health
• Health care systems
• Other issues

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Research

• Health indicators
• Incidence
• Prevalence
• Mortality
• Case Fatality
• Proportional Mortality

• Health Statistics Sources
• Centers for Disease Control
• National Institutes of Health
• State Budget Control Board

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Identifying and Mobilizing Resources

• Asset-based community development
• Starts with what is present in the community, the
  capacity of its residents, workers, associations,
  and institutional base - not with what is absent,
  problematic, or needed
• John McKnight

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Identifying Strategic Partners The Usual Suspects

• Government
• Religious leaders
• Industry
• Police
• Healthcare community

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Not Your Usual Suspects

• Front porch experts
• Gatekeeper to the community
• Street sage
• Elders
• Unemployed, disenfranchised

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Forging Collaboration

• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
  committed citizens can change the world. Indeed
  it is the only thing that ever has.
• Margaret Mead

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Developing RelationshipsFor Health

• Understanding a community
• Culture, economics, assets those things that
  define it
• Meeting the people and listening to their stories
• Recognizing they are the experts on their
  community
• Guided dialogue A tool for getting to know a
  community

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Creating Ownership

• Shared vision
• Inclusion of all
• Acceptances of differences
• Respect for all viewpoints

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Measuring Performance

• Methods for monitoring success or failure of
  community development provide documentation
• Important in seeking additional support for
  continuous improvement of health and economics

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Successful Examples

• PRO Hampton County Hampton, SC
• Partners for a Healthy Community Anderson, SC

• Tillery, NC
• National Award Winning Healthy Community

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The PRO Hampton CountyDiabetes Connection

• Diane Kennedy, MS, MT(ASCP)SH
• Chairperson, Diabetes Connection
• Associate Director,
• Low Country AHEC

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Genesis of Diabetes Connection
Healthy Communities
PRO Hampton County
Education

• Boys Girls Clubs
• Diabetes Connection

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4 Subcommittees

• Education
• Support/Service
• Screening
• Finance
• Duke Endowment Grant
• Local and Regional Pharmaceutical vendors

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Community Diabetes Education

• Banners and billboards
• Newspaper articles
• Radio
• Grocery bags
• Update local libraries

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Support/Service

• Certified Diabetes Education (CDE)
• Monthly diabetes support group
• Quarterly Cooking Classes
• Educational/support workshops
• Hampton County diabetes registry

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Screening

• At-Risk for Diabetes
• ADA Risk Assessment Survey
• BP, HT, WT, BMI
• Fasting Plasma Glucose, Cholesterol Profile
• Those with Diabetes
• BP, HT, WT, BMI
• Hgb A1c, Cholesterol Profile, Urine Test
  (kidneys)
• Feet, Eye, Dental Screenings
• Counseling/Education

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Partners for a Healthy Community

• Anderson, SC
• Partners Healthwise Initiative
• Health Ministry
• Out of the Blues

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Healthy Communities Award Winner Tillery, NC

• Forty Acres and a Mule
• Citizens Action Group
• CHAP
• The Health Clinic
• HELP

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Keys to Success

• Broad community representation
• Shared vision of committed citizens
• Collaboration between local talent and outside
  experts
• Development of action and policy to make
  healthier communities

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Summary

• Building healthy communities requires involvement
  of many diverse resources
• The Healthy Communities Movement has had great
  success in improving the health of communities
• Environment is a critical element for the health
  of a community and its members

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SummaryContinued

• True collaborations require
• Trust building
• Conflict resolution
• Listening
• Following
• Knowledge of the environment and those who live
  in it

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Discussion Time

• Describe what a healthy community for you would
  be.
• What do you and your community need to get there?