The%20Center%20for%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Sustainable%20Health%20Outreach

1
The Center for Sustainable Health
Outreach

• A collaboration between
• The University of Southern Mississippi
• and
• Georgetown University Law Center

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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.

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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

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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
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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

9
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

10
Definition

• Continuum of Lay Health Advisor Helping
• Natural Professional
• Helping Helping
• Informal Formal
• End 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

• 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 projects purpose is to create a community
  infrastructure to increase cancer awareness in
  the African-American 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 community-based, home visiting
  program aimed at improving family health and
  early childhood development for low-income
  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
or e-mail us at csho_at_usm.edu
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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
• [phone] telephone
• [phone] fax
• www.usm.edu/csho Web page
• csho_at_usm.edu e-mail