2005 Progress Reports

Administrative Research Mentoring and Training Community Outreach & Information Dissemination Education

Administration

In year 1, the administration core fulfilled these responsibilities. We

• Organized 6 meetings of the Program Executive Committee, a group of 9 voting members including 5 core directors and 4 representatives from partnering community groups,
• Submitted a year 1 progress report and a request for carryover funds to the program sponsor,
• Attended meetings with the following agencies:
• Minority Health Council of the NYS Department of Health
• Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY)
• Area Health Education Committee (AHEC)
• Attended the following conferences:
• National Leadership Summit: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH)
• Office of Minority Health /American Institutes for Research HG-LSIG Expert Panel
• The Refugee Health Information Network (RHIN) Colloquium, Co-sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NLM, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Minority Health, and Health-Equity.Org
• Gave presentations on behalf of the Center to:
• Massachusetts Medical Interpreter Association
• National Association of Family Practice Physicians
• Albany Medical Center

Community Outreach & Information Dissemination

The specific aims of the Community Outreach and Dissemination Core include inventory and dissemination activities in three distinct parts, including

• The development and dissemination of general and Center-specific health information,
• Encouraging and equipping the community for participation and partnership in research studies and interventions, and
• Sponsoring science education outreach activities.

The target audiences include community-based organizations (CBO) serving minority populations, healthcare community (current practitioners and professional schools preparing new practitioners), and K-12 schools serving high percentages of minority populations.

All of the goals for Year 1 were met; we…

• Undertook an inventory of the existing information and training resources among CBO’s, the healthcare community, and K-12 schools
• Conducted focus groups about healthcare, information, and research interests, needs, and concerns of members of the minority communitieis
• Worked with other cores to identify community needs and opportunities for collaboration
• Developed teams and plans for how to get information to the community

In Year 2, we will be seeking to:

• Identify needed informational materials and best dissemination strategies for the three audiences (CBO, Healthcare, K-12)
• Plan culturally sensitive materials on health literacy for educators, including workshops for educators and incorporating health information in K-12 STEP programs
• Identify and promote opportunities for community research participation; increase community awareness of ongoing research projects
• Promote and sponsor colloquia/broadcasts in conjunction with the mentoring/training core

Education

The aims of the Health Disparities Education Core are (1) to encourage the development of a minority health related workforce from within the targeted communities, and (2) to strengthen the cultural competence of existing health service providers. To date, we have convened a collaborative work group of educators, local providers, and community leaders; began gathering information on health disparities education; conducted pilot community and cultural immersion programs in Amsterdam, Albany, and Peru and b egan exploring one in Puerto Rico; and initiated holding focus groups to collect information on what helps and/or hinders a minority youth’s decision to pursue a career in the health professions. Future plans for the collaborative work group are to continue and complete these activities.

Mentoring and Training

This core’s aims to establish: 1) a mentoring program that facilitates the development of faculty interested in becoming health disparities researchers, and 2) training mechanisms that increase knowledge of health disparities research.

In year 1, these aims were met through the following activities:

• Organization of speakers on participatory action research and health disparities:
• Amy Schulz and Carmen Stokes, “Social and Physical Environmental Factors and Cardiovascular Risk: The Healthy Environments Partnership”
• Gary W. Evans, “The Environment of Childhood Poverty”
• Organization of the Health Disparities Researcher Development Award program, which made three awards:
• Professors Robert Miller, Jr., Dwight Williams and Edwina Dorch, “Identification of Barriers to HIV/AIDS Care for African Americans in the Capital District"
• Professor Annis Golden, “Reaching out to a Minority Community to Promote Use of Reproductive Healthcare Services”
• Professor Hayward D. Horton, “Capitalize on Community: HIV Prevention in Black and Latino Communities”
• Facilitated mentoring of recipients of Researcher Development Awards by senior faculty
• Held workshops on grant writing

Research

Overcoming Cultural Barriers to Hispanic Use of Health Education Services
Blanca Ramos and Anne Fortune

This study examines the use of health education services by Latino older adults and their families in a small rural community. The results will help develop a culturally relevant health education program that addresses barriers to their use of this type of services. Little is known about service use among older Latinos in smaller cities, particularly those of Puerto Rican and other Latino heritages.

To date, we have organized and planned the following activities:

• Focus groups to gather information on service use among Hispanic older adults and their families
• Review of the literature on health education programs
• Development of a culturally relevant health education program
• A task force that includes UAlbany faculty and health service agencies and community representatives

[click here for more details on this study]

Pilot Study Progress Report Summary
Mary P. Gallant and Glenna Spitze

African American and Latino older adults shoulder a disproportionate burden from chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Many such illnesses have a significant self-management component (involving medication-taking, physical activity, dietary and weight management), yet these adults may have fewer resources that contribute to good self-care. Little is known about the social context of illness self-care, particularly among older minority populations. Our project contributes to understanding how social networks and environments facilitate self-management as well as pose barriers to maintaining health.

Our pilot study examines how family members, friends, and cultural factors influence chronic illness management behaviors among Latino and African American adults.

a) We have conducted a literature search on illness self-management and family / social networks among older Latinos and African Americans, and are writing a review that integrates this literature.

b) We are developing ties with health care and community services representatives of the African American and Latino communities, in order to organize focus group interviews with older men and women in these communities. These interviews will be transcribed and analyzed.

c) In year three, we will submit a funding proposal to develop and test a self-management intervention based on knowledge gained from our pilot study.

[click here for more details on this study]