Transcript Slide 1

Crescent Region Collaborative Problem Solving: Building a Coalition
to Jointly Address Community-Academic Initiatives for Gulf Coast
Environmental and Social Justice
Tarase Carter, LPN, Farah A. Arosemena, MPH, & Maureen Y. Lichtveld, MD, MPH
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Global Environmental
Health Sciences, New Orleans, LA
Design & Methods
Introduction
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Who we are
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− Center for Gulf Coast Environmental Health Research,
Leadership, and Strategic Initiatives
− Understand how to foster collaboration among academic
faculty and community-based organizations; creating a
space here we speak the same language with residents.
− Crescent Region Collaborative (CRC) Coalition
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Specific Aims
− Utilize community-engagement coalitions to develop new
services and outreach programs that address community
needs and enrich learning experiences.
How we are funded
− National Institutes of Health, National Institute for
Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS)
− Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF)
− Gulf Region Health Outreach Program (GRHOP)
Our Broader Programs
− Transdisciplinary Research Consortium for Gulf Resilience on
Women’s Health (NIH/NIEHS)
− Risk and Resilience in Environmental Health (BRAF)
− Environmental Health Capacity and Literacy Project (GRHOP)
Innovation
To streamline the availability of public health expertise to
stakeholders across regions where environmental hazards have
created public health risks, the Crescent Region Collaborative (CRC)
Coalition formally the Crescent Region Covering Kids & Families
Coalition transition into academic. [Figure 1]
− Expand community-based workforce development through
introductory public health 101 lesson plans and grant writing
workshops that can contribute to the economic sustainability
of the region.
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Community Engagement
− A dimension of public participation.
− Process of inclusive participation that supports mutual respect
of values, strategies, and actions for authentic partnerships.
− Academic members to become part of the community and
community members to become part of the research team,
thereby creating a unique working and learning environment
before, during, and after the research.
The evaluation framework evolved from an emphasis on a
collaborative learning process aimed at improving monthly
stakeholder meetings and community-based activities. While
funding limits the scope of our evaluation methodology, we
believe that the following key areas of focus allow us to monitor
process and impact (Table 1) 1. Survey-meeting review, feedback and assessment of
knowledge gained.
SUSCEPTIBILITY
built environment
psychosocial factors
COPING
Resources for a direct
response to the impact
of a given hazard
event (disaster
preparedness) and/or
traumatic life event
ADAPTATION
Long term strategies
for change
3. New membership accrual.
− Evaluate how well the CRC Coalition is working in terms of
identifying the “right” partners, leveraging resources, and
strategizing for how to improve the work of the
collaborative.
− Demonstrate to partners, stakeholders, and funders how the
CRC Coalition is progressing over and why working together
is making tangible change.
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People have input in how they participate.
Policies and services reflect their involvement, and their impact is apparent.
Eligible community members consent to participate in research.
Contemplation
Capacity Building
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Address barriers.
Build capacity and confidence of people to participate meaningfully.
Develop confidence in the process and the value of their participation.
Generate a shared sense of ownership and commitment to the process and
outcome.
Adequately resource indigenous peoples and the poor and marginalized to
participate meaningfully in the broader community.
Ensure that Community Advisory Board, Crescent Region Collaborative
coalition members, and research participants have a stake in the outcome and
benefit equitably as a result of being involved.
Research participants are compliant and adhere to the protocol.
Preparation
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ACADEMIC-COMMUNITY
COLLABORATIVE
COMMUNITY HEALTH
WORKER CORPS
REGIONAL COMMUNITYBASED ORGANIZATION
CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
Meaningfully contributing to
community-disaster
preparedness response
Tulane placed: 7
(MAPP & PARTNER)
Internationally placed
(Suriname): 14
Laila Fox, MUP, MPH (c)
Sbiohan Tarver, PhD
Crescent Region
Collaborative Coalition
Sustainable
Decisions
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Tarase Carter, LPN
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FIGURE 1.
Precontemplation
Influence
WELLNESS
COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM
SOLVING APPROACH
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Leveraging all resources available through the Problem-Solving
Community Action Tool.
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Information Sheets : Environmental Health Frequently Asked
Questions & What Should I Know About Research in My
Community.
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Strengthened community awareness & community involvement
in planning and implementation of public health or
environmental programs.
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Develop introductory public health 101 lesson plans grant
writing workshops that can contribute to the economic
sustainability of the region.
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Attendance of 40-60 community based members representing
SELA organization to help with dissemination of research
findings.
4. Tracking linkages to resources and networks:
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RESOLUTION
Next Steps
2. Attendance using the monthly sing-sheet.
TABLE 1. Evaluation Framework for community engagement
Adhering Principle
Indicator
Inclusion
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Opportunity for a diverse range of values and perspectives to be freely expressed
and heard.
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CRCC coalition members representative of the population.
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Appropriate and equitable opportunity for all to participate.
COMMUNITY NEED
EXPOSURE
Hx of individuals
affected by natural
and/or technological
disasters
Evaluation
Recognize and communicate the needs, interests and values of all partners.
Decision makers find the output useful and are armed with the necessary
community feedback.
Collecting and utilizing CRC Coalition member feedback to improve
community engagement effectiveness.
 Monthly Coalition Knowledge Survey - Assessing the retention of
information on target issues.
 Program to Analyze, Record, and Track Networks to Enhance
Relationships (PARTNER) (Varda, 2013)
More cohesive and informed academic institutions and communities result from
the process.
Literature Cited
Director's Council of Public Representatives: http://www.nih.gov/
about/copr/index.htm
Norris, K.C., Brusuelas, R., Jones, L., Miranda, J., Duru, O.K., and
Mangione, C.M. 2007. Partnering with community-based
organizations: An academic institution's evolving perspective.
Ethn. Dis. 17(Supplement 1):S27-32.
Ruiz, Y., Matas, S., Kapadia, S., et al. 2012. Lessons learned from a
Community–Academic initiative: The development of a core
Competency–Based training for Community–Academic initiative
community health workers. American Journal of Public Health.
102(12):2372-2379.
Varda, D. 2013. Program to analyze, record, and track networks to
enhance relationships. http://www.partnertool.net/. Updated
2011. Accessed November 12, 2013.
Wells, K.B., Tang, J., Lizaola, E., et al. 2013. Applying Community
Engagement to Disaster Planning: Developing the Vision and
Design for the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience
Initiative. American Journal of Public Health. 103(7): 1172-1180.
Action
Maintenance/
Sustainability
Leveraging community-academic partnerships to strengthen
Gulf Coast environmental health
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the CRCC leadership team (Jauna Crear, Catherine Haywood, Cauline Hurst, Gracie Williams, Mary Crooks, and Joe Carr)
who have volunteered their time as community leaders to make the Coalition a success. Additionally, we give thanks to the hundreds of
members who attend the monthly meetings, helping us build a network of partners to achieve results and get answers to community
concerns and questions.
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