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Abstract #148167

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Xochitl Sosig Martirosyan, MPH¹, JoAnne Kelly, MSW², Agatha Lowe, PhD¹, and Charlotte E. Rodems, RN, MPH². (1) Women and Children's Health, Chicago Department of Public Health, 2653 West Ogden, Chicago, IL 60608, 773-257-2562, martirosyan_xochitl@cdph.org, (2) Division of Community Health and Prevention, Illinois Department of Human Services, 1112 S Wabash, Chicago, IL 60605

The Chicago Department of Public Health's Greater Westside of Chicago Early Childhood Network is one of twelve statewide Early Childhood Networks funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois State Board of Education. The Greater Westside Network is a collaboration of over 50 agencies serving families with children from birth to five years old. The goals of the program are: babies are born healthy, children stay healthy and enter school ready to learn and families get the services they need. Collaborating agencies include the public school system, early intervention, family case management, nutritional programs, social service agencies, children and youth services, hospitals and medical clinics, child protection services and advocacy centers, parent leadership programs, child care centers working along with parents and community leaders. Over the past six years this program has embarked on several paths leading to a healthy early childhood environment that contributes to eliminating racial disparities as well as promoting social justice. There are five specific strategies used to achieve this within the communities served on the Westside of Chicago. These strategies include: -Provider Trainings (specifically customer care with an emphasis on racial/economic equality), -Housing Forums (access to affordable housing opportunities), -Parent Education and Empowerment (Parent University and Parent Board), -Access to Health Services (resource directories, pocket guides, resource fairs) -Coordination of Care (periodic networking with key agencies). This session will review these strategies and the ways in which these efforts to contribute to reducing racial disparities and promote cultural brokering between diverse communities.

Learning Objectives:

• List five type of agencies to establish an early childhood network.
• Recognize at least two types of collaborative efforts that can decrease racism. 3.)Identify ways to apply cultural brokering.

Keywords: Collaboration, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Audio (mp3) recording
• Slides (pdf) or Handout