4025.0: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - Board 1

Abstract #26062

Community health workers: Creating space for truth to emerge

Marcia Griffith, MPH1, Lisa Reid, CHW1, Bonita Cox, CHW1, Mary Kay Kohles-Baker, BSN, MSW2, and Joyce Essien, MD, MBA3. (1) Zap Asthma Consortium, Inc., 250 Georgia Avenue SE Suite 330, Atlanta, GA 30312, 404-658-6384, mag9@cdc.gov, (2) Atlanta Regional Health Forum, 40 Courtland Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, (3) Center for Public Health Practice, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. NE, #668, Atlanta, GA

Successful Community Health Workers and their clients co-create space in order to find the true health needs of their community. Space is the safe haven that allows the real issues to be known and is developed through dialogue, defined as the flow of meaning among and between participants that leads to new understanding for all. True dialogue is more than consensus in that participants gain insight into the fundamental patterns that may lead to differences as they participate in creation of shared new meaning. Armed with the tools of assessment and using dialogue to engage clients and their families and healthcare providers, the person receiving care is free to voice their deepest concerns and knows that they will be heard and respected. More often than not, the truth is that the illness is a family, or even a community, affair. What is sought is a synergy between the care provider(s) and care receiver(s)…both receiving and giving at the same time. See www.sph.emory.edu/zapasthma

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives Participants in this session will: 1. Be able to utilize dialogue technique to develop needs assessment/barrier assessment tools 2. Be able to utilize community-based methods to develop an asset assessment within the community 3. Develop a framework for matching needs and assets within a community case management system 4. Develop community-based strategies and for matching needs and assets 5. Develop empowerment strategies for promoting self advocacy in response to the idenitified gaps between community needs and assets

Keywords: Health Care Workers, Community Assets

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA