The Department of Trauma at Cook County Hospital is a large urban trauma center with the majority of patient being African American men. This paper will discuss efforts by Project Brotherhood (A Black men's clinic) to increase the success rate of referral of trauma patients to primary care.
Project Brotherhood is a brother friendly clinic located on the south side of Chicago with African American staff of social workers, physicians, barbers, educators and others. Direct medical care, as well as an extensive programs of discussion groups, Rites of Passage, barbershop discussions and other activities take place weekly.
This paper will look at several different methods of making referrals. One method involved general outreach efforts and information about Project Brotherhood at the Trauma clinic. A more intense effort involved the placement of a social worker from Project Brotherhood staff on the inpatient trauma ware at Cook County Hospital. We will compare these referrals with interventions on the trauma ward involving younger Project Brotherhood staff (including a young physician).
A telephone follow up survey will be completed to document barriers African American identified to entering care. A number of respondents thought follow up reminders were part of a police sting operation. Twenty-five percent identified a lack of trust of medical doctors in general and approximately fifty percent felt they did not need medical care.
This paper will also discuss interventions to address these barriers to seeking primary medical care following trauma.
Learning Objectives: 1. The participant will gain an understanding of barriers reported by African American men leaving an urban trauma unit from entering primary care. 2. The participant will be able to describe what combination of referal methods obtained the highest success rates.
Keywords: Access and Services, Access to Health Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Department of Trauma, Cook County Hospital and Project Brotherhood A Black Men's Clinic both of Cook County Bureau of Health Services
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.