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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jo L. Sotheran, PhD1, David Abramson, MPH2, and Cheryl Merzel, DrPH1. (1) Dept of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032, (212) 305-1744, JSotheran@aol.com, (2) Dept of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032
INTRODUCTION: Indigenous outreach workers contribute to community-based public health programs because of their knowledge of and access to their own communities. We explore difficulties they experience, how these may affect fulfillment of program objectives, and implications for implementing outreach programs in community settings. METHODS: This study was part of the evaluation of the Downstate NY Healthy Start Project, a HRSA-funded collaboration of 4 diverse community-based organizations in the NYC metropolitan area, that uses lay outreach workers to identify and refer high-risk women and infants to services and follow up on utilization. Data-gathering methods included interviews and focus groups with outreach staff, and brief participant-observation in outreach work. RESULTS: While outreach workers are responsible for producing service referrals, aspects of their work are outside their control, creating stress. Their major motivation, wanting to help others, is sometimes undermined by factors including inadequate local services, their agency's place in competitive local social services systems, and their conflicts between roles as both community residents and workers. Structural sources of stress include not finding resources for clients' needs, numerical enrollment goals, inter-agency competition for clients, lack of access to target populations. Personal stresses include incomplete understanding of project goals and professional social service norms. CONCLUSIONS: Outreach workers are subject to stressors outside their control. Supervisory strategies to counteract these stressors include careful outreach planning, building inter-agency linkages to reduce competition, frequent and consistent supervision, training, explaining the project's goals, and recognizing both stresses and accomplishments.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Outreach, Workplace Stressors
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.