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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Heidi R. Worley, MA, Research, Education & Advocacy, Maternity Care Coalition, 2000 Hamilton Street, Suite 2000, Philadelphia, PA 19130, 2159720700, hworley@momobile.org, Julie A. Becker, PhD, MPH, Center for Public Health, Temple University, 2534 Swain Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, and Andrea Crivelli-Kovach, PhD, CHES, Department of Medical Science and Community Health, Arcadia University, 450 South Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038.
Community health workers (CHW) play a critical role in research initiatives whose goal is assessing the impact of a service delivery or health intervention program. CHWs can provide feedback about the assets, needs, and priorities of the community, and are instrumental in designing appropriate methodologies for data collection. CHW insight into possible conclusions drawn from research results may guide more effective use of research to both tailor programs and to derive policy advocacy objectives. Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is a community-based organization committed to the research role of CHWs. MCC staff, known as Advocates, identify at-risk pregnant women and provide case management and family support services, offering health education and linking them to health care and social services through its signature program, the MOMobile®. This paper describes how MCC Advocates have played an integral role in the development of a pilot evaluation program designed to a) evaluate the impact of MOMobile program participation on clients? perceived level of self-sufficiency, self-determination, and decision-making skills, and b) analyze the benefits of the relationship between CHWs and clients. Specifically, the presentation will show how CHWs were key to the process of operationalizing research constructs, developing survey instruments, designing data collection protocol, and collecting data. Finally, preliminary results of the evaluation have elicited recommendations from CHW staff regarding the usefulness of the instrument as an assessment evaluation tool that can assist in delivery of services they provide to the community.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Assets, Community Research
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.