 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Richard Edward Meldrum, AM, LSW and Kristin Balfanz-Vertiz, MSW, LSW. Extended Services, Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, 1401 S. California Blvd., Chicago, IL 60608, 773-522-2010 x5176, melri@sinai.org
The purpose of the Disabling Bullet project is to address the growing number of newly injured low-income individuals from ethnic minority groups who have sustained traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Over the past year, our five peer mentors met weekly with more than 20 mentees who were also victims of a violently-acquired spinal cord injury. Participants were predominately young (mean age, 24 years), male (88%), and African American (64%) or Latino (36%). 52% were previously involved in the criminal justice system and only 3.6% had education beyond the high school. Throughout the year, mentors had 351 contacts with their mentees and worked with them on issues ranging from employment to recreation. Most often the mentors provided information to the mentees (40% of their actions taken in response to mentee issues) or offered to help them solve the problem (37% of their actions taken in response to mentee issues). In the three exit interviews that occurred in the past year, mentees expressed high levels of satisfaction and suggested that the program could be improved through more regular meetings between mentors and mentees. Based on these results, hospitals should consider the impact of peer interventions on rehabilitation, community integration, & independent living. Additionally, from this initial work, future project efforts will focus on identified needs, such as the prevention of secondary conditions.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Disability, Community Participation
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.