Recorded presentation

Eileen, M. Gable, OD, FAAO, Medical Director for Charitable Services, Illinois College of Optometry / Illinois Eye Institute, 3241 South Michigan Avneue, Chicago, IL 60616, 312-225-6200, egable@eyecare.ico.edu

The Healthy People 2010 document, the nation’s agenda for identifying and preventing serious illness, has as its overlying goals, 1) improving life expectance and quality of life and 2) eliminating health disparities. Vision Care made this national agenda when the 2010 document included vision objectives for the first time since the inception of the Healthy People objectives in 1980. The Illinois Eye Institute (IEI), the clinical teaching facility for the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO), serving a culturally diverse and typically underserved population, has taken this opportunity to bring these visually related public health initiatives to its local community through innovative partnerships and outreach programs. Community partners range from faith-based substance abuse programs to large metropolitan federally qualified health systems and centers. The current programs include a) health alliance network, b) developmental disabilities prevention program, c) Rotarian /school sports program, d) early intervention program, and e) low vision program for school children. Each program seeks to impact a specific objective. In order to insure the financial feasibility, clinical integrity, and operational viability of outreach programs, an institutional team of a project grants write, operations director, and a clinical provider oversee programs considered charitable in nature. The college and student project involvement is not limited to direct patient care, but involves community education, partnership development and program evaluation. While the temporal impact can be measured by meeting program goals, this approach to community outreach in an education setting promotes the training and involvement of individual practitioners in issues of public health.

Learning Objectives: The learner will be able to

• state the Healthy People 2010 objectives directly relating to vision care.
• recognize program components designed to address each objective.
• create a framework within their personal institution to provide vision outreach to the community
• evaluate the impact of community outreach with 2010 objectives in mind.

Keywords: Vision Care, 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.

Recorded presentation