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Marilyn Klotz, Center for Governmental Research, 1 South Washington Street, Suite 400, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-327-7058, mklotz@cgr.org, John G. Benitez, MD, MPH, Finger Lakes Regional Poison and Drug Information Center, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box 321, Rochester, NY 14642, and Ruth A. Lawrence, MD, Finger Lakes Regional Poison & Drug Information Center, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 321, Rochester, NY 14642.
The Rochester metropolitan area has one of the highest Deaf and Hard of Hearing populations per capita in the nation, at least partly due to the presence of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and the Rochester School for the Deaf, both highly-respected academic institutions. In order to better serve this population, the Finger Lakes Regional Poison and Drug Information Center (Poison Center) contracted with the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) to conduct a needs assessment of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities for poison prevention services. The needs assessment included interviews with a number of local experts, agencies and groups serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities as well as contact with the county health departments of the twelve county region served by the Poison Center. In addition, two focus groups with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people were conducted to ascertain their recommendations for the best outreach approaches. The needs assessment found that there is great diversity within the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities; therefore no single outreach approach is effective. Rather, the Poison Center should pursue a three-tiered approach: internal reforms (development of a web-page and instant messaging thus making traditional telephone-based Poison Center services more accessible), developing partnerships with existing service agencies to create and implement outreach strategies, and a broad-based mass media campaign. This strategy of multiple outreach efforts is the approach most likely to reach the various Deaf and Hard of Hearing groups within the metropolitan area.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Deaf Patients, Health Care Access
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am a full-time employee of CGR.