Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109060

Donald W. Rowe, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214-3079, 716-828-3434, dwrowe@buffalo.edu, Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, PhD, Family Medicine, University at Buffalo, 462 Grider st, Buffalo, NY 14215, and Carlos J. Crespo, DrPH, MS, Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, 3435 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214.

The Western New York Public Health Coalition, combined forces with the Medicaid Managed Care Coalition, Hospitals, Insurers, the University at Buffalo and others, to discuss common ground. The absence of timely, regionally specific, and reliable data describing self reported adult health behavior in WNY was lacking, and was important to all. A WNY regional adult behavioral health risk assessment was constructed from a strategic planning process that identified nine data domains. Project funding was obtained from the NYS Health Department “Communities Working Together for a Healthier New York” grant. Survey questions were abstracted from national surveys instruments where possible. Over 98,000 random digit dialed calls were made, data analyzed, and results used in community health assessments, hospital community services plans, and the State of the Region Project. In 2004 the survey was recommissioned by Health for All Inc., with funding from the Health Resources Service Administration and the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. Comparison of the two surveys will provide a comparable measure of regional behavioral change over 7 years and will be used to provide evidence based recommendations for change in regional health policy.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Describe the evolution of the collaboration
• Identify at least five critical partners
• Evaluate the benefits of technology based strategic planning
• Assess the benefits of public/private Collaborations
• Create a plan that encorporates community concerns into research design
• Apply evidence based results to policy formulation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.