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

Abstract #114499

Diana DuBois, MPH/MIA¹, Nathaly Herrel, MSc², Saeed Fahia, PhD³, Qamar Ibrahim, MS⁴, Andrea L. Leinberger, MPH⁵, Sirad A. Abdirahman, MPH⁶, Khadija Sheikh², Faduma Abdi⁷, and Mahmooda Khaliq, MHS¹. (1) Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite # 522, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2480, 612 871 3759, ddubois@mihv.org, (2) Somali Health Care Initiative, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite #522, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2480, (3) Brian Coyle Community Center, Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM), 420 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454, (4) Leadership, Empowerment, and Development Group (LEAD), 1313 5th Street SE, Suite 223B, Minneapolis, MN 55414, (5) Minnesota International Health Volunteers, 122 W. Franklin Avenue, Suite 522, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (6) Public Health Education, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 522, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (7) Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM), Brian Coyle Community Center, 420 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454

Minnesota is home to over half of all the Somali refugees in the US, with population estimates ranging from 25,000 to 40,000. Although Minnesota prides itself on being one of the healthiest states in the nation, there are still large health disparities that persist within refugee communities that lead to health inequalities. Minnesota's health care providers also face significant challenges as they try to provide culturally-appropriate care for Somali patients. To bridge the gap that persists between the Somali community and health providers, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), in collaboration with two Somali-led organizations, successfully launched the Somali Health Care Initiative (SHCI) in March 2002 with support from the Minnesota Department of Health (Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative). Our collaborative work includes both an applied research component and implementation of public health interventions. Minnesota is the second state in the US to have an Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative and our collaborative is part of this larger national initiative. Somali community members and organizations participated in every stage of this collaborative including planning, program design, data collection, implementation and evaluation. Our approach involves community mapping, focus groups, creation of a Somali Advisory Council, education to health providers and Somali community members, a large-scale health survey (n=296), training of community health workers, and behavior change strategies. This presentation will describe lessons learned from the Somali Health Care Initiative that can be used by public health practitioners to conduct community-based participatory research and to implement public health interventions with refugee or immigrant populations.

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

• Describe 3 strategies that can be used to create successful community-based public health partnerships. 2.List 5 steps involved in the design and implementation of a survey that is grounded in the principles of community-based participatory research. 3.Name 3 “tools” that can be used to gather initial data for community-based participatory programs.
• Recognize and explain how community-based interventions and research can be used to affect policy change at the state level.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Refugees

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.