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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Addressing Illinois rural Hispanics' health rights from a public health perspective: Bridging the gap through partnership and capacity-building applications of the CBPR approach

Ben Mueller, MS1, Sergio Cristancho, PhD2, D. Marcela Garces, MSPH1, and Karen E. Peters, DrPH1. (1) National Center for Rural Health Professions, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave., Rockford, IL 61107, 815-395-5704, bmueller@uiuc.edu, (2) National Center for Rural Health Professions and Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave., Rockford, IL 61107

It is well documented that Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the general population. Further, the Hispanic population also suffers a disproportionate share of many diseases and conditions and is underserved when compared to the majority population. These demographic and health status trends are evident throughout the Midwest, including Illinois. However, less studied and understood is the impact of these trends on the health of rural communities and their ability to address current and future health disparities, particularly among the Hispanic population. In an attempt to address these concerns, the Center of Excellence in Rural Health: Project EXPORT at the University of Illinois College of Medicine –Rockford, began a large-scale, multi-sector process of local partnership development in 14 rural communities throughout Illinois using a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. The objective of this effort was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the partnership model in building the capacity of communities to address local concerns including Hispanic health and health disparity. This presentation describes the process of local community Hispanic Health Advisory Committee (HHAC) formation, presents results from a series of community assessment surveys, provides examples of community strategic planning outcomes and shares preliminary findings from an evaluation of the HHAC partnership model. A community-by-community comparison will also be presented highlighting the identification of both shared and unique structural and procedural factors in the partnership models that lead to successful outcomes and contribute to the building of capacity in communities to identify and address their particular health concerns.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Hispanic

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Perspectives from Community, Agency and Academic Partners on Community-Based Public Health Research and Education

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA