Community Health Workers SPIG

Community Health Workers SPIG	Submit Abstract
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Community Health Worker Special Primary Interest Group Please Note: Deadline for abstract submission is February 8th, 2008 American Public Health Association 136th Annual Meeting & Exposition Public Health Without Borders San Diego, CA, October 25th - 29th The Community Health Worker (CHW) Special Primary Interest Group (SPIG) welcomes abstracts that address issues important to Community Health Workers (who go by various titles – including promotora, community health advisor and outreach worker) and the people they serve. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO ABSTRACTS THAT DEMONSTRATE THAT CHWS WILL PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN DEVELOPING AND PRESENTING YOUR PROGRAM. PLEASE DESCRIBE CLEARLY IN THE TEXT OF YOUR ABSTRACT WHETHER CHWS WILL BE PRESENTING AT THE MEETING AND WHAT ROLE CHWS PLAYED IN DEVELOPING YOUR PRESENTATION. Abstracts submitted for presentations in other languages are welcome(we cannot guarantee but we will work with the presenter to try and set up translation wherever possible), but the abstract should be written in English. Presentations that are interactive and participatory in nature are especially encouraged. Limited travel assistance may be available for Community Health Worker presenters. We invite members of other sections, caucuses and SPIGS to submit relevant abstracts to the CHW SPIG and look forward to working collaboratively to strengthen APHA's commitment to community health outreach. The CHW SPIG will organize a minimum of 5-6 oral sessions, 2 poster sessions and 1 roundtable session. We are accepting submissions for the following general topics. Abstracts should emphasize and explain clearly their relevance to CHW practice and how the information presented can be applied in a universay setting. We are particularly interested in abstracts that address the following topics and questions: Community Health Workers and integral members of the health care and social service delivery team. Community Health Workers role in immigration and transborder programs. Cost savings, return on investment and other important evaluation and documentation supporting the role of Community Health Workers Issues of Importance to Community Health Workers - Debate Leadership Institute for Community Health Workers - workshop New and Emerging Roles for Community Health Workers Research, policy and politics important to Community Health Workers Voices from Community Health Workers - A town hall meeting Program descriptions should be brief and used to support discussion around the following topics and questions: Public Health Without Borders Immigration and the role CHWs can play in this process. The role CHWs are playing in policy, advocacy and politics. Community Health Workers working with other professions to meet the needs of the underserved. Community Health Workers and their role in public health. Voices from Community Health Workers - A town hall meeting. What innovative ways has your CHW program found to document and evaluate the impact of your program on the health & well-being of those served (individuals, communities, states)? What roles are CHWs playing in the process of evaluation and documentation? What methodologies are being used to build CHW capacity? A Community Health Workers role in health care delivery related to improving health outcomes, care coordination, patient education and counseling. Are there cost savings associated with integration of CHWs into health and social service care delivery systems? New and emerging roles for CHWs, including researchers, patient navigators, trainers etc. What external and internal support mechanisms are in place for CHWs? Other issues of importance to CHWs. Limit your abstract to 250 words. If you are new to this process, please note that all abstracts submitted to the CHW SPIG are peer-reviewed and evaluated using the following criteria: relevance to CHW practice, originality, quality and description of subject matter, clear description of presentation, interactive format and CHW leadership and participation. We would encourage you to view abstracts from previous years for format and content examples. For more information about the CHW SPIG program, please contact:
	Submit Abstract
Program Planner Contact Information: Anne Willaert, BS, LSW Healthcare Education Industry Partnership Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Minnesota State University, Mankato 1702 Highland Center Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507.389.2590 anne.willaert@mnsu.edu and Magda DiazCommunity Health Worker Institute NJ AHEC/UMDNJ-SOM 42 Laurel Road E. Suite 3200 Stratford, NJ 08084 Phone: 856.566.6724 diaz1@umdnj.edu