170270 Video- Qualitative Evaluation: Asthma Health Community Collaborative: Employers, Minority Health, Homeless Health, Primary Care Providers, Day Care Center

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 8:32 AM

Gloria Aponte Clarke, MPH , Core, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
Julie Osgood, MS , Clinical Integration, MaineHealth, Portland, ME
The qualitative analysis of the Asthma Health Community Collaborative (AHCC) was instructive. The human testimonies of the persons affected by the AHCC reinforced the importance of working with “Communities” with a capital C. Each member of the AHCC brought a unique and valuable perspective to their work with persons with Asthma. The groups learned valuable lessons from each other and built long lasting relationships that will benefit their clients.

• Florence Mason from Noah's Ark learned and acted upon environmental measures to prevent triggers for all the children at Noah's Ark.

• Barber Foods, an employer. The result was a dramatic change in the benefits allowed for Asthma prevention and treatment.

• City of Portland -Portland Public. There are now asthma educators, helplines, asthma education advertisements- all in the native tongue of the Somali and Latino communities.

• The City of Portland Homeless Health Clinic with its integration of effective guidelines and management has had a great impact on its patients. The patient education tools provided by the AHCC were simple and effective for the homeless client interviewed.

• Theresa, a patient, MMC Family Practice. Now able to understand her asthma and be in control of her asthma for the first time in her life.

The model of a Community Collaborative (CC) appears to have been effective and had substantial impact. Spreading the CC concept is warranted. Initiating a CC for other chronic diseases or a “Chronic Disease” CC has the potential of positively affecting other communities.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the benefits of addressing asthma from a community perspective 2. Describe the benefits and challenges of conducting a qualitative evaluation of a community based initiative. 3. Prioritize valuable community partners for Asthma prevention in their home community.

Keywords: Asthma, Community Capacity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I developed and implemented the program that I am discussing. I served as the Project Director for the video that I am showing.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.