200867 Community Connections and Collaboration

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Joan K. Brandt, PhD, MPH, RN , Department of Nursing, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
Carol Pavlish, PhD, MS, RN , School of Nursing, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Jeannine Mueller-Harmon, MS, FNP, RN , Department of Nursing, The College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN
Barbara Champlin, PhD, MS, RN , Department of Nursing, The College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN
Sahra Noor, RN, MS , Community Health Outreach, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis, MN
Multiple structural barriers interfere with access to and understanding of preventive health services for Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. Through a community-based collaborative action research project between Somali based service organizations and the College of St. Catherine, focus groups and key informant interviews identified that systems are complex and rule bound making access to health care difficult. Language, time, lack of relationship based care, lack of role models and health care's traditional ways of “doing business” are all factors that contribute to this community's difficulty accessing and using health care services. Community strengths such as their commitment to and support for one another, the African led organizations that have developed within the community, community health workers, and individual/family dreams for and commitment to the future of the young people of the community have assisted in navigating through these barriers. During a dialogue with the community, priorities were established, along with potential next steps in the development of an intervention plan.

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe structural barriers to continuity of care and the impact on health for one immigrant community. 2.Identify community strengths which facilitate access to and navigation of health care systems. 3.Discuss importance of context on providing culturally sensitive and quality health care for refugees and immigrants.

Keywords: Immigrants, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Joan Brandt, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor in Nursing, School of Health, the College of St. Catherine, is the PI for the Community Connections and Collaboration project, which involves community based action research with the Somali community in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. She is experienced in the development and implementation of Community Based Collaborative Action Research, having used this methodology with previous projects she has worked with.
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.

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