Don't Let Stroke Get You…We've GOTCHA (Getting on Target with Community Health Advisors)

Cardiovascular disease ranks as the leading cause of death in Mississippi with disproportionate rates affecting African Americans in the Mississippi Delta. To address these issues and in response to requests for proposals in 2007, members of the Center for Sustainable Health Outreach (CSHO) conducted several discussion groups across the Mississippi Delta with both community members and health and social services representatives. As a result, a CBPR project based on the Community Health Advisor model (CHA) with a focus on stroke prevention and early detection methods has been developed. Utilization of CHAs as connectors between health care consumers and providers has become increasingly attractive as a means of promoting health among groups that have traditionally lacked access to health care. Getting on Target with Community Health Advisors (GOTCHA) has incorporated a rigorous training design focused on equipping CHAs with comprehensive core outreach skills as well as culturally appropriate health education, in specific chronic disease training modules. An overview of the GOTCHA project, as well as specifics of the training design will be presented by CHA participants, who will be attending APHA for the first time. Further, findings presented in this session will describe how the training impacted CHAs' personal health behaviors, CHAs' stroke prevention knowledge and skills to be used in their community, as well as other factors, such as CHAs' sense of empowerment.