230326 Addressing Health Disparities among Latinos and African Americans: Systems Approach of the CEED@CHICAGO Coalition

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Aida L. Giachello, PhD , Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center (MC 625), Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cynthia A. Boyd, MSN, PhD, FAAN , University of Illinois at Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and Healthy City Collaborative, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Joseph Harrington, BA , Assistant Commissioner for Community Engagement, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL
Sheila Castillo, MUPP , Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center (MC 625), Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Jose O. Arrom, MA , Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Most efforts in addressing health and social disparities have focused on individual interventions. We describe current efforts in engaging stakeholders in community and system change to address disparities through community and system change. The Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Disparities (CEED) @Chicago developed a multi-sector partnership that through systems thinking developed action plans to address these inequities, initially related to food access and health literacy. The CEED is part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's REACH US program. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation tools were developed to assess the CEED@Chicago Coalition's effectiveness and impact of coalition activities. Results. The coalition has been effective in engaging new sectors. First, the CEED brought together community-based and faith-based organizations to develop systems change through capacity-building with community health workers to address health literacy. Food access work involved the development of partnerships with food policy councils, academics, government agencies, and urban agriculture organizations and mobilizing policy-makers through urban agriculture tours, which focused attention on local ordinances creating barriers to access and employment. Indicators of food retailers were assessed and proposed to licensing and public health organizations. The presentation will examine the process and provide specific outcomes. Conclusion. To address social justice issues and improve the health and social well being of communities of color, it is critical to engage and leverage sectors that are not traditionally involved in public health and social policy issues.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Apply systems thinking to developing multisector, multiethnic partnerships Identify strategies to engage and leverage non-traditional stakeholders in community and systems change

Keywords: Health Disparities, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Principal Investigator; Medical Sociologist
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.