266174 Development and Advancement of a Collaborative Model to Improve Health Status in Bexar County, Texas

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 5:30 PM - 5:50 PM

Camerino I. Salazar, MS , Department of Outcomes and Evaluation, University Health System-Texas Diabetes Institute, San Antonio, TX
Elizabeth De La Fuentes, MBA , Bexar County Health Collaborative, San Antonio, TX
Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH, CHES , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, The University of Georgia, College of Public Health, Athens, GA
     
In Bexar County, Texas, 22% of its 1.7 million residents live at or below the poverty level ($22,557), 17% receive no medical care due to cost, and 21% have no form of health insurance coverage. To combat these inequities, the Bexar County Health Collaborative (BCHC) a non profit 501(c)(3) was formed to lead efforts in community health measurement and planning. BCHC has leveraged this organizational mandate by also developing prevention programs through formation of strategic alliances with local partners that include health care systems, school districts, colleges, YMCA as well as health literacy and behavioral health advocates. An analysis of its organizational profile (mission, capacity, processes and outcomes) found that the BCHC addressed the following essential services: a) monitoring health status; b) informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues:c) mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems: and d) developing policies and plans that support individual and community health improvement efforts. This case study will share lessons on working with community partners to prioritize health challenges, develop community health interventions and develop community health improvement plans. Recommendations will also be given on how municipalities can strengthen their capacity, visibility, and overall impact of their health planning efforts by: (a) adopting/applying the Institute of Medicine's Framework for Collaborative Public Health Action: (b) incorporating strategic planning as part of the health assessment process: (c) adopting a systematic process to document and measure community impact over time: and (d) developing leadership in the area of collaborative planning and community health practice.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe two ways the adoption of community health assessment can benefit strategies to identify and target health priorities in the population. Discuss three preliminary action steps taken to develop an agency with a public health mandate to improve community health outcomes through population health assessment and planning. List four opportunities for strengthening capacity, visibility and overall impact of organizations leading community health planning efforts.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: In my current capacity I am responsible for the design/coordination of health service studies to improve health in populations at-risk for chronic disease at University Health System. I am also a member of a community health improvement plan for Bexar County, Texas. I currently hold a Masters of Science in Sociology from the University of Texas at San Antonio with research interests in health disparities, health services research and community health planning.
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.

Back to: 3419.0: Community Health Planning, Policy and Advocacy Efforts