270411 Retinal Screening Using CHWs in Rural and Underserved Communities of New Mexico: An Innovative Public/Private Collaboration

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Kathleen Colleran, MD , Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM
Erika Harding, MA , Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
Andrea Zurawski, RN , Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
Ricky Van Ness, MS , VisionQuest Biomedical, LLC, Albuquerque, NM
Elizabeth McGrew, BA , VisionQuest Biomedical, LLC, Albuquerque, NM
     
Project ECHO is an innovative model of delivering healthcare to rural and underserved people throughout New Mexico by training primary care providers via distance technology and case-based learning, along with providing patient co-management. This award-winning model has now been applied effectively to the training of Community Health Workers and Community Health Representatives throughout NM. Project ECHO's Diabetes and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction team has joined into a unique partnership with a high-tech biomedical research and development company called VisionQuest Biomedical LLC. This collaboration has brought two traveling retinal cameras to clinics and organizations serving rural New Mexico, providing training in the imaging technology to CHWs and free retinal screening to underserved patients across the state. This powerful merger of public and private technology, community relationships and training expertise has broken through long-standing barriers to high-volume detecting and treating sight-threatening complications of diabetes and hypertension. We will present the project methodology, challenges, successes and results to date.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1) At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to describe the innovative use of Community Health Workers as imagers in a collaboration linking the technology resources of a private biomedical startup company and the community connections and training resources of Project ECHO of the University of New Mexico. 2. At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to explain how the innovative public/private collaboration brought retinal screening and critical opthalmologic care to underserved communities across New Mexico.

Keywords: Health Care Workers, Screening Instruments

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I oversee the establishment and operation of retinal screening research clinics for VisionQuest Biomedical. My on-the-ground perspective offers insight into the challenges faced by clinics in underserved areas of New Mexico.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
VisionQuest Biomedical LLC Retinal Screening Employment (includes retainer)

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: 3382.0: Translating Ocular Research into Community Health