141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

289596
Partnership innovations to address social determinants of heatlh in a u.s.-méxico border community

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Susan Kunz, MPH , Platicamos Salud, Mariposa Community Health Center, Nogales, AZ
Yvonne Delgadillo, MBA , Nogales Community Development, Nogales, AZ
Learn the story of an unusual partnership that has grown into a broad and effective collaboration. In Nogales, Arizona on the U.S.-México border, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and a Community Development Corporation (CDC) have joined forces to meet the needs of the area's low income Hispanic/Latino families. Beginning in 2009, Mariposa Community Health Center and Nogales Community Development recognized that their organizations offered complementary services to the same target population. The two organizations cross-trained staff and then began to jointly apply for funding opportunities to address the local food system, job development, housing rehabilitation and financial literacy. As a result, multiple streams of funding have been obtained from the USDA, HUD and the USDHHS to address local needs. The Cosechando Bienestar (Harvesting Wellbeing) Coalition is developing the local food system via gardening education, farmers' markets and food enterprises, while the Vivir Mejor! (Live Better!) Consortium is addressing healthy eating and active living to prevent and treat diabetes. In 2011, Nogales Community Development formalized the collaboration further by creating the Nogales Rural Innovation Consortium (NRIC), incorporating local higher education institutions, public housing and the local food bank into yet a larger effort that includes development of a joint use community center. In 2012, the NRIC partners completed a household survey in downtown Nogales to learn what services the residents currently use and those services they need. Follow-up with survey respondents then connected residents to needed services, the outcomes of which will be shared as a model for other communities.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Other professions or practice related to public health
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify community partners to address social determinants of health. Explore the relationship of econmic develoment, employment, income and health. Discuss the role of higher education in community health improvement.

Keywords: Social Justice, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: NA

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an active participant in the communty partnership to be presented. I lead health and wellness initiaitves for a FQHC. I have a MPH Degree from UC Berkeley and I chair the National Community Committee for the CDC PRC Program. I was recently awarded the new Rosemary McKenzie Legacy Award from the National Rural Health Association Multiracial and Multicultural Council for my work with Amerian Indians and Hispanic/Latino communiites over the past 30 years.
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.