142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Partnering for Health: The Benefits of Collaboration in an Effort to Reduce Health Inequities

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Katherine Brown, MPH , City of Berkeley Public Health Division, Berkeley, CA
Gin Jugarap , LifeLong Medical Care, Berkeley, CA
              
Heart 2 Heart (H2H) is a unique collaboration among City of Berkeley Public Health, LifeLong Medical Care (a community health center), and the community. Working together, we bring a holistic, community-based approach to addressing inequities in hypertension and heart disease in a 2-by-4 block South Berkeley neighborhood.   H2H connects residents with needed programs, resources, and services.  H2H has endured and fostered trusting relationships within the community for 6 years, despite dramatic changes in funding and staffing.  It serves as a model for communities, local public health, and community health centers addressing pressing health needs through partnership.

Key elements of H2H include:

  • Intense focus over time on a small geographic area with both high needs and critical assets;
  • Early and on-going commitment to establishing trust in the community;
  • Open-ended inquiry into community-identified needs and priorities;
  • Responsiveness to evolving community needs and priorities;
  • Commitment by partners to staying with the effort for the long term. 

H2H cultivates partnerships with residents, businesses, and community- and faith-based organizations and focuses on the benefits and power of partnerships to address health inequities.  We promote a healthier living environment while supporting individual health needs.  The collaborative approach informs program design, ensures authenticity, and recognizes the needs of the community.  A balanced approach that includes understanding the links among health, environment, economics, and education increases the potential to reduce inequities.  

The vision for H2H is:

  • A sustainable community-directed program;
  • Residents empowered to create change;
  • Lasting positive community-wide changes.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the benefits and power of the collaborative partnership amongst a local public health division, a community based clinic, and the community - in an effort to eliminate health inequities.

Keyword(s): Partnerships, Chronic Disease Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the co-coordinator of the Heart 2 Heart Program, a Chronic Disease Program of the City of Berkeley Public Health Division for nearly 4 years. I have over 13 years of experience in placed based initiatives. One of my specific interests is to design and implement programs that are aimed to reduce health inequities in communities of color.
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: 5036.1: Innovative community-academic approaches to address healthography