329153
Chicago Area Youth Health Service Corps: A Youth Led, Health Promotion Program within the Immigrant Community
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
: 8:50 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.
The Affordable Care Act still leaves 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. uninsured, in addition to new immigrants who have not had U.S. residency for at least five years. One of the eight states that houses the bulk of these immigrants is Illinois. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 Current Population Survey, there are more than 272,000 undocumented Latino immigrants in Illinois that are uninsured. Only emergency medical services are guaranteed to these patients. The community-based, non-profit agency, Centro Sin Fronteras (CSF), in partnership with medical students at Rush Medical Center, have developed the Youth Health Service Corps (YHSC) campaign to respond to the health care dilemma of uninsured, new immigrants within Chicago. Facilitated within three Chicago area high schools, YHSC builds on youth capacity to develop community outreach, promote health and increase health literacy, as well as enhance individual and community -level empowerment. Utilizing a mixed methods and a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach that surveys and interviews high school students enrolled in YHSC; community-academic partners have started to document and disseminate the impact of the YHSC program with regard to its outreach within immigrant communities, as well as its impact on YHSC participant youth. Presenters from CSF would discuss the infrastructure of YHSC, how they have gained the trust of youth participants, their families and the community, how programming has been youth-led, activist-oriented, and has enhanced positive youth development and community empowerment within the immigrant community.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the infrastructure of YHSC, how they have gained the trust of youth participants, their families and the community, how programming has been youth-led, activist-oriented, and has enhanced positive youth development and community empowerment.
Keyword(s): Community Health Programs, Health Literacy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I received my PhD at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and have been the principle investigator of the Youth Health Service Corps Impact Study, funded by multiple entities within DePaul University which focuses on examining the impact YHSC program within the immigrant community and among youth participants. I have developed knowledge in the areas of ethnic identity and minority development, community practice, and health disparities.
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.
