Online Program

329709
CHW Challenges and Successes in Implementing Structured Chronic Disease Management Program in Underserved Communities


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Victoria Lane, Community Health Worker Supervisor, Rutgers Community Health Center, Rutgers School of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Qadrriyyah McKinnis, Department of Clinical and Community Affairs, Rutgers School of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Cindy Sickora, DNP, RN, Department of Clinical and Community Affairs, Rutgers School of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Morit Segui, BA, Department of Clinical and Community Affairs, Rutgers School of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Hosseinali Shahidi, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
The Jordan and Harris Community Health Center (J&HCHC), a nurse-managed center which serves three public housing developments in Newark, NJ, is staffed by community health workers (CHWs) who are recruited from these communities. As residents, they help JHCHC target relevant health needs of their predominantly African American communities.

Burden of Chronic disease is significantly high in the communities we serve. To empower those with chronic diseases to live productive lives, our team of CHWs participated in a training program based on Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) by Stanford University. Many factors contributed to the failure in implementing this evidence-based program in 2012, including difficulty with the scripted language of the curriculum and low confidence in leading workshops.

In 2014, CHWs were re-trained and successfully implemented the six-week CDSMP workshop. During this pilot, a group of 10 participants met to discuss personal goals and supported each other while maintaining the healthy habits emphasized by the CHW leaders. This experience highlighted (1) the importance of CHWs in implementing prevention programs in medically underserved communities and (2) the importance of continuing education to refresh CHW knowledge base in order to increase confidence.  100% of participants self-reported they had made healthy changes in lifestyle as a result of the workshop. With a better grasp of the curriculum and confidence, the CHWs merged acquired knowledge and cultural insight to successfully implement CDSMP in their community. In this four-abstract series, our CHWs will be presenting on challenges and successes in implementing this very structured health program.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Assess challenges faced by CHWs for successful implementation of the evidence-based CDSMP program Discuss remediation techniques for successful implementation of the evidence-based CDSMP program Demonstrate the importance of continued education for CHWs from underserved communities to gain confidence to establish new leadership roles in their communities Demonstrate the importance of educated CHWs in health promotion and mobilizing individuals to make healthy lifestyle changes

Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Management and Care, Community Health Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a pioneer CHW in my community, I was at the forefront of all initial outreach and health promotion conducted since 2012. As the supervisor, I monitor all CHW encounter logs and devise plans to tackle the dire needs of the community which are identified at CHW meetings and by community advisory board members.
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.