334990
Delta Alliance for Congregational Health: Identifying At-Risk and Undiagnosed Individuals through Congregational Health Screenings
Description: Screenings of the congregants were conducted on a quarterly basis. If screening resulted in abnormal values, participants were referred to their perspective primary care physician or a local medical provider for those without a medical home. Some individuals were followed-up with a community health worker for education and other social services.
Lessons Learned: From September 30, 2013 to September 29, 2014 ABCS screenings were conducted in 25 DACH churches with participants hailing from 18 Delta counties. There were a total of 1,912 screening encounters; of those 1,590 were unique screenings (no repeat participants). We learned that participants needed follow-up after receiving counseling at the end of each screening. We have CHWs following patients with abnormal values to ensure they receive follow-up from a medical provider. We learned that black men weren’t being screened. The barbershop hypertension initiative was implemented to screen more men.
Recommendations: The DACH model provides linkage among at-risk congregants and community members, healthcare, and the church. The DACH model is an effective method for identifying CVD risk in the community setting, reducing risk factors for CVD, and linking to healthcare for clinical diagnosis and follow-up.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsImplementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
Explain the role of the church in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction.
Describe how the DACH model can be implemented in your church/community.
Keyword(s): Health Promotion and Education, African American
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am one of the external evaluators of the Mississippi Delta Health Collborative, which includes the Delta Alliance for Congregational Health (DACH). I work closely with DACH program staff and assisted them in the development of this presentation.
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.