Online Program

Oral

A highly collaborative and interconnected approach is needed to address high rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related chronic health conditions and to improve health outcomes among the people living in the 18-county Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative (The Collaborative) was established by the state Department of Health in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of the Collaborative is to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke through education, new policy, environmental and system changes, and efforts to increase access to treatment and diagnostic screenings. The Collaborative involves individuals and groups at every level of the community through a number of initiatives in three program areas: clinical, community, and faith-based. In this session, we provide an overview of the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative, focus on three initiatives, and the evaluation of the Collaborative’s impact on participant and population health. The common themes of the presentations are the challenges to implementing, sustaining and evaluating evidence-based health interventions in a rural, economically disadvantaged and resource poor region. We discuss the lessons learned. The session will be of interest to public health practitioners considering replicating these programs in other rural communities facing similar health disparities.

Session Objectives: Identify potential challenges to implementing evidence-based heart disease and stroke prevention programs in rural communities. Describe how churches and local businesses can be involved in public health efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease. Explain the role of program evaluation in public health collaboratives.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)