Abstract

Clinic-community linkages through collaboration and statewide data infrastructure (WV Health Connection) in West Virginia

Samantha Shawley-Brzoska, PhD, MPH¹, Adam Baus, PhD, MA, MPH¹, Cecil Pollard, MA¹, Audrey Semel, MPH¹, Andrea Calkins, MPH¹, Jessica Wright, RN, MPH, CHES², Sheryn Carey², Erikah DeFrehn, RN, BSN², Sandra Burrell, RN², Megan Ross, MPH² and James Vance²
(1)West Virginia University School of Public Health, Office of Health Services Research, Morgantown, WV, (2)West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Charleston, WV

APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo

West Virginia Health Connection (WVHC) helps facilitate clinic-community linkages to support improved health and social wellbeing. WVHC is funded by the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease and managed by West Virginia University Office of Health Services Research (OHSR). OHSR takes a three-fold approach: supporting partners in using electronic health records and registries to monitor and target care; offering provider and staff training/education on chronic disease; and providing assistance in the use of outcomes data for quality improvement. WVHC offers and provides technical assistance to clinic and community-based partners to support: 1) awareness of available community-based programming, 2) referrals to community-based programming, 3) ability to track health outcomes securely and reliably, 4) ability to measure effectiveness of programming, and 5) communication and collaboration around critical public health issues. Over the past three and half years, WVHC has collected and managed state-wide data among 191 site locations with a total of 280 leaders/coordinators. Across the state, 612 workshops/trainings have been tracked with a total of 2619 participants. Furthermore, in the past year, 243 referrals have been managed and tracked for enrollment in lifestyle change programs. Going forward, the WVHC initiative aims to expand support, resources, and programming, strengthen partnerships throughout the WVHC network, build a comprehensive statewide database and change the state's culture of health. A state-wide data collection initiative provides clinic and community leaders the infrastructure they need to not only show the impact of their programs, but to connect with other leaders as a part of a larger WVHC network.

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education Chronic disease management and prevention Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Public health or related education Social and behavioral sciences