Our Projects in Allen County, Indiana
Joan Baines and Renetta Williams -at a Health Disparity coalition meeting in HV Fort Wayne Allen County Health Disparity Coalition
HealthVisions of Fort Wayne
Lead: Renetta Williams
The Allen County Health Disparity Coalition's mission is to eliminate health disparities in Allen County
As a community activist, in 2003, Renetta H. Williams formed the Allen County Health Disparity Coalition (ACHDC), a program of HealthVisions which addresses health disparity in the minority community. The coalition began with 10 area agencies and has grown to over 70 organizations addressing the lack of health care in Allen County for the minority community.
The ACHDC has developed a strategic plan to address, mental health, health and nutrition, language and culture, and diabetes.
In the fall of 2009, the coalition introduced the first Community Based Participatory Research project to our community that targeted the African America/Black and the Latino/Hispanic populations. The research project was entitled, "Empowering Fort Wayne Communities to Self Managing Diabetes."
The ACHDC meets the 4th Wednesday of every month from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the Fort Wayne Urban League.
Bienvenido Program
HealthVisions of Fort Wayne
Lead: Zenaida Velez-Chandler
Mission Statement: The Bienvenido Program is a prevention intervention program that increases access to mental health services, improves mental health, and quality of life of Latino immigrants.
Vision Statement: To provide a caring and supportive environment where individuals can achieve their full potential, give and receive respect, develop personal responsibility and self-determination.
Empowerment Model: Assist immigrants in their acknowledgement of the trauma they suffered during immigration and current stigmatized social status helps them to recognize sources associated with maladaptive behavior.
Program Goals:
- To reduce alcohol and drug use and related outcomes
- To increase access to and use of mental health services
- To increase sense of belonging and participation in the community
Curriculum Content:
- The Bienvenido curriculum is a 9 week strengths-based mental health educational curriculum
- Enhance awareness of mental health; clarify a participant's personal goals for an enhanced quality of life
- Develop skills to reduce risk for emotional and behavioral risks associated with mental distress
Contract Services for Genesis House
Website: http://genesisoutreach.org
Diabetes Education Empowerment Program (DEEP)
HealthVisions of Fort Wayne
Lead: Zenaida Velez-Chandler and Peggy Hayes
This model utilizes trained community health workers – many of them living with type 2 diabetes-as diabetes educators and is aimed at reducing diabetes mortality and morbidity and related complications. The program consists of two components: 1) The Training of Trainers Program and 2) The Diabetes Patient Education Program.
The Training of Trainers Program is a 20-hour workshop that stresses the development of skills and knowledge related to diabetes by using interactive group activities and adults education methodologies recommended in the curriculum. The original intent was to train health promoters with the basic skills and knowledge to become effective diabetes educators: however due to public demand, the program has been modified to train community health professionals who want to obtain and update on diabetes and /or learn education techniques for patients with low level of health literacy within a cultural framework.
The Diabetes Patient Education Program is implemented by trained health promoters in 8-10 weekly sessions. These sessions present to the Patient the content of the educational curriculum with the necessary knowledge and skills for diabetes self-management.
Empowering Fort Wayne Communities to Self-Manage Diabetes
HealthVisions of Fort Wayne
Lead: Jomare Bowers-Mizzell
This diabetes project is to measure the effectiveness of diabetes training to improve self-management of diabetes in the African American/Black and Latino/Hispanic populations. The project aims to increase awareness, beliefs, and ability to manage diabetes, and pilot the data collection tools.
Infant Mortality and Death Reporting Task Force
HealthVisions of Fort Wayne
Lead: Renetta H. Williams and Jomare Bowers-Mizzell
This is a partnership with the Allen County Health Department, Indiana Department of Health, Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne the College if Health & Human Services and Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.
Program Goals:
- Review and study death certificates of all infants deaths from 2005-2010.
- Review all medical record associated with infant deaths in the same period
- Review current study results and other available material regarding infant mortality
- Based on review & materials results, develop local intervention as needed.