Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) Logo

Category: Program Highlight

The Equity Equation

The Equity Equation

The Equity Equation webinar series examines health equity issues and highlights policy and systems-level solutions in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

Through this series we aim to: 

  • Highlight pressing and emerging public health issues that have significant impact on health equity and racial justice.   
  • Draw connections between regional health outcomes, health inequities and root causes such as racism, sexism, classism, etc. 
  • Analyze the implications of past, present and/or proposed policies on the health of specific communities or population health in our region. 
  • Identify potential policy and systems strategies that target the social determinants of health and their distribution among communities and populations to reduce inequities. 

Upcoming webinars 

Please save the date for the webinars listed below! Registration links will be posted as they become available. 

Previous webinars 

Recordings from past webinars:  

“Power in Policy: Driving Change for Black Maternal Health” April 15, 2024

This webinar featured:  

  • Dr. Tamara Henry, Ed.D., George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
  • Angelia Williams Graves of the Virginia Senate, 21st district
  • Krystal Oriadha from Prince George‘s County Council, District 7

After watching the webinars, please complete this feedback survey.  

“The American Life Expectancy Crisis” February 27, 2024

This webinar featured:  

  • Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health 
  • Amy Wentz, Co-Founder of Southside ReLeaf 
  • Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille, PhD, MA, Richmond City Council, 7th District 

After watching the webinars, please complete this feedback survey.  

Resources/Reading lists 

Here are developed reading lists and resources for a deeper dive into the these topics. 

To learn more about The Equity Equation, please contact IPHI training at [email protected]. 

Improving Health Care Workforce Wellness: A Pilot to Reduce EMR Burden

Young doctor woman talk with old man patient in mask use laptop check electronic health test result service online medicine register elderly client on computer modern tech give medical recomendation. High quality 4k footage

Improving Health Care Workforce Wellness: A Pilot to Reduce EMR Burden

IPHI empowers primary care physicians serving under-resourced communities in Washington, D.C., by partnering with DC Health as a grant intermediary. Funds distributed by IPHI to primary care physicians will be used to purchase assistive technology for electronic medical records (EMR) systems, easing provider burden and reducing burnout. This project will collect data to assess the effectiveness of these technology interventions.

Empower Yourself, Empower Your Practice

Apply for a grant through IPHI and DC Health to bring cutting-edge healthcare technology to your community. Assistive technology for EMR systems can reduce administrative burden and decrease documentation time. Grants also cover staff time to train and implement the technology. Scroll down to learn more about the grant opportunity, and submit your application today!

Apply Now

HELPFUL DOCUMENTS

We’ve included information to help guide your grant submission below.

RESOURCES

Partners

 

To learn more about the RFA and grant opportunity, please contact [email protected].

Contact

Rural Multiple Sclerosis Solutions

disabledandhere-043-1

Rural Multiple Sclerosis Solutions

Improving access to diagnostic and support resources for rural populations impacted by multiple sclerosis in Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

In 2022, IPHI expanded its focus to include support for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and medical providers in rural areas. This 3-year project is funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.

Through the project, IPHI and various community partners will:

  1. Create a tool to simplify navigation for people seeking MS resources.
  2. Provide education and training to service providers.
  3. Improve access, delivery, and use of MS care for people living with MS in rural areas.
  4. Increase public awareness about MS, including its risk factors, early signs and symptoms, and treatment options.

Many rural residents impacted by complex, chronic health conditions like MS often do not get the help or social services needed. Rural residents are burdened because services and resources do not exist in the area or are inaccessible due to barriers like transportation, cost, awareness, technology, mistrust, etc. As a result, people living in rural areas can go undiagnosed longer, face misdiagnoses, experience more treatment disruptions, and receive less support to address social determinants of health.

Scope of work:

The IPHI team is focusing on identifying and improving access in rural communities. Through the grant, non-specialty health providers will receive education and training on MS risk factors, early signs and symptoms, treatments, and resources. Rural residents will be engaged through convenings, focus groups, interviews, and community events to increase awareness of MS and connect affected residents to resources. Other activities include collaborating with mobile health units and similar community-based services to reach people where they are.

In partnership with VirginiaNavigator, IPHI will create a network map of health and social support resources in the project’s target area. The team will also establish Navigation Centers where community leaders will be trained on how to use the network map and provide navigation assistance. All activities will be informed by people living with MS, care partners, and community professionals.

The project will focus on these rural communities (collaborations and resources may be state-wide):

  • Maryland
    • Caroline County
    • Garrett County
  • Virginia
    • Brunswick County
    • Buckingham County
    • Charlotte County
    • Cumberland County
    • Danville
    • Henry County
    • Louisa County
    • Lunenburg County
    • Martinsville
    • Nottoway County
    • Orange County
    • Patrick County
    • Pittsylvania County
    • Prince Edward County
  • North Carolina
    • Caswell County
    • Duplin County
    • Greene County
    • Jones County
    • Lenoir County
    • Montgomery County
    • Surry County
    • Wilkes County
  • West Virginia
    • Fayette County
    • Marion County
    • McDowell County
    • Mercer County
    • Monroe County
    • Preston County
    • Raleigh County
    • Summers County
    • Wetzel County
    • Wyoming County

Upcoming Training:

First (1st) Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. EST – Launching January 3, 2024

The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI), Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neurodegenerative Diseases Program focus on diagnosing, managing, and treating MS and other neurological diseases in the primary care setting. This training is offered free of charge to all participants. For more information, visit: here.

Topics Covered

  • Early Symptoms & Diagnosing MS
  • Monitoring MS
  • MS Therapies
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Neurological Diseases
REGISTER

Resources:

Provide input to design an Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) practice model, which aims to increase knowledge and confidence in treating patients with MS and neurodegenerative diseases.

Explore a prototype of the network map that identifies organizations located in or serving residents of Virginia living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, ALS, Huntington’s disease (HD), MS, and Parkinson’s disease.

Learn more about issues affecting rural areas and how to identify counties for intervention.

Help recruit new collaborators by identifying key service providers and sharing these materials.

Understand the perspectives and priorities of people impacted by MS in rural areas by hearing key insights from a convening hosted in rural Virginia.

Acknowledgments:

Special thanks to our funders and partners:

  • Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
  • Can Do MS
  • MS Alliance
  • VirginiaNavigator
  • West Virginia Clinical & Translational Science Institute

To learn more about Rural MS Solutions Project, please contact Senior Program Manager Lauren Ruiz at [email protected] or 202.987.2540.

Contact

CHWs for a Healthy VA

CHWS FOR A HEALTHY VIRGINIA

Community Health Workers for a Healthy Virginia (CHWs for a Healthy VA) is a 3-year capacity building project led by IPHI in partnership with a wide range of state and local partners across Virginia.

 

Community Health Workers for a Healthy Virginia logo

The initiative is funded through a national grant initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through the project, IPHI and its partners will deploy CHWs as a strategic intervention to assist communities in the response and recovery from COVID-19. The project will also develop and test innovative financing strategies to support the long-term sustainability of CHWs and community resource providers.

IPHI has partnered with numerous organizations across Virginia to hire CHWs to help with recovery and response. Through the grant, community-based organizations, healthcare providers, local health departments, and other partners will hire and deploy CHWs. IPHI will assist with training and provide technical assistance. These partners are addressing gaps in access to COVID-related services, such as testing, vaccination, and quarantine support, and responding to community needs exacerbated by COVID-19, such as access to health and mental health care, housing services, and food assistance.

IPHI is identifying high-priority communities and populations that would benefit the most from CHW interventions. Currently, the project focuses on Richmond and surrounding areas and southwest Virginia’s Mount Rogers area.

CHW regional conveners are working on expanding collaborations, increasing CHW’s presence, and informing external partners about IPHI’s work with CHWs. The following regional conveners are represented in each of the four areas:

  • Norfolk State University
  • Healing Hands Health Center
  • Richmond/Henrico Health District
  • Virginia Rural Health Association

IPHI works closely with the Virginia Community Health Worker’s Association to highlight  CHW voices in Virginia.

Partners in Four Areas of Need

Southwest VA/Mt Rogers 

  • Ballad Health
  • Healing Hands Health Center
  • Mount Rogers Health District

Norfolk/Portsmouth

  • Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
  • Minority AIDS Support Services, Inc. (MASS)
  • Sentara Healthcare

Pittsylvania/Danville

  • Piedmont Access to Health Services (PATHS)
  • Sovah Health (Life Point)

Richmond/Petersburg

  • Richmond Henrico Health District (RHHD)
  • Central VA Health Services (CVHS)
  • Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
  • Crossover Health Center
  • Health Brigade
  • Sacred Heart
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

CHWs for a Healthy Virginia project also intends to address the issue of sustainable financing for CHW programs. Historically, CHW-based community impact models has been limited by a lack of viable financing options. IPHI is developing a framework to identify, pilot, and evaluate CHW and community resource financing models. Then, in collaboration with local partners, IPHI will develop and pilot region-specific financing models for CHW and community resource providers to evaluate and demonstrate the return on investment and social benefits.

 

This CHWs for a Healthy VA project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of financial assistance awards totaling over $13 million, with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

To learn more about CHWs for a Healthy VA, please contact Senior Program Manager Valerie McAllister at [email protected] or visit: chwsforahealthyva.com

Contact
Website
Posted on by iphiadmin
Evelyn and Michael Humanim

IPHI Hosts Maryland’s First Statewide Food Summit

IPHI hosted Maryland’s first statewide food summit, Developing a Maryland Food Charter: Statewide Summit, on October 15, 2015. The event included nearly 60 participants from all five regions of the state.

 

The summit focused on the following: 

  • The current status of potential food systems issues at the state-level
  • An overview of the outcomes and themes that arose at the regional convenings
  • Finalizing and prioritizing the strategies across the five food system domains included in the Maryland Food Charter

What is the change you want to see? 

A panel of experts answered this question from Grow & Fortify, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Maryland State Department of Education, and Center for a Livable Future. Their perspectives guided the development of the Maryland Food Charter.

All summit participants refined and strengthened strategies that were included in the first-ever food charter. They also assessed the feasibility of the collective action strategies.

To view and download the Maryland Food Charter, click: here.

 

 

Zee Turner Center

Zee Turner Center for CHW Workforce Development

The Zhilphia “Zee” Turner Center for Community Health Worker Workforce Development (Zee Turner Center), formerly known as the Center for Community Health Workforce (CCHW), is a regional center for excellence that advances community health worker (CHW) practice, research, and policy.

The CCHW was launched in 2013 to grow opportunities for peer-based workforce strategies. Specifically, the center was created to develop and support the community-based health workforce and CHWs. The new name, Zee Turner Center, is in memory of CHW Zhilphia “Zee” Turner. Zee Turner was an IPHI employee who dedicated 15 years of her life to serving the Washington, DC, area. As someone who lived with a chronic health condition for 24 years and overcame adversity, Zee used her experience to help communities with substance use addiction and HIV/AIDS.

“When I get notice that people are out of care, I call them. If I get no answer, I send them a letter – or I go knock on their doors. I try to fix some of the barriers that led them out of care and I work with their case workers to get them back to taking their medicines.” 

– Zee Turner in the Washington Informer

Zee was an educator, mentor, and advocate through IPHI’s Positive Pathways initiative. Her unwavering dedication and genuine care for those around her made her a beloved figure in the community. At the 2014 Unity National CHW Conference, Zee was awarded the posthumous Esther M. Holderby CHW Special Recognition Award. IPHI proudly honors her CHW legacy by naming this regional center for excellence after her.

The Zee Turner Center is a CHW center divided into three main groups:

1) Training Programs & Technical Assistance,

2) CHW Initiatives/Implementation, and

3) Policy, Advocacy, and Research

The Zee Turner Center priorities:

  • Develop CHW regional standards and scopes of practice
  • Enhance teaching program for CHW training and continuing education
  • Support CHW network development across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia
  • Consult and provide technical assistance to organizations requesting help in planning, operating, and evaluating CHW programs
  • Support the effective integration of CHWs into clinical and community-based teams and design policies and programs that facilitate CHW retention
  • Research and find innovative CHW models
  • Serve as a clearinghouse for regional. national, and international CHW best practices
  • Support policy development to finance and sustain CHW service models across the region

To learn more about the Zee Turner Center, please contact [email protected] or visit IPHI’s events and webinars page to stay updated with CHW opportunities.

Contact
Events & Webinars

Cold Storage Infrastructure Improvement

DSC_0409

Cold Storage Infrastructure Improvement

IPHI’s initiative, Prince George’s County (PGC) Food Equity Council (FEC), is working with stakeholders in PGC to improve cold storage infrastructure for food assistance organizations and food pantries.

 

Food security skyrocketed throughout the pandemic, with 48% of PGC residents experiencing food insecurity in 2021. Even though food pantries are dedicated to meeting the growing demand, infrastructure challenges remain a barrier to expanding their services. When food assistance providers don’t have the proper infrastructure to store food, they’re forced to either turn down or distribute less healthy perishable food donations like produce, meat, and dairy.

The FEC is working to address this barrier by increasing cold storage infrastructure availability in PGC, with funding support from Washington Gas. 

In 2021, the FEC helped three non-profit food assistance organizations buy, upgrade, and design a wrap for refrigerated trailers. The trailers allowed food assistance providers and pantries to distribute more fresh food to residents in need. Each trailer is shared by a network of partner organizations located in Brandywine, Landover, and Landham in PGC. Collectively, partners are storing and distributing 32,100 pounds of food each week using the cold storage trailers.

In 2023, the FEC and Washington Gas continue to work together, purchasing and upgrading two 48–foot cold trailers at Kingdom Global and Tabernacle Church. To learn more about these two recent developments, visit: HERE. 

To learn more about the Food Equity Council, please visit: www.pgcfec.org.

Contact
Website