Forging Partnerships for Capacity-Building and Healthier Individuals/Communities

Preventing Early Childhood Obesity through a Community Collaborative

Since 2006, SHIRE has established the Early Childhood Obesity Collaborative, which comprises sixty-six representatives from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Collaborative members represent a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from East of the River communities to city-wide government agencies. They are united by a commitment to reduce and prevent overweight and obesity among very young children (ages 0-5) in Ward 8.  Supported by a grant to SHIRE from Kaiser Permanente, the Collaborative is charged with developing policy recommendations; selecting obesity intervention/prevention models and educational materials that could be implemented in family child care homes in Ward 8; and recommending an obesity prevention/intervention model for use by caregivers in Ward 8. SHIRE is also committed to complete other tasks: to promote the expansion of available fresh, quality foods in Wards 7 and 8; to participate in D.C.’s anti-obesity campaign; to research obesity related activities; and to help child care providers acquire playground space and physical activity equipment. 

Three meetings of the Collaborative have been held to date, and Collaborative members toured Ward 8 to gain a better understanding of the environmental influences on physical activity and nutrition habits among residents.  Health and family care providers, parents and others have shared their insights about obesity among very young children and how to prevent or reduce it. Anticipated outcomes from the Collaborative’s work are policy recommendations that are attainable and will help reverse current trends; a program model (or models) with potential to meet community needs; and action strategies to bring about change.

Initiating Health Advocacy Organizations in Maryland and Texas

SHIRE has provided the impetus for the formation of the Health Action Forum (HAF) and the Tarrant County Empowerment Action Movement (TEAM) Health, county-wide health advocacy networks in Prince George’s County, Maryland and Tarrant County, Texas, respectively. These organizations have been instrumental in raising the awareness of and addressing disparities, improving access and addressing other county health needs among civic, faith and community leaders, elected and appointed government officials, health providers and the general public. Using proven community organizing techniques, SHIRE assisted advocates in these counties in identifying and engaging key stakeholders as focus group sponsors; convening focus groups among various population groups; establishing common health concerns and strategies; convening county hearings and organizing coalitions to implement community recommendations. Funding was provided by the Office of Minority Health and The Meyer Foundation.

Managing Diabetes by Connecting Faith Networks, Health Centers and Other Community Stakeholders

Working through its contacts with faith institutions, SHIRE initiated Diabetes Action Teams (DATs) in five communities – Durham, NC, Kalamazoo, MI, Pittsburgh, PA, St. Louis, MO and Washington, DC. DATs serve to connect faith groups, their constituents and community partners with federally qualified community health centers (CHCs.) These collaborations help expand the reach of CHC while also helping faith institutions identify undiagnosed diabetics and help diagnosed diabetics receive more effective education, disease management and referrals for treatment. The sponsor of this initiative was the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Services and Resources Administration.

Healthbuilders Intergenerational Partnership Program

Building on its successful youth diabetes prevention initiative in Montgomery County, Maryland conducted as a public/private/faith partnership, SHIRE has established a pilot project in a faith institution that connects youth who successfully completed that program with senior citizens who are diabetics. The purpose of the program, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is to create senior/youth partnerships that help participants achieve improved levels of disease management and health-supporting behaviors. Senior/youth teams monitor weekly each other’s health status (observance of medical protocols) and behaviors (food choices, food portions, exercise, and avoidance of risk behaviors.) In addition, all project participants are engaged in twice monthly group sessions, featuring presentations on health topics, games, innovative exercise routines (Tai Chi, line dancing), cooking demonstrations and competitions (healthful food cooking contest.) The project’s culminating event will be a health fair in January 2005.

Regional Primary Care Conversation

Since 2000, SHIRE has facilitated the Regional Primary Care Conversation (RPCC) involving representatives from Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia jurisdictions. This is an initiative, sponsored by the Consumer Health Foundation and the Health Working Group of Washington Grantmakers, which has provided a unique opportunity for health providers, community advocates, HRSA-sponsored primary care coalitions, and foundation representatives to engage in dialogue about the current state of the Washington metropolitan region’s health safety net and its projected needs. The RPCC is particularly focused on increasing the availability and capacity of the area’s regional primary care facilities, and helping to reach health parity and substantially improve health access. Through the RPCC’s efforts, several federally qualified community health centers have been added or expanded in the region, funding for area advocacy networks has been secured and effective technologies (e.g., medical information systems) and promising practices (e.g., community oral health initiatives) have been widely shared.

Building Coalitions among Communities of Color

A collaborative effort among SHIRE, the Office of Minority Health and Out of Many, One, this project has culminated in a guide, which provides ten strategies and practical “how-to” suggestions for building effective coalitions among communities of color. An extensive development process involved initial consultation with experts in Washington, DC, followed by extensive peer reviews and meetings with regional minority health consultants, representatives of state minority health entities and community coalitions in Little Rock, Arkansas; Atlanta, Georgia; Newark, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois. OMO members, representing the five principal racial and ethnic minority groups also reviewed the document, individually and collectively in Oakland, California. Plans are underway for the preparation of community-specific tool kits, as well as the provision of technical assistance and training for prospective users of the document.