Topic Areas

Obesity

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 200,000.00

·          Year 2 - 200,000.00

·          Year 3 - 200,000.00

Partners to the Project

The network partners consist of eight members of the Pike County Consortium and four members of the Bullock County Consortium; and community supporters in both counties.

Areas Served

Rural Pike and Bullock counties.

Target Population Served

The project will target students in grades 3 through 5 in rural Pike and Bullock counties where unmet health needs and at-risk behaviors present serious health risks and contribute to educational and social problems. The target populations will be multicultural, representing all racial, social, and economic backgrounds in the two counties.

Terry Watkins

Troy University

PO Box 928

Troy, Alabama 36081

Phone: (334) 808-2886

Fax: (334) 566-5015

Troy University

Troy, AL 36082-0001

Nisha Patel

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6894

npatel@hrsa.gov

Topic Areas

Heart disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Disease management, Faith-based health advocacy

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Parish Nurse Disease Management Program

Areas Served

The target population of under and uninsured residents of Talladega County, Alabama with chronic diseases of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes and/or Hypertension.

Target Population Served

The goal of this project is to increase the quality and years of life for individuals with chronic diseases of CHF, COPD, Diabetes and/or Hypertension.

Project Summary

The goal of this project is to increase the quality and years of life for individuals of the target population of under and uninsured residents of Talladega County, Alabama with chronic diseases of Congestive

Margaret Morton, Ed.S., Executive Director

Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, Inc.

P.O. Box 1122

Sylacauga, Alabama 35150

Phone: (256) 245-4343

Fax: (256) 245-3675

E-mail: mortonm@safesylacaupa.com

Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, Inc.

Sylacauga, AL 35150

Lakisha Smith

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-0837

lsmith3@hrsa.gov

Topic Areas

Health care

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 124,122.00

·          Year 2 - 123,292.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Rural Assistance Program for Churches and Schools (RAPCS).

Areas Served

Green, Sumter, and Marengo Counties. These counties are rural, medically underserved, and have a large African American population.

Target Population Served

The target population includes school students, churchgoers, senior citizens, parents, and the working poor. The project consortium includes local hospitals, health centers, school systems, churches, and community-based organizations.

Project Summary

Marcia Antoinette Lankster, R.N., B.S.N.

Tombigbee Healthcare Authority

Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital

105 Highway 80 East

Demopolis, AL 36732

Phone: (334) 287-2579

Fax: (334) 287-2594

Tombigbee Healthcare Authority

Demopolis, AL 36732

Lakisha Smith

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-0837

lsmith3@hrsa.gov

Topic Areas

Mental Health

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·         Year 1 - 139,785.00

·         Year 2 - 124,971.00

·         Year 3 - 99,993.00

Partners to the Project

This project is a joint effort of a consortium with 3 member agencies, Coosa County Public Schools, Cheaha Mental Health, and the Alabama Parent Education Center. These partners are completing work on an Integrating Mental Health in Public Schools planning grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The planning grant provided the consortia with the opportunity to meet frequently with each other and other key stakeholders to identify mental health needs in our community. Our community has been designated as a medically underserved community because of the limited mental health services available.

Areas Served

The entire community of Coosa County has been a part of the development of this project. When we began to identify the limited mental health services in our community as a problem

Lucy Browning

Coosa Board of Education

P.O. Box 37

Rockford, AL

Phone: (256) 377-2385

Fax: (256) 377-2385

E-mail: lbrowning@coosaschools.k12.al.us

Coosa County Board of Education

Rockford, AL 35136-0373

Kristin Martinsen

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

(301) 594-4438

kmartinsen@hrsa.gov 

community as a problem, we formed the Coosa County Partnership for Youth.

Target Population Served

Coosa County is a small, rural, isolated county in central Alabama. According to the U.S. Census, the population is 11,500 in a county that covers 652 square miles. The population density is 19 people per square mile and approximately 9 housing units per square mile. Our county has approximately 4,682 households, 30% of which have children under the age of 18 in the home.

Project Summary

The Coosa County Partnership for Youth is an exciting opportunity for our community. We are committed to improving the lives of youth by examining and improving the systems and processes for accessing mental health services in Coosa County. Funding from this application will allow us to work collaboratively to identify strategies for getting kids to more effective, evidence-based treatment as we build a system that eliminates the barriers to learning that all youth face. We will maximize that opportunity by working to inform the entire community about mental health issues, the importance of early identification, and how to access services. Coosa County will become a pioneer in Alabama for effective and collaborative strategies to improve the link between families, schools and mental health services.

Topic Areas

Elderly, Telehealth

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Community Health Aide/Practitioners

Areas Served

Alaska

Target Population Served

To meet the healthcare needs of elders so they can remain in their communities and stay connected to their homes and families for as long as possible.

Project Summary

The service area of this proposed project is the 34 rural communities within the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation (BBAHC) medical care system in Alaska. Some 8,072 people live in the area, of whom 6,865 are all or part Native. The target population is the 555 persons over the age of 62 that reside in the region. The most significant

Rose Heyano

President/Chief Executive Officer

Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation

P.O. Box 130

Dillingham, AK 99576

Phone: (907) 842-5201

Fax: (907) 842-9409

E-mail: rheyano@bbahc.org

Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation

Dillingham, AK 99576

Sherilyn Pruitt

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-0819

spruitt@hrsa.gov

barriers to care for the elderly are language and travel to advanced medical care. Some 62 percent of elders in the service area speak a language other than English. Of those, 9 percent do not speak English at all, and 19 percent do not speak English well. There are no connecting roads or bridges between any of the villages either intraregional or to the hospital in Dillingham.

Community Health Aide/Practitioners (CHAP) provide medical services in most of the village clinics, with a few of the subregional clinics staffed with mid-level practitioners that also travel to the smaller villages and provide itinerant care. Telehealth is used increasingly to provide quality health care without the need for the patient to travel. Dillingham has the most accessible hospital; however there is no geriatric specialist available. More advanced care must be sought in Anchorage or beyond. Many elders have to move out of their villages and region as their medical needs increase because of a lack of healthcare services, distance, and travel expenses. This means that an elder is removed from his or her culture, way of life, and family, causing a great deal of stress for both the elder and family members. In the Yup’ik Eskimo and Aleut cultures, the wisdom, knowledge, and life experiences of the elderly are appreciated and acknowledged by the younger generation.

The overall goal of this proposed project is to meet the healthcare needs of elders so they can remain in their communities and stay connected to their homes and families for as long as possible. There are five program goals: 1) To increase access to specialized medical care for persons over the age of 62; 2) To increase patient translation and advocacy services for persons over the age of 62; 3) To increase provider staff knowledge of geriatrics; 4) To increase public awareness and knowledge of geriatric issues; and 5) Increase Medicare enrollment in the target population. Strategies to meet these goals include contracting with an itinerant physician specializing in gerontology or internal medicine; referring elders for assessments and treatment; providing transportation for elders to the specialty clinic; and using telehealth capabilities to provide services to elders in the remote villages; hiring two FTE Patient Advocate/Translators to assist elders in accessing care; providing staff with in-service training and community education regarding geriatric issues; and providing education to identified patients regarding the benefits of applying for Medicare coverage.

The realization of these goals will greatly enhance and improve all aspects of health care for the elderly, which will allow them to remain in their villages and to continue benefiting the entire community. Another benefit of accomplishing these goals is that medical providers, elders, and community members in general will have an increased awareness and knowledge of elder health care issues. Medical staff will be able to provide higher quality health care services with an increased understanding of geriatric assessment and treatment. It is anticipated that this project will be self-sustaining at the end of the 3-year project period.

Topic Areas

Colorectal cancer

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Kenaitze Indian Tribe (KIT), the Ninilchik Traditional Council, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).

Areas Served

Rural Alaska communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Nikiski, Kasilof, Sterling, Cooper Landing, Hope, Ninilchik, Anchor Point, and Homer.

Target Population Served

The consortium will serve more than 1,200 Native Alaskan/Native American adults aged 50 to 80 years residing in the rural Alaska communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Nikiski, Kasilof, Sterling, Cooper Landing, Hope, Ninilchik, Anchor Point, and Homer.

Diana Turner

Executive Director

Kenaitze Indian Tribe

P.O. Box 988

Kenai, AK 99611

Phone: (907) 283-3633

E-mail: dturner@kenaitze.org

Kenaitze Indian Tribe

Kenai, AK 99611

Sheila Warren

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-0246

swarren@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

This project will form a Colorectal Cancer Screening Consortium through the Kenaitze Indian Tribe (KIT), the Ninilchik Traditional Council, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). Cancer has been identified as the leading cause of death among Alaska Natives, with colorectal cancer as the second leading cause of cancer mortality. For the 5-year period from 1996-2000, Alaska Natives were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer as U.S. Whites. A high proportion of Alaska Native colorectal cancers are diagnosed beyond the local stage, suggesting the need for improved screening.

The consortium will serve more than 1,200 Native Alaskan/Native American adults aged 50 to 80 years residing in the rural Alaska communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Nikiski, Kasilof, Sterling, Cooper Landing, Hope, Ninilchik, Anchor Point, and Homer. Lack of flexible sigmoidoscopy services in our tribal health clinics and distance from colorectal screening services in Anchorage are significant barriers to access. Within 3 years, the consortium will increase the percentage of Native Alaskan/Native American adults over age 50 living in the central and southern Kenai peninsula who complete screening for colorectal cancer from the current rate of under 4 percent to a target rate of 50 percent. This goal will be accomplished by developing a flexible sigmoidoscopy clinic at KIT health clinic; sending one advanced nurse practitioner and one registered nurse to ANTHC for approved training in flexible sigmoidoscopy procedures; and conducting weekly flexible sigmoidoscopy clinics to over 500 patients in the next 3 years, with additional colonoscopy referrals to Alaska Native Medical Center.

The consortium will monitor project progress, identify and problem-solve barriers, develop local capacity, and seek ways to expand outreach, networking, and public education. ANTHC will provide intensive training in flexible sigmoidoscopy procedures, as well as onsite follow-up and technical assistance with both Tribes. The two Tribes will set up a referral mechanism, as well as patient pre-screening and flow charts to be placed in patient medical records so that individual patient progress and follow-up can be tracked by medical care providers in each clinic. KIT also will add the Colorectal Cancer package to its RPMS tracking system. Both Tribes will provide patient education and preparation, reminder calls prior to procedures, and assistance with transportation through the low-cost area transit system or mileage reimbursements. Each Tribe will implement public education and outreach.

The project will coordinate its efforts with our local health and social service provider network, the Kenai Health Services Opportunities Collaborative, State Office of Rural Health, State Colorectal Cancer Task Force, and Alaska Tribal/rural providers.

Topic Areas

Hospice/Medicare

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·         Year 1 - 150,000.00

·         Year 2 - 125,000.00

·         Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Providence Hospice, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium this demonstration will allow Eastern Aleutian Tribes (EAT) to expand access to hospice services for rural Alaskan residents by using its mid-level practitioners and health aides to provide in-home hospice services.

Areas Served

Both tribal and non-tribal members, who reside within the Eastern Aleutian Tribes and Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association service area.

Target Population Served

According to the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, malignant neoplasms accounted for 50% of the total Alaska Native death count in the Aleutians East Borough between 1998 and 2002. (Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, Regional Health Profile for Eastern Aleutian

Liam Chris Devlin

3380 C Street, Suite 100

Anchorage, AK

Phone: (907) 564-2501

Fax: (907) 277-1446

E-mail: chrisd@eatribes.net

Rural Alaska Hospice Outreach Project

Anchorage, AK 99503-3440

Jacob Long Rueda III, Ph.D., M.P.H., MED

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-0649

jrueda@hrsa.gov

Tribes for Eastern Aleutian Tribes, April 2006). There were a total of 1,120 reported cancers in Alaska Natives in the Anchorage Service Unit. The top five cancers among Alaska Natives were (highest to lowest) lung, colon/rectum, prostate, orallpharynx, and stomach. Cancer incidence rates are greater for Alaska Natives in the Anchorage Service Unit then for the United States white population. (Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, Regional Health Profile for Eastern Aleutian Tribes, April 2006).

Project Summary

The proposed Rural Alaska Hospice Outreach (RAHO) project is designed to test whether hospice services provided by a rural demonstration hospice program to Medicare beneficiaries in rural Alaska who lack an appropriate caregiver and who reside in rural areas of Alaska would result in wider access to hospice services, benefits to the rural community, and a sustainable pattern of care.

Medicare Hospice care is an entitled benefit covered under the Medicare Hospital Insurance program and is available to all beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part A. However, rural Alaskans are being denied access to hospice care because CMS Conditions of Participation (COP) require specifically defined services that are not possible in very rural, isolated areas of the United States -like bush Alaska. Tribal and non-tribal healthcare organizations in Alaska must collaborate to work with current COP’s or change paradigms such that hospice services are: 1) facilitated or enhanced through the collaboration of tribal and non-tribal entities and, 2) authorized to be provided beyond the current service area definition that is classically defined by close geographic locality to the providers of care.

Topic Areas

Substance abuse prevention/treatment

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 149,996.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 99,996.00

Partners to the Project

The Hardrock Youth Wellness and Prevention Program is a collaborative effort of the Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (a local non-proft corporation), the Hardrock Chapter House (a local governmental subdivision on the Navajo Nation), and the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health’s Project EXPORT.

Areas Served

Navajo Nation and is part of Navajo County in northeastern Arizona.

Target Population Served

1) To increase access and participation of youth in substance abuse prevention education by using community-based education programs that encompass the Dine traditional philosophy; and 2) To increase access and participation of youth and their families in culturally appropriate substance abuse intervention and treatment programs. The population to be served will be children and youth (age 4-18) and their families who reside in the Hardrock community.

Germaine Simonson

Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse, Inc.

P.O. Box 26

Kykotsmovi Village, AZ 86039

Phone: (928) 725-3800

Fax: (928) 725-3731

E-mail: gsimonson@hotmail.com

Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse, Inc.

Kykotsmovi Village, AZ 86039

Kristin Martinsen

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-4438

kmartinsen@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The Hardrock Youth Wellness and Prevention Program is a collaborative effort of the Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (a local non-proft corporation), the Hardrock Chapter House (a local governmental subdivision on the Navajo Nation), and the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health’s Project EXPORT. The purpose of the collaboration is to strengthen their collective efforts in building a strong infrastructure for substance abuse prevention, intervention and treatment at the community level.

The Hardrock community lies in the heart of the 27,000 square mile boundary of the Navajo Nation and is part of Navajo County in northeastern Arizona. Health disparities are critical health issues for this isolated rural community, especially because of its unique history. It is one of 11 Navajo communities that experienced Federal relocation, land loss and livestock reduction as a result of the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act. Access to health care is a major problem for the Hardrock community as the distance to hospitals and clinics is over 60 miles away and the community has severely limited and/or nonexistent medical and behavioral health service providers.

The impact and extent of substance abuse has been well documented in the past decade including 19 deaths in the community in 1995. In a recent community-based survey in 2004, 84 percent of respondents reported some association with someone, including themselves, who is abusing alcohol or some other substance. More than two-thirds of respondents knew of someone that was killed due to alcohol or substance abuse since 1995.

The Hardrock Youth and Wellness Program has two main goals: 1) To increase access and participation of youth in substance abuse prevention education by using community-based education programs that encompass the Dine traditional philosophy; and 2) To increase access and participation of youth and their families in culturally appropriate substance abuse intervention and treatment programs. The population to be served will be children and youth (age 4-18) and their families who reside in the Hardrock community. The program will provide direct educational interventions through a 6-week summer program and an additional 2-week long program during winter and spring school breaks. It will also provide intensive outreach, monitoring, and follow up to youth and their families linking them with existing community-based intervention and treatment services.

Topic Areas

Oral Health

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Rural school districts (Elfrida, Double Adobe, Ash Creek, Cochise, McNeal and Pearce) and a federally qualified community health center (Chiricahua Community Health Centers)

Areas Served

Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Cochise County

Target Population Served

Children in the remote and sparsely populated Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Cochise County.

Project Summary

The Sulphur Springs Valley Health Care Consortium is a group of rural school districts (Elfrida, Double Adobe, Ash Creek, Cochise, McNeal and Pearce) and a federally qualified community health center (Chiricahua Community Health Centers) dedicated to providing primary dental and medical care to the students and their families. The

Jennifer “Ginger” Ryan

Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc.

10566 Highway 191

P.O. Box 263

Elfrida, AZ

Phone: (520) 642-2222

Fax: (520) 642-3591

E-mail: gryan@cchci.org

Chiricahua Community Health Centers

Elfrida, AZ 85610

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

plan is to dace CCHCI’s Mobile Dental Unit at each school to provide full dental treatment plans for eligible students. The initial screenings (including x-rays and an examination by a Dentist) and services of the Dental Hygienist will be done without charge. In addition, a board certified pediatrician will perform medical assessments on the children, focusing on respiratory issues, two times per month.

The program is in response to requests from community groups for dental and medical services for children in the remote and sparsely populated Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Cochise County. CCHCI, whose headquarters are in Elfrida, acquired a state-of-the-art mobile dental facility in July of 2006 with funds from a grant from the Office of Oral Health, Arizona Department of Health Services. The unit is equipped to provide both dental and medical services.

The plan is for the unit to travel to one school at a time. A Dentist will examine the children and provide a treatment plan. Once the necessary restorative work has been completed, sealants and varnishes will be provided to prevent tooth decay. The program includes education on good oral hygiene for both the students and their families. A pediatrician will provide medical assessment focusing on asthma screening and other respiratory related issues. Once all of the eligible children in a school have been seen, the unit will move to the next school. During the summer months, the unit is scheduled to provide services in remote, underserved areas.

Topic Areas

Chronic illness, Diabetes

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 162,765.00

·          Year 2 - 167,648.00

·          Year 3 - 172,677.00

Partners to the Project

The consortium for the Chronic Care Education Outreach Program consists of White River Rural Health Center, Inc., the lead applicant; Woodruff County Nursing Home; Des Arc Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Baptist Health; and Arkansas Department of Health Diabetes Control Center.

Areas Served

Woodruff and Prairie counties in the Arkansas Delta region.

Target Population Served

Expand an existing chronic illness self-management education program to focus on the elderly

Steven F. Collier

White River Rural Health Center, Inc.

P.O. Box 497

Augusta, Arkansas 72006-0497

Phone: (870) 347-2534

Fax: (870) 347-2882

White River Rural Health Center, Inc.

Augusta, AR 72006-0497

Eileen Holloran

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-7529

eholloran@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The consortium for the Chronic Care Education Outreach Program will expand an existing chronic illness self-management education program to focus on the elderly in Woodruff and Prairie counties in the Arkansas Delta region. The program will enhance the capacity of existing community agencies to respond to the needs of the increasing population with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Collaboration between community partners will result in organized assessments, planning, and coordination of local resource agencies to cultivate a regional comprehensive continuum of care for people with chronic diseases. The program will use self-management interventions to reduce health disparities and increase access to recommended health care services for people living with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. It also will incorporate a chronic care model used by the Bureau of Primary Health Care and will provide services at long-term care facilities to enhance access by the elderly population. All activities will be coordinated with primary care services currently provided in the area. The program will focus on increased access to prevention, early detection, and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases through the provision of a comprehensive self-management education class on these chronic illnesses.

Woodruff and Prairie counties, the target counties, have a combined population of 18,280. Seventeen percent of the population is older than 65 years. The Arkansas Department of Health reports that diabetes prevalence increases by age to an estimated 14.6 percent for those older than 65 and estimates that more than 450 residents older than 65 currently have diabetes. In addition, the rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease are higher in the target counties than in other counties in the state. Residents of Woodruff and Prairie counties live below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level, and the two counties are officially designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Areas. Barriers to access of health services include a 45-minute drive to any kind of specialty care, and much of the population remains undiagnosed for diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

The consortium for the Chronic Care Education Outreach Program consists of White River Rural Health Center, Inc., the lead applicant; Woodruff County Nursing Home; Des Arc Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Baptist Health; and Arkansas Department of Health Diabetes Control Center.

Topic Areas

Chronic Disease

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 181,944.00

·          Year 3 - 115,297.00

Partners to the Project

The ministerial alliance, the school districts and Ozark health Foundation.

Areas Served

Ozark Mountain Health Network (OMHN) serves the residents of

Van Buren and Searcy counties.

Target Population Served

Community health center, rural health clinics, federally qualified health center, nursing shortage area, state, and local health departments.

Project Summary

The project focuses on primary care and wellness and disease

Darrell Moore

Ozark Health Foundation

P.O. Box 74

2500 Highway 65 South

Clinton, AR

Phone: (501) 745-7004, ext. 107

Fax: (501) 745-4203

E-mail:

darrell.moore@myozarkhealth.com

Ozark Mountain Health Network

Clinton, AR 72031

Eileen Holloran

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-7529

eileen.holloran@hrsa.hhs.gov

prevention strategies. OMHN (or any of their partners or any organization in the service area) has not received a rural health network outreach mant. We have received the rural health network planning grant in 2003 and the network development grant in 2005.

The current service providers in this area include Ozark Health, Inc.; Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, Inc.; DHHS/DOH/Van Buren County local health unit; DHHS/DOW/Searcy County local health unit; Health Resources of Arkansas, Inc.; Ozark Health Foundation; Baptist Health, Inc.; and seven primary care physicians. All (there are no health care providers in the area who are not involved) of the current service providers in this two county area are involved in OMHN. These providers’ missions are consistent with the mission of OMHN, and each of the providers will be positively affected by goals and activities of the outreach program.

Topic Areas

Substance Abuse, Prevention Education

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 200,000.00

·          Year 2 - 200,000.00

·          Year 3 - 200,000.00

Partners to the Project

Adolescent Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Project (ADAPT)

Areas Served

Mendocino County, which is designated as a Medically Underserved Population.

Target Population Served

Program goals are to reduce high-risk behavior for alcohol and other drug use among youth; to increase refusal skills and knowledge of harmful effects of substance abuse among youth; and to increase prevention knowledge and awareness among parents.

Project Summary

The Mendocino County Health Department and its partners developed the Adolescent Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Project (ADAPT) in response to the need for substance abuse prevention and treatment services for rural youth in northern California. ADAPT will team a substance abuse therapist ADAPT

Patricia Guntly

Mendocino County Health Department

1120 South Dora Street

Ukiah, California 95482-6340

Phone: (707) 472-2637

Fax: (707) 472-2658

Email: guntlyp@co.mendocino.ca.us

Mendocino County Health Department

Ukiah, CA 95482-6340

Kristin Martinsen

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-4438

kmartinsen@hrsa.gov

will team a substance abuse therapist with an intervention specialist to increase youth resiliency—while reducing the incidence and harmful effects of substance abuse—through prevention, intervention, and treatment. The three primary components of the program are substance abuse treatment; prevention education and opportunities for personal growth and development through service learning, project-based modules, and outdoor adventure; and family strengthening services. Program goals are to reduce high-risk behavior for alcohol and other drug use among youth; to increase refusal skills and knowledge of harmful effects of substance abuse among youth; and to increase prevention knowledge and awareness among parents. Services will be provided at schools, community-based organizations, and county Alcohol and Other Drug Programs (AODP) offices.

Widespread production, use, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs as well as economic impoverishment exist in Mendocino County, which is designated as a Medically Underserved Population. Summary results for the California Healthy Kids Survey show a high level of youth experimentation and involvement with alcohol and other drugs. However, substance abuse treatment services for youth are extremely limited throughout the county, especially in the targeted communities of Willits (population 13,500) and Potter Valley (population 1,900). In Potter Valley, substance abuse treatment is not available in any form; the AODP office in Willits offers limited treatment to youth in alternative school or criminal justice settings, but no treatment to youth in mainstream settings. In addition, residents in both Potter Valley and Willits must travel 25 miles to Ukiah for specialized services, and transportation is very limited. ADAPT will provide services to youth age 13 through 18.

In addition to the lead applicant, the Mendocino County Health Department’s Division of Alcohol and Other Drug Programs, ADAPT consortium partners include Howard Memorial Hospital, Nuestra Alianza, Potter Valley Community Center, Potter Valley Community Health Center, Potter Valley Community Unified School District, Sherwood Valley Rancheria, Willits Action Group, and Willits Unified School District.

Topic Areas

Mobile clinic, Telehealth technology, Primary care services, Specialist consultation

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Tulare Local Healthcare District (Tulare District Hospital, TDH) is the lead agency of a consortium composed of Tulare Community Health Clinic (a Federally Qualified Health Center), public health nurses from Tulare County Office of Education’s Migrant Education Program, Tulare County Asthma Coalition, Alta Vista School District, Pixley Union School District, and Love In the Name of Christ (a 501(C)(3) non-profit community based organization).

Areas Served

Alta Vista and Pixley in Tulare County, which is located in the Central Valley of California.

Target Population Served

The purpose of the Mobile Clinic/Telehealth Outreach Project is to provide primary health care services and specialist consults, including dental services, to underserved residents in rural Tulare County

meade hallock

Tulare Local Healthcare District

869 N. Cherry Street

Tulare, CA 93274

Phone: (559) 685-3414

Fax: (559) 685-3835

E-mail: mhallock@tdhs.org

Tulare Local Healthcare District

Tulare, CA 93274

Sherilyn Pruitt

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-0819

spruitt@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

Tulare Local Healthcare District (Tulare District Hospital, TDH) is the lead agency of a consortium composed of Tulare Community Health Clinic (a Federally Qualified Health Center), public health nurses from Tulare County Office of Education’s Migrant Education Program, Tulare County Asthma Coalition, Alta Vista School District, Pixley Union School District, and Love In the Name of Christ (a 501(C)(3) non-profit community based organization).

These partners formed this consortium to address the lack of basic healthcare available in the rural, impoverished areas of Alta Vista and Pixley in Tulare County, which is located in the Central Valley of California. The purpose of the Mobile Clinic/Telehealth Outreach Project is to provide primary health care services and specialist consults, including dental services, to underserved residents in rural Tulare County. TDH will visit each site once a week, on a set schedule, bringing health care directly to the community in a Mobile Health Clinic. Telehealth Monitors placed at each school site will provide live access to the nurse practitioner on the Mobile Clinic, Monday through Friday.

The low income population of these areas is designated a Medically Underserved Population, as well as a Medically Underserved Community. In addition, the target areas are designated as primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas. (Alta Vista is in an unincorporated region east of Porterville, MSSA 231/232.)

The focus of the Mobile Clinic/Telehealth project will be primary care, women’s health (with an emphasis on OB care), pediatrics, asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. Specialist consults and dental care will be provided at Tulare Community Health Clinic. Public health nurses from Tulare County Office of Education’s Migrant Education Program will work closely with the Mobile Health Clinic to provide these communities with access to health care.

Tulare County has the highest rate of diabetes in the State, and the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy. Central Valley has the highest rate of childhood asthma in California. The target population is Hispanic agricultural workers and their families. The Census Bureau reports that Tulare County has the fifth highest percentage of poverty and the third-highest percentage of people with less than a high school diploma in the nation. Statewide, census statistics reveal that Tulare County has the highest percentage of poverty, unemployment, and lack of education in California. Nearly two-thirds of the population under age 18 in Tulare County live below 200 percent of poverty—the highest rate in the State. Tulare County is the leading agricultural producer in the Nation, yet the Hispanic agricultural workers who harvest these crops live in extreme poverty and suffer from poor housing conditions, malnutrition, and lack of medical care. School officials in the areas targeted by this grant confirm that over 80 percent of students are Hispanic, and 93-100 percent of students at each school qualify for the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program.

The Mobile Clinic/Telehealth project will provide primary and preventative medical care for these impoverished communities by taking services directly to the community. By placing permanent telehealth monitors at each site, individuals without transportation can walk to the school sites and receive medical treatment and consultation Monday through Friday. Tulare Community Health Clinic will provide specialist consultations and dental care by referral. Love INC is already well established in all targeted areas, delivering food and basic necessities to the communities through a network of local churches.

Topic Areas

Health insurance enrollment, Primary care, Dental care, Case management

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Lindsay and Woodlake school district Healthy Start and Family Resource Centers and the Children’s Health Initiative coalition through First 5 Tulare County are partnering with the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ e-Dental Health.

Areas Served

Lindsay and Woodlake within the central California county of Tulare.

Target Population Served

To provide a comprehensive continuum of health care service for uninsured children.

Project Summary

The Rural Health Services Outreach Grant for Tulare County’s Children’s Health County’s Children’s Health Initiative specifically

Janie Elson

Lindsay Unified School District

475 E. Honolulu

Lindsay, CA 93247

Phone: (559) 562-5974

E-mail: jcelson@lindsay.kl2.ca.us

Lindsay Unified School District

Lindsay, CA 93247

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

focuses on increasing medical and dental access in two, majority-Latino, low-income, rural farm communities of Lindsay and Woodlake within the central California county of Tulare. Lindsay and Woodlake school district Healthy Start and Family Resource Centers and the Children’s Health Initiative coalition through First 5 Tulare County are partnering with the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ e-Dental Health program to provide a comprehensive continuum of health care service for uninsured children.

The Tulare County Children’s Health Initiative (CHI) is focused on increasing dental and medical health access for children ages 0-18 through outreach and enrollment into publicly funded programs and by offering a new gap insurance product, Healthy Kids, for children ineligible for state Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal) or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP, known as Healthy Families in California). Healthy Kids is a new, local public/private partnership program with comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health benefits mirroring the state Healthy Families program. It is scheduled to launch in January 2006. Healthy Kids will be for children in families with incomes up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, regardless of immigration status, and is modeled afer similar successful programs in other California counties.

The project begins with health insurance enrollment at local sites for children in Lindsay and Woodlake into current public programs Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, if eligible, or Healthy Kids—all in one application and one appointment for all children. An e-Dental Health network at school sites that connects the rural communities of Woodlake and Lindsay with a newly created e-Health Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will utilize telecommunications technology to provide dental consultation and treatment or treatment referral. Participation in the e-Dental program requires some sort of insurance coverage. It is estimated that 30 percent of the two towns’ children are ineligible for public programs. These children will qualify for the new Healthy Kids program. Referral appointments from the school e-Dental site to local dentists will be tracked by local case managers, along with quarterly follow-up with families of children enrolled into Healthy Kids in order to provide health care utilization assistance.

Project funds will provide a.5 FTE Certified Application Assistor/case manager each in Woodlake and Lindsay and Healthy Kids insurance premium costs for 55 children ages 6-18, which will allow services identified by the e-Dental and other health providers to be accessed. First 5 Tulare County will subsidize Healthy Kids premium costs for children ages 0-5.

Topic Areas

Satellite clinic, Bilingual specialty services, Telemedicine technology, Substance abuse treatment

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 149,120.00

·          Year 2 - 124,238.00

·          Year 3 - 94,942.00

Partners to the Project

A consortium consisting of Catalina Island Medical Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, and the USC Catalina Island Hyperbaric Chamber, with the help of the Santa Catalina Island Company and Two Harbors Enterprises, will utilize creative outreach models to bring primary care services through a satellite clinic to the remote island community of Two Harbors.

Areas Served

City of Avalon

Target Population Served

Services will especially benefit the medically fragile and low-income island residents.

Project Summary

Located on Santa Catalina Island, 26 miles off the coast of Long Beach, California, Catalina Island Medical Center (CIMC) provides 24-hour emergency room services, acute care, skilled nursing care, rehabilitation services, and primary care services to residents and visitors of Santa Catalina Island. There are 3,127 year-round

Dawn Sampson

Avalon Medical Development Corporation

Catalina Island Medical Center

100 Falls Canyon Road

P.O. Box 1563

Avalon, CA 90704

Phone: (310) 510-0520

Fax: (310) 510-2381

Avalon Medical Development Corporation

Avalon, CA 90704

Eileen Holloran

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-7529

eholloran@hrsa.gov

residents of the City of Avalon, the island’s only incorporated city. Forty six percent of the island population is Hispanic. Its physical beauty and rustic charm make Catalina an attractive tourist destination, drawing 1,000,000 annual visitors to the island.

While the picturesque Avalon may appear to be an idyllic small town, the City struggles with many of the same problems as much larger cities, and has added barriers to accessing services due to the island’s physical isolation from the mainland. Catalina Island is designated a Health Professional Shortage Area. Like most rural facilities, CIMC requires local financial support to keep the doors open. The current needs to be addressed with this project are as follows:

·         The rugged West End of Catalina Island has never had local primary medical care services available to its 493 year-round residents, 1,648 summer residents, and hundreds of boaters and divers. To reach CIMC, located in the main city of Avalon for primary care, residents of the West End must travel the 23 mile, 1.25-hour trip over mountainous terrain and partially paved roads. To reach a mainland facility they must travel at least 1 hour by boat, then find ground transportation. The only transportation service between the West End and Avalon costs $46 per round trip, and only one trip per day is available. Ownership of private vehicles is limited by high barge costs to the island, high cost of required liability insurance, and high gasoline costs (currently $4.71 per gallon).

·         There is a lack of specialty services on all parts of the island. In the main city of Avalon, CIMC ’s medical providers refer patients in need of specialty care to the mainland, but compliance with these referrals is poor due to financial, logistic, and frequently language barriers, particularly for the low-income population. Especially needy are those patients who require psychiatric services and diabetic patients requiring ophthalmology services.

·         Drug and alcohol dependencies are a large problem in our community, but there are no local chemical-dependency treatment programs.

A consortium consisting of Catalina Island Medical Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, and the USC Catalina Island Hyperbaric Chamber, with the help of the Santa Catalina Island Company and Two Harbors Enterprises, will utilize creative outreach models to bring primary care services through a satellite clinic to the remote island community of Two Harbors. The consortium will also bring bilingual specialty services to the island city of Avalon using telemedicine technology. Services will especially benefit the medically fragile and low-income island residents. In addition, a program feasibility study on development of a chemical dependency treatment program will help the island’s sole community health care provider/Critical Access Hospital to tailor strategic program planning to the unique needs of the island population while striving to develop a positive operating margin to guarantee continuing operations.

Topic Areas

Oral Health

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·         Year 1 - 150,000.00

·         Year 2 - 125,000.00

·         Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

The program was initiated by a group of community organizations including Day Kimball Hospital, the Northeast District Department of Health, GFHC, the local council of governments, the transit district, and a local pediatric dentist.

Areas Served

Rural Windham.

Target Population Served

Preschool/school-aged children and young pregnant women.

Project Summary

The Save Smiles Oral Health Project reduces oral health disparities for low-income preschool and school-aged children and young pregnant women in rural Windham, which is located in the poorest

Dr. Margaret Ann Smith, DMD

Generations Familv Health Center. Inc.

1315 Main Street - Suite 2

Willimantic, CT 06226-1953

Phone: (860) 450-7456, ext. 132

Fax: (860) 450-7475

E-mail: margaret.ann.smith@penemco.com

Generations Familv Health Center. Inc.

Willimantic, CT 06226-1953

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

county in Connecticut. Windham’s population is 55% Hispanic; 45% of the Hispanic population is uninsured. Thirty-one percent of Windham children live in poverty; 50% are on Medicaid, and 31% speak a language other than English at home. Windham has the highest rate of homelessness in Connecticut and a population that includes many recent immigrants, who are migrant workers. High rates of drug use and teen pregnancy compound the problems of endemic poverty in Windham.

Children and low-income young pregnant women have high rates of gross dental decay and few options for oral health care. Apart from GFHC’s dental clinic, which has a long waiting list, there is only one dentist in Windham who accepts Medicaid reimbursement. There are no pediatric or dental specialists in the area who accept Medicaid. Since 1994, Windham has been a designated dental shortage area.

The project’s goals are based on a comprehensive community planning process and needs assessment that began in early 2006. Participants in the planning process represented the majority of our target population. Project goals focus on providing access to oral health services in community settings, providing preventive services, including age-appropriate oral health instruction, and implementing a community education and advocacy campaign to increase the community’s dental IQ and lessen oral health disparities locally and statewide. Save Smiles’ goals are designed to:

·         increase awareness about and access to oral health care for the target

·         population;

·         provide preventive services that will lessen the target population’s need for

·         emergency and restorative oral health services;

·         create a replicable, cost-effective project;

·         build Windham’s cultural competence;

·         increase community and legislative support for oral health care for all; and

·         increase the oral health status of the community.

Topic Areas

Prenatal Services

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 200,000.00

·          Year 2 - 200,000.00

·          Year 3 - 200,000.00

Partners to the Project

LRHC will collaborate with two private obstetricians, two hospitals, and other state and community agencies and programs to build a countywide network.

Areas Served

Sussex County, Delaware

Target Population Served

The target population includes underserved and vulnerable pregnant women.

Project Summary

La Red Health Center (LRHC) will expand an existing program to offer prenatal and labor/delivery services to underserved and vulnerable pregnant women in Sussex County, Delaware. LRHC will develop a formal promotoras program, utilizing an indigenous case

Brian Olson

La Red Health Center

505-A West Market Street

Georgetown, Delaware 19947-2321

Phone: (302) 855-1233

Fax: (302) 855-1020

La Red Health Center

Georgetown, Delaware 19947-2321

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

management model developed to facilitate access to medical care in underserved communities. The goals of this project are (1) to improve perinatal health outcomes and reduce disparities as a result of expanded access to care and education for low-income, at-risk women and (2) to develop a comprehensive countywide promotoras program to provide outreach, community health education, case management, and other services to encourage early entry to prenatal care, concordance with medical advice, and subsequent medical care for infants and children.

The program will serve rural Sussex County, which is the largest county in Delaware in terms of land mass and has a population of 156,638. The entire county is federally designated as a Medically Underserved Area, a low-income Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), and a dental HPSA. The lack of access to prenatal care for both uninsured and Medicaid-enrolled women has created a crisis in the county. No private obstetricians in western Sussex County accept patients with Medicaid into their practice, other obstetricians in the county limit the number of patients with Medicaid they will treat, and uninsured patients cannot pay the required fees for prenatal care. Most uninsured women served by an existing LRHC program did not seek early prenatal care. This trend, combined with limited provider availability, compounds the problem of early access to care. Thus, there is a tremendous need for LRHC’s prenatal services.

To address the demand for prenatal services, LRHC will partner with two private obstetricians, two hospitals, and other state and community agencies and programs to build a countywide network. Existing capacity for the prenatal program will be doubled and complemented by an aggressive campaign of community education urging early entry to care.

Topic Areas

Primary care, Mental health services, Substance abuse treatment, Dental care

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Guidance Clinic of the Middle Keys has collaborated with Rural Health Network of Monroe County, FL, Inc., in the limited provision of its services to the homeless.

Areas Served

Provided mental health and substance abuse services for the people of Monroe County.

Target Population Served

Comprehensive health care program targeted to the uninsured and homeless.

Dan Smith

Rural Health Network of Monroe Co., FL, Inc.

P.O. Box 4966

Key West, FL 33041

E-mail: dsmith@rhnmc.org

Rural Health Network of Monroe Co., FL, Inc.

Key West, FL 33041

Eileen Holloran

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-7529

eholloran@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The Rural Health Network of Monroe County, FL, Inc. (RHNMC) was created in 1993 in response to the enactment of Florida Statute 381.0406. This Act mandates the formation of health networks throughout the State in certified rural areas for the purpose of providing “... a continuum of quality health care services for rural residents through (local) cooperative efforts...”. In May 2000, through support received from a HRSA Office of Rural Health Policy Outreach grant, RHNMC secured funding to initiate a primary care program, through the use of a single medical mobile van. Since that time, this organization has expanded its services to include yet another mobile medical van, two “fixed site clinics, and a dental clinic, thereby extending services in the Florida Keys over a 120-mile linear island chain.

This project is designed to build upon previous accomplishments established by this network organization through its local partners, and through funding granted by HRSA to create a meaningful, sustainable and lasting provision of comprehensive primary care. In responding to the Florida Statute-mandate to ensure a continuum of care, RHNMC has entered into local communities with an intent of not duplicating services, creating service access where those service may be lacking, and more importantly, to work within and without a network framework to improve health care services where possible. RHNMC seeks to partner with a local for-profit hospital network member and with the largest substance abuse and mental health facility in this county to offer outpatient primary care, outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, and access to dental care for uninsured residents of the Lower Florida Keys—10 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For almost 30 years, the Guidance Clinic of the Middle Keys (GC 1K) has provided mental health and substance abuse services for the people of Monroe County. As a recent (ORHP) outreach grantee (May 2003 - April 2006), GCMK has partnered with RHNMC in the limited provision of its services to the homeless. The Lower FL Keys Health (Hospital) Center (LFKHC; a founding RHNMC member) has voiced its desire to merge the resources of RHNMC, GCMK, and itself to create a seamless and comprehensive health care program targeted to the uninsured and homeless. This project is the first merger of its kind in county history, bringing together a for-profit hospital/primary care service, not-for-profit mental health and substance abuse care and not-for-profit primary and dental care.

Topic Areas

Oral health care

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 200,000.00

·          Year 2 - 200,000.00

·          Year 3 - 200,000.00

Partners to the Project

Consortium members include Floyd County Health Department, Coosa Valley Technical College, Floyd College Health Sciences Division, Floyd Medical Center, Northwest Health District, and Rome/Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth.

Areas Served

The five counties are located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Target Population Served

The regional dental clinic will offer a full range of pediatric and adult dental services, including outpatient dental care for young children with serious dental needs. The need for dental services among low-income families in the target area is tremendous.

Patricia Townley

Floyd County Board of Health

315 West 10th Street

Rome, Georgia 30165-2638

Phone: (706) 802-5444

Fax: (706) 802-5445

Floyd County Board of Health

Rome, GA 30165-2638

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The new Floyd County Dental Clinic will operate as a regional clinic, serving residents of a five-county area in rural northwest Georgia. The goal of the clinic is to increase access to oral health care for residents in the region. The regional dental clinic will offer a full range of pediatric and adult dental services, including outpatient dental care for young children with serious dental needs. The clinic will accept adult and pediatric emergencies and will have an oral surgery program as well. Opening the clinic will provide many residents in the region access to high-quality dental services that are currently unavailable to them. The need for dental services among low-income families in the target area is tremendous. Only four dentists accept Medicaid, and acceptance is sporadic. Low-income families with dental insurance cannot find a provider who will take them as patients. A mobile dental clinic provides limited services to only a fraction of the residents in need of dental care, and clients in need of follow-up care have no local options.

The five counties are located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The total population of the five-county area is 260,591. According to 2000 Census data, 88 percent of the population is white, 8 percent is African American, and 4 percent is Hispanic. The Hispanic population in the area has grown significantly in the past 10 years, because of employment opportunities. However, their jobs are often minimum wage with no health insurance benefits.

Access to oral health care is problematic for many residents in the target area, especially for those with low income or who lack insurance. The five county health departments have no public health dental facilities and only one mobile dental van. Four counties in the target area are designated as Medically Underserved Areas or Medically Underserved Populations. One of the counties is designated as a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area.

Consortium members include Floyd County Health Department, Coosa Valley Technical College, Floyd College Health Sciences Division, Floyd Medical Center, Northwest Health District, and Rome/Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth.

Topic Areas

Health Education

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 198,810.00

·          Year 2 - 198,092.00

·          Year 3 - 198,896.00

Partners to the Project

The East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Coalition comprises eight county community collaboratives—Glascock Action Partners, Jenkins County Family Enrichment Commission, Lincoln County Family Connection, McDuffie County Partners for Success, Screven County Community Collaborative, Taliaferro County Family Connection, Warren County Family Connection, and Wilkes County Community Partnership (all of which have included and supported school health programs in their strategic plans—as well as Medical College of Georgia, University of Georgia (College of Family and Consumer Science), and the East Central Public Health District.

Areas Served

The rural underserved service area includes eight counties: Glascock, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes.

Target Population Served

The proposed East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Initiative will increase awareness and access to health promotion services by providing ongoing leadership training regarding healthy lifestyles for local youth; encouraging these youth to take a leadership role in planning, implementing, and monitoring local health promotion/education projects; and supporting these you as they plan and coordinate an ongoing local health lifestyles education outreach campaign for youth in the proposed service area.

Mary Ann Kotras

East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Coalition

Lincoln County Commission

P.O. Box 68

Lincolnton, Georgia 30824-0068

Phone: (706) 595-3112

Fax: (706) 595-3113

East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Coalition

Lincolnton, GA 30824-0068

Lakisha Smith

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-0837

lsmith3@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

Experts agree that decisions youth make regarding lifestyle and personal behavior in adolescence have tremendous future consequences. These consequences include, but are not limited to, lifelong substance abuse (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, other drugs); teen parenthood and subsequent low educational attainment and low socioeconomic status; and/or eventual chronic disease (e.g., cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer). The proposed East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Initiative will increase awareness and access to health promotion services by providing ongoing leadership training regarding healthy lifestyles for local youth; encouraging these youth to take a leadership role in planning, implementing, and monitoring local health promotion/education projects; and supporting these you as

they plan and coordinate an ongoing local health lifestyles education outreach campaign for youth in the proposed service area.

The rural underserved service area includes eight counties: Glascock, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes. The proposed population is 7,452 youth (age 10 to 18). The region displays demographic characteristics similar to many poor rural areas, including high percentage of minority residents, isolation, poverty, negative health indicators, lack of educational attainment, and a struggling rural economy. According to the 2000 census, the region is home to 75,184 individuals: 59 percent white, 40 percent African American, and 1 percent other. More than one out of every four children (age 0 to 17 years) in the region is currently living below the poverty level. Much of this poverty is a result of adolescent childbearing. Nearly one-fifth (18.4 percent) of the total births to region residents were to unwed teen females, and more than one out of every two (56.0 percent were to unwed mothers (regardless of age). More than one out of every three female-headed households with children under age 18 in the region are currently living below the poverty level.

An estimated 6,920 county residents are in need of alcohol treatment services, and 2,977 are in need of drug treatment. State mental health officials estimate that only 20 percent of those who need treatment services will actually demand or want the assistance. Many of these adults are raising young children and making their children victims of the downward negative spiral of intergenerational addiction and its consequences.

In 2002, 60 percent of all deaths in the region were due to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Death and disability from these diseases are related to a number of modifiable risk factors, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, having a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, and smoking.

The East Central Georgia Regional Teen Wellness Coalition comprises eight county community collaboratives—Glascock Action Partners, Jenkins County Family Enrichment Commission, Lincoln County Family Connection, McDuffie County Partners for Success, Screven County Community Collaborative, Taliaferro County Family Connection, Warren County Family Connection, and Wilkes County Community Partnership (all of which have included and supported school health programs in their strategic plans—as well as Medical College of Georgia, University of Georgia (College of Family and Consumer Science), and the East Central Public Health District.

Topic Areas

Dental clinic services, preventative dental care

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 169,004.00

·          Year 2 - 160,198.00

·          Year 3 - 161,620.00

Partners to the Project

The South Georgia Regional Dental Outreach Initiative comprises the Turner County Board of Education, the lead applicant; Public Health District 8-1; area volunteer dentists; and five community collaboratives—Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Policy Council for Children and Families, Irwin County Family Connection, Turner County Connection, Wilcox County Family Connection, and Worth County Family Connection.

Areas Served

The service area is a five-county underserved area in rural southern Georgia with a population of 67,463 individuals.

Target Population Served

The initiative will provide (1) dental services for at least 1,500 individuals; (2) dental health preventive education for more than 15,000 individuals annually though onsite services provided in school systems, pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start, daycare centers, nursing homes, health department clinics, employee screenings at local businesses, and community health fairs and other community sites; and (3) an area dental services referral network for individuals with no other dental care options.

Brenda Lee

Turner County Board of Education

213 North Cleveland Street

Ashburn, GA 31714-0609

Phone: (229) 567-9066

Fax: (229) 567-2877

Turner County Board of Education

Ashburn, GA 31714-0609

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The goals of the South Georgia Regional Dental Outreach Initiative are to increase the number of individuals who receive preventive dental screening, the number of individuals who have access to dental clinic services, and residents’ awareness of the importance of dental hygiene and preventive dental care. To accomplish these goals, the initiative will provide (1) dental services for at least 1,500 individuals; (2) dental health preventive education for more than 15,000 individuals annually though onsite services provided in school systems, pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start, daycare centers, nursing homes, health department clinics, employee screenings at local businesses, and community health fairs and other community sites; and (3) an area dental services referral network for individuals with no other dental care options.

The service area is a five-county underserved area in rural southern Georgia with a population of 67,463 individuals. Demographic characteristics of the region include a high percentage of minority residents, isolation, poverty, negative health indicators, lack of educational attainment, and a struggling rural economy. The racial/ethnic composition is 67 percent white, 32 percent African American, and 1 percent other. Employment prospects for local residents are limited due to lack of funding. Attempts at supporting health and dental health promotion have been inadequate. There is a shortage of dentists in the area, and at-risk residents without private dental insurance must go without preventive dental care and have to ignore dental problems because of inadequate financial resources. All five counties in the region are Medically Underserved Areas, and three are designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas.

The South Georgia Regional Dental Outreach Initiative comprises the Turner County Board of Education, the lead applicant; Public Health District 8-1; area volunteer dentists; and five community collaboratives—Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Policy Council for Children and Families, Irwin County Family Connection, Turner County Connection, Wilcox County Family Connection, and Worth County Family Connection.

Topic Areas

Perinatal health

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 148,994.00

·          Year 2 - 124,908.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Wayne Memorial Hospital, Evans Memorial Hospital, Candler County Health Department, Tattnall County Health Department and Wayne County Health Department.

Areas Served

Two of the counties, Candler and Tattnall, do not have birthing hospitals, and women must travel long distances to hospitals in Wayne and Evans counties for delivery. All four targeted counties are Federally designated Medically Underserved Areas.

Target Population Served

Perinatal health program to improve health outcomes for women, infants and children.

Janice Massey

Evans County Health Department
P.O. Box 366

4 North Newton Street
Claxton, GA 30417
Phone: (912) 739-2088

E-mail: jamassey@gdph.state.ga.us

Evans County Health Department

Claxton, GA 30417

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

Evans County Health Department, along with its network partners, seeks to implement Best Babies, a perinatal health program to improve health outcomes for women, infants and children in Candler, Evans, Tattnall, and Wayne Counties in southeast Georgia. Best Babies will offer a comprehensive, integrated approach to perinatal care for women in these counties who are at high risk for adverse birth outcomes including maternal or infant mortality, low birth weight, very low birth weight, or other medical or developmental problems. The coordinated system of care will include identification of women who are at high-risk for poor birth outcomes, intensive case management, and home visits by registered nurses.

Network partners include the lead agency, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Evans Memorial Hospital, Candler County Health Department, Tattnall County Health Department and Wayne County Health Department. Two nurses will be hired to provide services to program participants under the direction of a project director.

The four targeted counties have high rates of poverty, ranging from 27 percent of the population of Evans County to 16.7 percent in Wayne County . The statewide rate of Georgians living in poverty is 12.3 percent. The population of the target area is 66 percent Caucasian, 28 percent Black, and 6 percent Hispanic. Evans, Candler, and Tattnall counties have seen tremendous growth in their Hispanic populations over the past 10 years.

Infant mortality rates (IMR) and neonatal mortality rates (NMR) are higher than those for Georgia and substantially higher than Healthy People 2010 objectives. IMR and NMR rates for Blacks are significantly higher than for Caucasians or Hispanics. Two of the counties, Candler and Tattnall, do not have birthing hospitals, and women must travel long distances to hospitals in Wayne and Evans counties for delivery. All four targeted counties are Federally designated Medically Underserved Areas. Best Babies is modeled after the highly successful Perinatal Health Partners Program, which provides perinatal services to residents of 10 counties in southeast Georgia.

Topic Areas

Physical activity/fitness, Obesity/overweight

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 149,969.00

·          Year 2 - 124,342.00

·          Year 3 - 99,968.00

Partners to the Project

The Washington County Community Wellness Consortium, a collaborative of agencies and health providers, has developed a small, multidisciplinary weight loss and fitness model program, the cornerstone of which is martial art taekwondo

Areas Served

Washington County, like many rural areas, has a significant number of overweight and obese children and youth who generally do not seek medical services to address the causes, resultant medical problems, or possible remedies.

Target Population Served

With increased numbers of chronic illnesses, health crises, and general poor health, the implications of this large number of overweight and obese children (and adults) impact all health care systems.

Project Summary

From 1991 to 1998, Georgia reported the greatest rate of increase in

Susan Francis

Hospital Authority of Washington County, Inc.

Washington County Regional Medical Center

610 Sparta Road

P.O. Box 636

Sandersville, GA 31082

Phone: (478) 552-3024

Fax: (478) 240-2390

E-mail:

sfrancis@wcrmc.com

Hospital Authority of Washington County, Inc.

Sandersville, GA 31082

Nisha Patel

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6894

npatel@hrsa.gov

prevalence of adult obesity (101.8 percent) in the United States. A recent study by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia found that Georgia children are more likely to be overweight than previously thought, with approximately 37 percent considered too heavy. With increased numbers of chronic illnesses, health crises, and general poor health, the implications of this large number of overweight and obese children (and adults) impact all health care systems. Washington County, like many rural areas, has a significant number of overweight and obese children and youth who generally do not seek medical services to address the causes, resultant medical problems, or possible remedies. Most commonly, they are uninsured, poor, poorly educated, often isolated, and lack family support in addressing overweight/obesity.

Children are usually at the mercy of parents/caregivers in the matter of food selection, purchase, and preparation. Poor nutrition is compounded by lack of access to a comprehensive fitness program or facility because of limited or non-existent transportation. Rural children are particularly at risk as a result of multiple barriers, many of which are remediable.

The Washington County Community Wellness Consortium, a collaborative of agencies and health providers, has developed a small, multidisciplinary weight loss and fitness model program, the cornerstone of which is martial art taekwondo. This model program began July 18, 2005, with a small grant from Georgia Southern University’s Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP). This program is already showing positive results in participants. Approximately 50 percent of the children are obese or overweight. Parents and children are enrolled. For the proposed project, additional children will be recruited from schools, health providers, the recreation department, and churches for an after-school and summer program. Transportation, not currently provided, will be provided for students.

Use of a martial arts program is a comprehensive approach to exercise and yields a wide array of benefits, such as increased self-esteem, a positive body image, goal setting, and reduced aggression. Children who participate in this proposed project will be assessed using several standard instruments. A physical exam by a pediatrician will be required. Individual fitness/wellness plans will be developed. Parents/primary caregivers and other adults will be recruited and encouraged to participate as well. The program will include 75 obese/overweight children, 25 parents/primary caregivers, and 50 non-overweight peers and/or adults. To avoid stereotyping obese children, enrollment will be open. All program participants will receive regular nutrition education and food preparation demonstrations provided by the Washington County Extension Service. Children will be required to attend 21 classes in an 8-week cycle (or three classes per week), leading to earning a series of belts. At specific intervals, children’s physical and psychosocial progress will be assessed. Interval successes and instructor feedback will motivate children and families to continue their individual plans.

Topic Areas

Diabetes

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

The Irwin County Board of Health, as the lead partner, proposes to work with the Ben Hill County Board of Health, Dorminy Medical Center, the Ben Hill County School System, Irwin County Hospital, the Irwin County School System, the South Central Primary Care Center, Irwin County Family Practice Associates (Dr. Howard McMahan), and the South Health District to address diabetes in these two counties.

Areas Served

The goals of the project will be to reduce the number of hospitalizations resulting from diabetes or diabetic complications in Irwin and Ben Hill counties by 10 percent, to increase healthy lifestyle behaviors among middle school children, and to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in these two counties through awareness of prevention strategies.

Target Population Served

The target population will include individuals who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with an emphasis on those who do not have insurance and/or who live in poverty; middle school children who need to develop healthy lifestyle behaviors that will lower their risk of becoming diabetic; and the general public.

Bridget Walters

Irwin County Board of Health

Georgia Department of Human Resources

407 W. Fourth Street

Ocilla, GA 31774

Phone: (229) 468-5003

E-mail: bmwalters@gdph.state.ga.us

Irwin County Board of Health

Ocilla, GA 31774

Vanessa Hooker

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-5105

vhooker@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

Diabetes is one of the nation’s most common chronic diseases and was the eighth leading cause of death in Georgia in 2001. Unfortunately, the 2000-2001 prevalence of diabetes in two rural southern Georgia counties—Ben Hill (13.2 percent) and Irwin (14.7 percent)—is more than twice that of Georgia (6.9 percent) and the United States (6.2 percent). According to a 2002 publication by the Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation, Ben Hill and Irwin Counties fall in the top 50 percent of counties in Georgia with the highest hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes. Considering this prevalence data, related health indicators—such as high rates of obesity and little physical activity, high poverty levels, and the racial makeup of the populations—it is clear that diabetes is a serious health issue for Ben Hill and Irwin Counties. Since these counties are medically underserved areas additional resources are critical to combat this chronic illness.

The Irwin County Board of Health, as the lead partner, proposes to work with the Ben Hill County Board of Health, Dorminy Medical Center, the Ben Hill County School System, Irwin County Hospital, the Irwin County School System, the South Central Primary Care Center, Irwin County Family Practice Associates (Dr. Howard McMahan), and the South Health District to address diabetes in these two counties. The target population will include individuals who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with an emphasis on those who do not have insurance and/or who live in poverty; middle school children who need to develop healthy lifestyle behaviors that will lower their risk of becoming diabetic; and the general public. Given the poor health status of many people in these counties, it will be important to provide education and prevention messages to the public at large in order to reduce the incidence of diabetes.

The goals of the project will be to reduce the number of hospitalizations resulting from diabetes or diabetic complications in Irwin and Ben Hill counties by 10 percent, to increase healthy lifestyle behaviors among middle school children, and to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in these two counties through awareness of prevention strategies.

Grant funds will be used to hire a Nurse with a background in diabetes education as the Project Coordinator and a Secretary. The project also will contract with Dorminy Medical Center for 50 percent of a Registered Dietician. Services will include expanded educational classes for diabetics, including individual and group nutritional counseling, and community education programs for the public that will be offered to churches, senior citizen centers, the tech school, and others. The middle school component will focus on decreasing obesity, increasing physical activity, educating the students/parents about healthy lifestyles, and evaluating the school-based nutrition programs. During the first year, staff will be oriented, educational classes planned, local physicians educated about the project, community education approaches planned, and contact initiated with key school personnel. Program implementation will begin the last quarter of the first year. In the second year, a joint community health fair focused on chronic disease/diabetes will be held for the general public and a 10K Steps-A-Day program initiated in both communities.

Topic Areas

Diabetes

Project Period

May 1, 2007 – April 30, 2010

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 138,947.00

·          Year 2 - 124,999.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

Southeast Georgia Communities Project, East Georgia Healthcare Center, Inc., and Meadows Wellness Center

Areas Served

Appling, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Long, Tattnall and Toombs counties in rural Southeast Georgia.

Target Population Served

The target population includes Latino families with one or more members diagnosed with diabetes.

Project Summary

The goal of Latinos Reduciendo el Diabetes (LaRED) is to reduce morbidity and mortality related to diabetes among Latinos by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate non-medical case management, individualized health education, and access to clinical

Andrea Hinojosa

Southeast Georgia Communities Project

300 S. State

St. Lyons, GA 30436

Phone: (912) 526-5451

Fax: (912) 526-0089

E-mail: ahinojosa38@aol.com

Southeast Georgia Communities Project

St. Lyons, GA 30436

Vanessa Hooker

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-5105

vhooker@hrsa.gov

services for diabetic program participants.

The mission of Southeast Georgia Communities Project is to promote all aspects of human dignity though self-empowerment of farmworkers and other low-income residents to become partners and contributors in problem-solving and decision-making in the communities in which they live and work. During 2005, over 2,000 clients received one or more of our services.

The target population includes Latino families with one or more members diagnosed with diabetes. Census 2000 reports significant expansion of the Latino population in southeast Georgia. Toombs COU& residents are now 8.9% Latino and candler County’s percentage of Latino residents is approaching 10%. During peak harvesting months, the number of Latinos in the region increases as migratory workers and their families arrive to pick the area’s crops, including Vidalia Onions and tobacco. The average income of farmworkers in $8,000 per year, placing them well below poverty and among the lowest paid workers in the nation. Latinos in southeast Georgia are predominantly Mexican and Mexican American from Mexico, Texas and Florida. However, the population is far from homogenous with immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

LaRED will have two components. The first component targets Latino diabetics with non-medical case management and individualized education, using a home visiting model. The educational curricula and materials will be adapted from Diabetes Today, National Institutes of Health and the Cooperative Extension service. The second component will educate 335 adults and youth each year on diabetes risk factors and prevention strategies, including healthy diet and lifestyle.

Topic Areas

Pediatric Obesity

Project Period

May 1, 2005 – April 30, 2008

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 198,795.00

·          Year 2 - 178,071.09

·          Year 3 - 181,591.09

Partners to the Project

Healthy Families Active Youth partners include Terry Reilly Health Services as the lead agency, Southwest District Health Department, Treasure Valley Family YMCA, Homedale School District, and Caldwell School District. All partners have participated in a broad-based community coalition of more than 15 organizations that began in October 2003 to address childhood overweight.

Areas Served

Rural Canyon and Owyhee counties.

Target Population Served

The target population is low-income elementary school children and their families in two towns in rural Canyon and Owyhee counties.

Project Summary

Healthy Families Active Youth is a health promotion and fitness project that will target elementary school children and their parents in two towns in rural southwest Idaho to prevent and treat pediatric

Ann M. Sandven

Terry Reilly Health Services

211 16th Avenue, North

P.O. Box 9

Nampa, Idaho 83653-0009

Phone: (208) 467-4431

Fax: (208) 467-7684

Terry Reilly Health Services

Nampa, ID 83653-0009

Nisha Patel

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6894

npatel@hrsa.gov

obesity. The goal of the project is to promote healthy weight and activity levels in rural children. Objectives include increasing the knowledge of healthy foods, increasing servings of fruit and vegetables, increasing the percentage of children who get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week, stabilizing or decreasing the weight of overweight children participating in a weight management program, and promoting appropriate identification and treatment of childhood overweight by health care professionals.

The target population is low-income elementary school children and their families in two towns in rural Canyon and Owyhee counties. Nearly one in five residents in Canyon County is Hispanic, compared to one in four Owyhee County residents. Poverty rates for most of the target area are higher than state averages. The project will serve 1,400 children, at least 100 parents, and 25 health care professionals. Approximately 52 percent of participants will be Hispanics, 46 percent non-Hispanic whites, and 2 percent other ethnicities. The two counties are home to an estimated 25,319 migrant and seasonal farmworkers. An estimated 50 percent or more of migrant workers lack health insurance, compared to an estimated 18 percent of all persons in Idaho. Barriers to access of health services include poverty and lack of insurance. Language, cultural, and education barriers exacerbate health problems for which Hispanics, who make up the majority of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the state, are at added risk. An estimated 28,000 people in the two counties lack insurance, with many more struggling with inadequate coverage. Both counties are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, and Owyhee County and the southern part of Canyon County are also designated as Medically Underserved Areas.

Healthy Families Active Youth partners include Terry Reilly Health Services as the lead agency, Southwest District Health Department, Treasure Valley Family YMCA, Homedale School District, and Caldwell School District. All partners have participated in a broad-based community coalition of more than 15 organizations that began in October 2003 to address childhood overweight.

Topic Areas

Primary care, Social services, Elderly, Health promotion/disease prevention (general)

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

The consortium for this project includes Gritman Medical Center/Adult Day Health, Pullman Regional Hospital, Whitman Hospital and Medical Center, the Council on Aging & Human Services/COAST Transportation, and Region II Area Agency on Aging.

Areas Served

In the rural areas of Eastern Washington in Whitman County and North Central Idaho in Latah County .

Target Population Served

To increase access to medical care and social services for seniors.

Project Summary

The consortium for this project includes Gritman Medical Center/Adult Day Health, Pullman Regional Hospital, Whitman Hospital and Medical Center, the Council on Aging & Human Services/COAST Transportation, and Region II Area Agency on Aging.

Barbara Mohoney

Gritman Medical Center/Adult Day Health Program

700 S. Main

Moscow, ID 83843

Phone: (208) 883-6483

Fax: (208) 883-6489

E-mail: barbara.mahoney@gritman.org

Gritman Medical Center/Adult Day Health Program

Moscow, ID 83843

Nisha Patel

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6894

npatel@hrsa.gov

The primary goal of Project ACCESS (Accommodation, Collaboration for Community Education about Services for Seniors) is to increase access to medical care and social services for seniors in the rural areas of Eastern Washington in Whitman County and North Central Idaho in Latah County. The strategies proposed to increase access will enable seniors to live independently and increase the capacity of these rural communities to sustain conditions necessary for early intervention if a senior becomes at risk for problems that may impede her or his ability to living a physically and emotionally healthy life.

First, ACCESS will define and expand the senior community health services network in the rural areas. We will initiate the nationally recognized Gatekeeper program, which is a proactive network of community members trained to identify changes in behavior, routines, and other early warning signs that a senior may be at risk for a health/mental health related crisis. Given the independent nature of rural elders in Whitman and Latah Counties, at-risk seniors would remain invisible to service delivery systems without such a community-based program. Gatekeepers are trained to recognize changes and to contact a local agency on aging to engage the appropriate service delivery system. Grant funds will also initiate

care giver support groups in rural communities so that those who care for rural seniors have local access to support, respite care, information, and referrals.

Second, the grant will increase access to primary health care and related social services through an expanded volunteer corps of drivers from rural communities. Volunteer drivers will be recruited and trained by a transportation volunteer coordinator housed at the Council on Aging & Human Services/COAST in Whitman County. In addition, COAST Transportation will also work collaboratively with Latah County to identify and train volunteer drivers to respond to requests in Latah County.

Third, ACCESS will increase access to wellness and disease prevention information and referrals by developing and purchasing materials accessible to all community members and health and human service providers through medical offices, libraries, hospitals, and agencies on aging. Community education programs will also be presented, duplicated, and made available through similar venues. Local information and referrals will also be made accessible through the Washington and Idaho 2-1-1 telephone systems.

Topic Areas

Perinatal depression

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 125,000.00

·          Year 3 - 100,000.00

Partners to the Project

The Project for Perinatal and Postpartum Depression Detection (P2D2) is a collaborative effort of the partner organizations of the Regional Behavioral Health Network (RBHN) and local health departments in a three-county region of rural east central Illinois.

Areas Served

Coles County Mental Heath Center, the Human Resources’ Center of Edgar and Clark Counties, and Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, which comprise the organizations of RBHN, are joining forces with local health departments in Clark, Coles, and Edgar Counties to address the need for screening, assessment, and referral of women with symptoms of perinatal depression.

Target Population Served

This project will increase community awareness about perinatal depression, improve access to mental health screenings for childbearing women, and provide assessments and linkages to appropriate treatment for women with symptoms of depression.

Linda Weiss

Executive Director

Coles County Mental Health Association, Inc.

1300 Charleston Avenue

Mattoon, IL 61938

Phone: (217) 345-1500

Fax: (217) 258-6136,

E-mail: lweiss@ccmhc.org

Coles County Mental Health Association, Inc.

Mattoon, IL 61938

Lilly Smetana

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-443-6884

lsmetana@hrsa.gov

Project Summary

The Project for Perinatal and Postpartum Depression Detection (P2D2) is a collaborative effort of the partner organizations of the Regional Behavioral Health Network (RBHN) and local health departments in a three-county region of rural east central Illinois. All three counties are designated health professional shortage areas for both primary care and mental health. Coles County Mental Heath Center, the Human Resources’ Center of Edgar and Clark Counties, and Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, which comprise the organizations of RBHN, are joining forces with local health departments in Clark, Coles, and Edgar Counties to address the need for screening, assessment, and referral of women with symptoms of perinatal depression.

This project will increase community awareness about perinatal depression, improve access to mental health screenings for childbearing women, and provide assessments and linkages to appropriate treatment for women with symptoms of depression. Through collaboration with the local health departments and the WIC/Family Case Management programs, RBHN will initiate an integrated screening and assessment process directed at reaching women at the greatest risk of depression. Project partners will 1) provide community education about the symptoms of postpartum depression and how women can receive help; 2) improve the efficacy of the cross-disciplinary linkages between the mental health and primary care providers serving postpartum women; and 3) increase the number of postpartum women using behavioral health services.

Screening services will reach an estimated 1,250 women (350 in Year One, 400 in Year Two, and 500 in Year Three). Education and outreach activities will reach an estimated 500 persons each year. A key objective of the project is to strengthen the cross-disciplinary linkages between mental health and primary care services. The Women’s Mental Health Program of the University of Illinois at Chicago will provide training for project personnel and workshops for primary and mental health care providers on the issues of perinatal depression and options for treatment. A consultant will facilitate a process mapping of P2D2’s screening and assessment procedures to develop a common understanding of the process and work toward developing a uniform protocol that integrates the region’s resources for primary care and behavioral health treatment options available to women with perinatal depression. Partnering organizations will jointly host a regional conference to explore and improve the delivery of these treatment options in the targeted service area.

Topic Areas

Diabetes

Project Period

May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2009

Funding Level Expected Per Year

·          Year 1 - 150,000.00

·          Year 2 - 124,476.00

·          Year 3 - 99,783.00

Partners to the Project

The project brings together a consortium of local organizations—Gibson General Hospital, the Gibson County Health Department, the Pike County Health Department, Tulip Tree Family Health Clinic, the Gibson County Council on Aging, the North Gibson School Corporation, and Brink’s Family Practice—along with the Indiana State Department of Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.

Areas Served

Indiana’s Gibson and Pike Counties.

Target Population Served

The project is designed to achieve diabetes awareness and prevention for citizens in the two counties and to provide education and support on self-management for many who have already developed the condition.

Project Summary

Lifestyles Diabetes Project will provide diabetes education and

Sharon Goodman.

Gibson General Hospital

Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program Gibson General Hospital

1808 Sherman Drive

Princeton, IN 47670

Phone: (812) 385-9462

Fax (812) 385-9415

E-mail: sgoodman@gibsongeneral.com

Outreach Grant Program Gibson General Hospital

Princeton, IN 47670

Vanessa Hooker

Project Officer

HRSA/ORHP

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301-594-5105

vhooker@hrsa.gov

treatment services to the citizens of Indiana’s Gibson and Pike Counties. The project is designed to achieve diabetes awareness and prevention for citizens in the two counties and