eREACH - Expanding Research and Recruitment by Adults through Community Health workers that automating screenings and referrals plus improving communication and health information delivery

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PROJECT SUMMARY Longstanding health disparities in underserved populations result in higher infection rates, disease, and chronic conditions in older and minority populations. Without referral and linkage to healthcare services and clinical trials, many individuals, including older African Americans/Blacks (AA/Bs) in particular, are unlikely to receive the healthcare they need. The University of Florida’s nationally-recognized HealthStreet program was created to directly respond to health disparities and serve as a one-stop portal for linking, referring, and navigating under-represented populations to mental health, medical, psychiatric, and social services (e.g., food pantries, jobs, and housing) through the use of community health workers (CHWs). Barriers (e.g., time required for extensive CHW training, intakes, follow-up calls, etc.) mean not enough community members (CMs) make and attend referral appointments (e.g., 27% appointment confirmation rate). Mobile health (mHealth) can address existing barriers to create a scalable program to better utilize the CHW’s time. Benten Technologies proposes to design, develop and test a mHealth platform called eREACH that will support HealthStreet’s CHWs to provide e-screenings and referrals, deliver education in the form of short, animated movies viewable on a mobile phone or tablet, and utilize virtual agents to facilitate follow up calls and the dissemination of information. These mHealth tools will give the CHWs time to nurture a relationship with the CM and, in so doing, build a sense of trust in the clinician-participant relationship. The Phase 1 SBIR Specific Aims are to (1) Use formative research with AA/Bs over 60 years of age who are at-risk for diabetes, hypertension, and/or mild cognitive impairment with family members and relevant stakeholders to identify the needs and requirements for screenings and linkage to care; and (2) Pilot test eREACH with 30 AA/Bs and their family members to evaluate acceptance and feasibility. In the long term, the number of individuals identified, referred, and linked to care by eREACH will support the continuity of care needed to address various health issues for underserved populations, increase participation rates in clinical trials and improve outreach to vulnerable senior citizens.