Academic-Community Partnership to Reduce Health Disparities in Infant Mortality

描述（由申请人提供）：其中最重要的人口健康指标是婴儿死亡率（IMR），反映了弗吉尼亚州的整体健康状况和获得优质医疗服务的机会。弗吉尼亚州的婴儿死亡率历来高于全国平均水平（2012年VDH健康统计数据），黑人和白色婴儿之间（2002-2006年，黑人和白人分别为每1，000名新生儿死亡14.4人和6.1人; 2012年VDH健康统计数据）以及社会经济和农村/城市梯度之间仍存在巨大的种族/民族差异。人们日益认识到，在公共卫生领域采用基于社区的参与性研究是在社区一级实现变革的一个组成部分。我们建议使用创新的方法和公布的最佳做法，形成一个社区联盟，由一个学术机构，雪兰多大学（SU），当地卫生部门，（弗吉尼亚州卫生部（VDH）的费尔法克斯勋爵卫生区（LFHD）），以改善相关社区的健康和利益为使命的组织，值得信赖的社区成员，与传统上代表性不足的社区的同行领导人建立合作、平等的伙伴关系，其使命是开始对话，讨论社区外展的有效方法和社区对婴儿死亡率的看法。我们战略性地选择将工作重点放在LFHD内的三个地区：温彻斯特市（WC）、弗雷德里克县（FC）和佩奇县（PC），代表居住在多元化社会经济城市环境（WC）、医疗服务不足的居民农村环境（PC），以及距离大学（FC）最近的部分农村、医疗服务不足的地区。该联盟的活动将帮助社区组织确定在不同社区情况下处理婴儿死亡率问题的最佳做法;请求援助;分享资源;并在此过程中发展一种处理婴儿死亡率问题的集体文化。该联盟的成果之一将是举办讲习班，为LFHD社区提供健康教育。这个合作联盟还将有一个咨询委员会，其总体目标将是维持正在进行的互动社区联盟，超越这个学术社区伙伴关系项目的任务。这个新成立的联盟和咨询委员会将最终在SU（受赠机构），VDH LFHD，社区组织和值得信赖的社区成员之间达成谅解备忘录，目的是开展CBPR项目，以解决婴儿死亡率的健康差异， 当地的区域。目前非常需要使用以社区为基础的方法来解决一个长期存在的公共卫生问题，即婴儿死亡率，在这个问题上，健康差距仍然很大 目前在该地区还没有合作的社区伙伴关系。 公共卫生相关性：该项目是工作中公共卫生实践的一个明显例子。总体目标是建立一个以社区为基础的联盟，以发展合作能力，解决两个国家公共卫生优先事项，即降低婴儿死亡率和消除健康差距，这一点已被纳入美国卫生与公众服务部2010年和2020年健康人民目标。此外，学术界、社区组织和社区成员公平参与制定公共卫生干预措施，对于促进健康的社区至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Among the most important population health indicators is the infant mortality rate (IMR) as a reflection of Virginia's overall health status ad access to quality medical care. Virginia has historically had higher IMRs than the national average (VDH Health Statistics 2012) and substantial racial/ethnic disparities remain between Black and White infants (14.4 and 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births for Blacks and Whites, respectively 2002-2006; VDH Health Statistics 2012) and across socioeconomic and rural/urban gradients. The use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) in public health is increasingly recognized as an integral part of effecting change at the community level. We propose to use innovative methods and published best practices to form a community coalition comprised of an academic institution, Shenandoah University (SU), a local health department (Lord Fairfax Health District (LFHD) of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH)), organizations with a mission in improving the health and interests of the relevant communities, trusted community members, and peer leaders of traditionally underrepresented communities to develop a collaborative, equitable partnership whose mission is to begin a dialogue on effective methods of community outreach and community perceptions of infant mortality. We have strategically chosen to focus our efforts on three regions within LFHD: Winchester city (WC), Frederick county (FC), and Page county (PC), representing residents residing in a diverse socioeconomic urban setting (WC), a medically underserved rural setting (PC), and a partially rural, medically underserved, region nearest the University (FC). The activities of the coalition will help community organizations determine best practices in addressing infant mortality in varying community contexts; request assistance; share resources; and in doing so, develop a collective culture to address infant mortality. One outcome of the coalition will be workshops to provide health education to communities in LFHD. This collaborative coalition will also have an Advisory Board whose overarching goal will be maintaining the ongoing interactive community coalition that transcends the tasks of this academic-community partnership project. This newly formed coalition and advisory board will culminate in a memorandum of understanding between SU (grantee institution), VDH LFHD, community organizations and trusted community members for the purpose of carrying out a CBPR project to address health disparities in infant mortality in the local region. There is currently a great need to use community-based methods to address a long-standing public health problem, infant mortality, where substantial health disparities persist and for which there are no current collaborative community partnerships in this region. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project is a clear example of public health practice at work. The overarching goal is to develop a community-based coalition for developing a collaborative capacity for addressing two national public health priorities, reducing infant mortality and eliminating health disparities, as evidenced by their inclusion in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 and 2020 objectives. Furthermore, the equitable involvement of academics, community-based organizations and community members in developing interventions for public health is critical to fostering healthy communities.