Academic-Community Partnership to Reduce Health Disparities in Infant Mortality

描述（由申请人提供）：最重要的人口健康指标之一是婴儿死亡率（IMR），它反映了弗吉尼亚州的总体健康状况和获得优质医疗服务的情况。历史上，弗吉尼亚州的死亡率高于全国平均水平（2012年卫生健康统计），黑人和白人婴儿之间以及社会经济和农村/城市梯度之间仍然存在巨大的种族/族裔差异（2002-2006年，黑人和白人每千名新生儿中分别有14.4和6.1例死亡；2012年卫生健康统计）。人们日益认识到，在公共卫生领域利用社区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已公布的最佳实践来形成一个社区联盟，该联盟由一个学术机构、谢南多厄大学（SU）、一个地方卫生部门（弗吉尼亚州卫生部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和传统上代表性不足的社区的同行领导人组成，以发展一种合作，公平伙伴关系，其使命是就有效的社区外展方法和社区对婴儿死亡率的看法展开对话。我们战略性地选择将我们的努力集中在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），代表居住在不同社会经济城市环境（WC），医疗服务不足的农村环境（PC）和部分农村，医疗服务不足，离大学最近的地区（FC）的居民。该联盟的活动将帮助社区组织确定在不同社区情况下解决婴儿死亡率问题的最佳做法；请求帮助;共享资源;在这样做的过程中，发展一种集体文化来解决婴儿死亡率问题。该联盟的一个成果将是举办讲习班，向低收入家庭的社区提供健康教育。这个合作联盟还将有一个咨询委员会，其首要目标将是维持正在进行的互动社区联盟，这超越了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最终将在SU（受资助机构）、VDH、LFHD、社区组织和值得信赖的社区成员之间达成一项谅解备忘录，目的是执行一项CBPR项目，以解决该国婴儿死亡率方面的健康差异

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.