The Health Utilization Improvement Model (HUIM)
Obstacles to health care access and lack of basic health education both contribute to low health status and non-compliance with federal and state health related Head Start enrollment requirements.
The HUIM addresses the problem of low levels of health services utilization and basic health education in the Head Start population. Health services utilization is handicapped by lack of knowledge of existing health services, low understanding of well child care standards, lack of basic health education, low self-advocacy skills, infrequent routine encounters with providers, and provider insensitivity to the unique needs of Head Start families.
The Health Impact of our program includes: Increased access to existing health services through improved and appropriate utilization; increased knowledge of prevention, screening, identification, self-management of health condition as well as knowledge of preventive health techniques; Compliance with State of California standards for well-child care and health-related enrollment requirements for Head Start and State Preschool enrollment.
A Collaborative Competency-Based Health Professional Development Program
This program implements a collaborative competency-based health professional development program to meet the social dimensions of pediatric residency training accreditation requirements. The program will also enhance physicians and nurses’ understanding of the health system, and develop skills to build productive relationships between physicians and nurses.
The model reflects the unique, cultural, linguistic, and economic realities of our target patient and provider population. It will also focus on the three social dimension competencies mandated by the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Systems-Based, Interpersonal Skills and Communication, and Professionalism.
Bioterrorism Preparedness Program for Special Population Providers
This is culturally and developmentally sensitive Bioterrorism response preparedness continuing education program for practicing providers who work with children, the disabled, and the elderly. We plan to develop and implement training reflecting a two-tiered curriculum which focuses on:
- Discipline appropriate, clinically-oriented material; and
- Response team coordination and collaboration to terrorist events
Our continuing education program will improve the capacity of our public health, emergency, acute care, and other frontline professionals to meet the needs of our community’s most vulnerable population (children, the disabled, and elderly) in the event of a terrorist attack involving biological, chemical, and radiological agents.
By addressing the medical and service coordination aspects of bioterrorism, our proposed program will establish a healthcare workforce that possesses the knowledge, skills and abilities to effectively manage mass casualty incidents involving chemical, radiological, and biological terrorism. We plan to provide educational tools for healthcare professionals who work with children, the disabled, and elderly so that they can protect themselves and their facility from secondary contamination while providing the best care for the victims of bioterrorism. Our program also goes beyond the health care facilities by providing training to first responders in child care settings and facilities, which care for disabled and elderly persons.
Family-Centered Obesity Reduction Project
This is a program to test the effectiveness of a family-centered obesity prevention intervention initiated in primary care practices to improve dietary and physical activity behaviors of pediatric patients in order to prevent excessive weight gain in children at risk of obesity and/or to prevent further weight gain or promote weight loss in children who are already obese.
Levels of childhood overweight have nearly tripled since 1970. Research has shown that obesity in childhood tracks into adulthood, carrying along with it increased susceptibility to hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance. The striking increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity over the past 30 years has been associated with a marked increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes among adolescents. In order to slow or reverse the increase in childhood obesity and the health risks associated with pediatric obesity, it will be necessary to treat childhood obesity as soon as it is detected. Even more appealing would be the prevention of childhood obesity entirely by identifying children at risk and providing interventions designed to prevent inappropriate weight gain.
We propose to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a family-centered obesity prevention program for pediatric resident physicians and pediatric patients. We intend to study the impact of our intervention which is made up of education, linkages, and mentorship/support on children’s physical activity, nutrition habits, age appropriate body weight, and weight loss. Our targets will be pediatric residents, and children and adolescents who are overweight (BMI equal to or greater than 95th percentile for sex and age), at-risk for overweight (BMI equal to or greater than the 85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile for sex/age), or at increased risk due to their trajectory of weight gain, parental obesity, or maternal history of gestational or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Health Care Leadership Development Program
This is a program to cultivate and nurture policy and management competencies for trainees in health professions whose future practice will benefit underserved communities. We believe that this program will improve the ability of future health professionals to advance the capacity of the health care system to address the health needs of minority and underserved populations. Our program goal will be achieved through leadership forums, seminars, and regular academic courses in policy and management; and will target residents, medical students, and allied health students who are committed to serve disadvantaged populations.