To identify and intervene on social determinants of health in Harlem using a community participatory research approach, the New York Academy of Medicine joined the East Harlem Health Committee and partnered with academia, community-based organizations, and the health department. In an iterative and expanding process that reviewed needs, expertise, and interests, the focus centered upon substance abuse and social support. The theme for intervention was that it should be easier to obtain help for substance abuse than it is to obtain drugs. Multilevel interventions at the individual, provider, and community level will be implemented and evaluated. The process for intervention development has included monthly meetings of a core of community members who have in turn convened broader minisymposia of community stakeholders. A major symposia is planned for the Fall. The goal is to broaden input and support for interventions. The initial intervention is to develop a Wellness Guide for substance users and their families. This Guide, developed by community input and review, will provide instructions for personal health, locating community resources, and steering through the shoals of community services. In minisymposia, community service providers have endorsed the development of the Guide as an aid for individual health and for improved interagency linkages. Evaluation methods include focus groups, pilot testing within ongoing community cohort studies, and random, staggered introduction of the Guide to test utilization and behavioral impact. Rather than an end in itself, the Guide provides a basis for assessment and further construction of community interventions
Learning Objectives: To identify methods for community based participatory research to develop interventions to affect social determinants of health
Keywords: Substance Abuse, Community Involvement
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.