In Sept. 1999, Hurricane Floyd devastated Eastern NC, bringing torrential rains that caused massive flooding of farms, homes, businesses, and communities. The major rivers in eastern NC crested at 13 to 25 feet above flood stage, and areas never before flooded were under water. The personal, social, environmental, and economic impact of the flood will be felt for years. A CDC funded workplace- community health promotion project, Health Works for Women/Health Works in the Community (HWW/HWC),was already underway in four counties that were among the hardest hit in the state. The project addresses stress, healthy eating, fitness and smoking among blue collar women. The HWW/HWC community advisory committee and other contacts in the project workplaces and communities were contacted immediately following the disaster. These community members prioritized new health issues that needed to be addressed: an increase in acute stress due to loss of homes and/or possessions, disruption of family, school, work, and community life; exacerbation of pre-existing chronic stress; an increase in intimate partner violence, and potential further marginalization of the Latino population, who were often by-passed by rescue and relief efforts. Guided by the community members and with technical assistance from the CDC,"Health Works After the Flood" was written and subsequently funded to address these issues. The value of partnering with the community through an active community advisory committee was made dramatically clear in the ability to respond to community needs following a natural disaster. See www.hpdp.unc.edu/hpdp/
Learning Objectives: 1. participants will recognize the value of working closely with community partners to plan, implement and evaluate a community health promotion program. 2. particpants will be able to describe one example of a community-university collaboration that adapted an existing health promotion program to meet new needs following a natural disaster.
Keywords: Community Collaboration, Disasters
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.