The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50534

Ellen-Marie Whelan, NP, PhD, School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410 614-5302, emwhelan@son.jhmi.edu

The majority of Academic Health Centers in the United States are located in communities with health indicators that rival third world nations. East Baltimore continues to be a primary care underserved area with tremendous health disparities despite the proximity to the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) – the provider of choice for the majority of primary care, specialty care, inpatient and home health services delivered in East Baltimore.

To better understand why these health disparities exist and begin to address the inequities, we used a variety of data sources to describe the ecology of East Baltimore. This presentation will describe the three phases of this initiative and discuss the resulting policy recommendations:

1. Data Collection. The core data relates to health care utilization but is augmented by census data, surveys, descriptive epidemiology, and other sources of information including prevalence and incidence of risk factors. In addition, the health assets of the community were mapped to develop a clearer idea of where health gaps exist.

2. Enhancing the data. By using traditional methodologies, mapping and graphic technologies, and linking the data, we expanded the capacity to describe the health of the target population – describing aspects of health beyond why the data were originally collected.

3. Distribution. We are committed to making this data available to all stakeholders, including and especially the East Baltimore community, primary care providers, and policy makers. We are working closely with community groups and other Baltimore City organizations to make this information accessible to a wider audience.

Learning Objectives:

By the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to (
• Identify and discuss the three step process used to describe the ecology of East Baltimore and (
• Discuss the policy implications gleaned from the process

Keywords: Access to Care, Urban Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.