The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58286

Sarah Sisco, MPH, MSSW¹, Sandro Galea, MD, MPH², Ann-Gel Palermo, MPH³, Eric Canales², Sister Mary Nerney, CND⁴, and David Vlahov, PhD². (1) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, 212-419-3590, ssisco@nyam.org, (2) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES), New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, (3) Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, Box 1257, New York, NY 10029, (4) STEPS to End Family Violence, 1968 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10029

The communities of East and Central Harlem have some of the highest morbidity and mortality rates of any urban neighborhood in the United States. Determinants of poor health in these communities include poverty, inadequate housing, inaccessible health and social services, and a lack of responsive public policies. Innovative, collaborative efforts to address many of these complex problems, and their attendant health consequences are urgently needed. In 1999, the Harlem Urban Research Center (URC) was one of three URCs established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a more collaborative, comprehensive approach to address the social determinants of disparate health in urban communities. A Community Action Board (CAB), composed of public health professionals, community members, service providers and researchers, was formed to direct the Center’s activities. Guided by community-based participatory research principles, three public health problems were chosen as action priorities. Assessments to evaluate their relative contributions were designed and carried out, and subsequent interventions were designed and implemented. In this presentation we will use the Harlem URC experiences as a case study in community-academic collaborations and in how such collaborations can identify key community health issues and implement interventions to address them. We will discuss mistakes made, lessons learned, and how we have worked to overcome some of the barriers we faced in implementing community-based research and interventions. We will also discuss directions to be taken by our URC and potential areas for consideration in the evolution of community-academic partnerships.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of the session, participants will
• (1) gain an understanding of the disparate health outcomes faced by members of the East and Central Harlem communities
• (2) be able to identify key components of CBPR, highlighted through the CAB process, its mission statement and principles, identification of annual goals, and attention to changes in community health needs and priorities.
• (3) be able to articulate some of the challenges, and the lessons learned in utilizing the CBPR method.

Keywords: Community Involvement, Community Health Planning

Related Web page: www.nyam.org/divisions/urbanepi/partners.shtml

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: New York Academy of Medicine
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment