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

Abstract #68932

Deborah Katz, MS, Community Catalyst, 30 Winter St., Boston, MA 02108, 617-275-2811, katz@communitycatalyst.org and Emily Feinberg, Sc D, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Talbot Building - 5W, 715 Albany St, Boston, MA 02118.

Walk in My Shoes is a simulation activity developed in order to raise awareness of the barriers facing low income individuals and families seeking to access health care services. As few as 40 and as many as 100 people can participate; it has been successfully used with a wide variety of audiences – providers, health officials, public officials, students, community activists, social service workers, etc. – in order to create a shared experience related to health access concerns which furthers collaborative activities and goals. Participants are assigned a role as an individual seeking healthcare for herself and her family while meeting other financial, family and community obligations. The hour simulation is broken into fifteen-minute segments, each representing a month. A variety of directions [if you don’t have a car, you must circle the room 3X before going anywhere] and occurrences [jobs are lost, preventive screenings are offered, sudden emergencies arise] make it a highly engaging experience. It is followed by a debriefing lasting an hour that draws out participants’ experiences within the simulation as well as in real life. The simulation can be used to build collaboration among diverse shareholders in order to develop community health policies or promote support for specific policy proposals. It is particularly effective when participants include diverse stakeholders, e.g., grassroots community members, advocates, providers and policymakers. The simulation will be described and displayed, its impact on participants and groups will be discussed, and ways to incorporate it into a collaborative policy effort will be identified.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the health access simulation, an innovative tool to engage diverse stakeholders in policy development related to low income individuals’ and families’ access to medical services.
• Identify a range of situations in which the Health Access simulation or similar tools may be effectively utilized.
• Articulate the impact of participating in the Health Access Simulation on participants and ways to maximize its effectiveness in collaborative policy development.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Underserved Populations

Related Web page: www.communitycatalyst.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Community Catalyst, a national advocacy organization that builds consumer and community participation in the shaping of our health system to ensure quality, affordable health care for all.
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employee