142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

297802
Increasing access to clinical preventive services for hard-to-reach Asian communities through faith-based organization networks

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Noel Barragan, MPH , Division of Chronic Diease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Mimi Chang, MSN , Asian Pacific Liver Center at St. Vincent Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Felderman, MA , Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Heather Readhead, MD, MPH , Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS , Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Background:Socioeconomic constraints, language barriers, and cultural beliefs have been known to limit the Asian community’s access to and utilization of high quality medical care. To better provide clinical preventive services for hard-to-reach Asian communities, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with the Asian Pacific Liver Center at Saint Vincent Medical Center in 2012 to augment their hepatitis B screening program.

Methods: The program utilized a faith-based organization network to provide culturally competent care at 26 local health events. Standardized protocols for blood pressure measurements and referrals were integrated with the existing program, which is led and administered by a team of physician extenders.

Results: Over the course of six months, 2,298 individuals were offered hepatitis B screening; 1,499 of whom were also offered blood pressure assessments. Overall, 45% were Southeast Asians. Nearly half were foreign-born. One-third had normal blood pressure readings; 30% had readings in the prehypertensive range, and 26% had readings suggestive of hypertension. Over a quarter had no hepatitis B immunity; 146 tested positive for hepatitis B.

Conclusions: Results of this expansion suggest that integrating additional services to an existing screening program for hard-to-reach Asian groups was feasible. The promise shown by this enhanced program demonstrates the potential in applying team-based care approaches through leveraging clinical-community linkages. Other healthcare and public health systems can build upon these lessons as they prepare for expected changes under the Affordable Care Act which places increased attention on clinical-community linkages to improve access to clinical preventive services.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention

Learning Objectives:
Describe the provision of hepatitis B and blood pressure screening through a faith-based organization network in Los Angeles County Demonstrate the feasibility of leveraging clinical-community linkages to provide high quality, clinical preventive services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a research analyst in the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and am a co-lead in the evaluation of the Division's clinical preventive services arm of the Community Transformation Grant.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.