Tag: Community

Valley CARES (Community Assessment, Research, and Education for Solutions)

Title:Valley CARES (Community Assessment, Research, and Education for Solutions)
Status:Completed
Topic:Community
Funding Source:Valley Council for Health and Human Services
Funding Period:Not defined
Purpose:To track the well-being of Lower Naugatuck Valley residents on a regular basis, and use this information to mobilize community action to address residents’ needs. ValleyCares was sponsored by the Valley Council for Health and Human Services, a network of non-profit community health and human service organizations. Task force members represented the Naugatuck Valley Health Department, the Valley Council, the Workplace, the Birmingham Group, Griffin Hospital, and the Yale-Griffin PRC.  The PRC also performed data gathering and analysis for the project. 
Further Study Details:The task force identified  a comprehensive set of quality-of-life indicators based on community health, community safety, behavioral health & social services, education & training, natural environment, and community engagement. To fill in gaps in existing data, the task force engaged the Center for Research & Public Policy to conduct a community assessment survey by phone with 400 residents of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. Residents were asked to comment on their needs, perceived quality of life, and access and barriers to community services and programs. Findings were shared with Valley health and human service providers, community leaders, and residents. The task force offered Community Dialogues to determine priorities for community action, and helped to develop programs/interventions to address those issues.
Eligibility:N/A
Changed at:3/2/2017 7:49 AMChanged by:Lisa Seaberg
Created at:8/31/2010 9:42 AMCreated by:Griffin Hospital

Photovoice: A Tool for Community Empowerment and Action

Title:Photovoice: A Tool for Community Empowerment and Action
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Diabetes / Insulin Resistance
Funding Source:Connecticut Health Foundation
Funding Period:2007-2008
Study Design:N/A
Purpose:To use Photovoice to engage people from across the socioeconomic spectrum in calling for New Haven to address issues related to racial health disparities and diabetes.
Further Study Details:Photovoice is a participatory-action research methodology used in public health research to generate discussion among community members and to create prevention and/or intervention strategies. This initiative was focused on identifying the underlying social, economic and environmental issues that make it difficult for local residents to live healthy lifestyles that would help eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities related to diabetes. The project used photography as a vehicle to depict New Haven residents’ concerns about the limited availability of resources to help prevent or manage diabetes. Ten African American women who had previously been trained by the PRC as Community Health Advisors
took photographs in response to questions the research team developed such as “What is missing in this community that would help prevent diabetes?”
Findings:In the fall of 2008, a traveling Photovoice exhibit was featured at several locations in the New Haven community. A reception for the main exhibit at City Hall was held on October 24th. Mayor John DeStefano provided opening remarks, and State Senator Toni Harp spoke about racial and ethnic health disparities in CT. Dr. Forrester Lee, a cardiologist at the Yale School of Medicine, discussed the relationship between lifestyle and heart disease. Other exhibit venues included St. Matthew’s Church, Varick Church, and the Community Outreach Center. The exhibits were viewed by over 250 people, and overall reactions were very positive.Four themes emerged during this process:fear about children’s safety when playing outside;the loss of exercise facilities/resources in the community in recent years;concerns over the high costs of healthful foods; andlimited availability of physicians and dentists to serve underserved and uninsured populations
Eligibility:To qualify for this study, you must:
Changed at:3/1/2017 9:58 AMChanged by:Lisa Seaberg
Created at:8/31/2010 10:52 AMCreated by:Griffin Hospital

Online Physical Activity Resource Guide: Active Valley CT

Title:Online Physical Activity Resource Guide: Active Valley CT
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Health Promotion & Wellness;Physical Activity;Program or Product Development
Funding Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding Period:2016-2019
Study Design:N/A
Purpose:The purpose was to: (1) create an online guide for residents of Lower Naugatuck Valley communities featuring low-cost and no-cost resources for physical activity; and (2) promote awareness and use of this guide. The ultimate goal was to improve Valley residents’ health, fitness, and quality of life through regular physical activity. This online guide served as a community portal for our 5-year (2014-2019) core research project titled Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE).
Further Study Details:An advisory group of local stakeholders directed the development process.  Partners included the Naugatuck Valley Health Department, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), Valley YMCA, a former CEO of the Valley United Way, and a local physician. The NVCOG contributed in-kind staffing and access to ESRI Story Map, a customized web app hosted in the ArcGIS Online Cloud. The PRC recruited and provided oversight to public health interns and volunteers who worked on this project.The completed guide, Active Valley CT: Your Active Lifestyle Resource for the Lower Naugatuck Valley  (AVCT), features resources in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton on an interactive map. It provides brief descriptions of resources, along with links to their official websites and driving directions on Google Maps. Users can search (based on the category of activity) for places to walk, run, hike, bike, swim, paddle a boat, play ball sports, or enjoy winter sports. AVCT also features playgrounds, open fields, state parks, nature centers, parks & recreation departments, and senior centers. This customized web app can be viewed on web browsers on computers, tablets and mobile phones. In 2019, we conducted an initial dissemination campaign to promote awareness of the guide.
Findings:Sustainability has been addressed via having the NVCOG house the platform.  Also, the NVCOG has decided to adopt Active Valley CT to serve its entire region of 19 municipalities, by building upon our own online guide to include points of no-cost and low-cost activities in all 19 member towns and cities.  This will be done by the NVCOG without the need for support from the PRC.AVCT can serve as a model for the creation of online portals by other PRCs or other public health experts in partnership with county governments, Councils of Government, or other government entities working together in a mutually beneficial way to service the residents of the communities that they represent. 
Eligibility:N/A
Evaluation:During the first four months after the guide was first posted (August-December 2019), the average number of online views exceeded 280 per month. We continue to track online views on a monthly basis. Another indicator of success has been the positive reaction to and planned uptake of the guide within several Griffin Hospital departments, including Cardiac Rehab, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Occupational Medicine, Bariatrics, Community Outreach, and Outpatient Case Management), and the planned use of the guide by Griffin’s employee wellness program for local employers. Ongoing promotion by our community partners is planned as part of the dissemination plan.
Changed at:3/27/2020 3:44 PMChanged by:
Created at:11/30/2017 6:42 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Healthy People 2010 Microgrant Initiative

Title:Healthy People 2010 Microgrant Initiative
Status:Completed
Topic:Community
Funding Source:US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)
Funding Period:10/01 – 12/03
Purpose:The goals of this project included: establishing a demonstration project to assess the utility of distributing small grants for promoting Healthy People 2010 objectives; evaluating the effect of the micro-finance mechanism applied on prevailing measures of community mobilization and capacity building; and development of documentation to support efforts for national replication.
Further Study Details:The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (PRC) was one of two organizations across the country selected to develop and pilot a national microgrant initiative. In May 2002, the PRC awarded a total of 103 microgrants (in the amount of $2010) through a competitive application/selection process to community-based organizations/agencies throughout Connecticut to support health promotion and disease prevention activities that address the national goals of Healthy People 2010. This funding was made available with the goal of developing a national model for engaging local organizations to improve the health of their communities. Technical assistance was provided to all grantees during the year-long
funding period; an end-of-year colloquium was held in March 2003 to encourage networking and
information sharing among community agencies.
Findings:Microgrants were determined to be an effective way to promote Healthy People 2010 and broaden the scope of non-traditional agencies such as faith-based and civic organizations working to achieve these goals.
Eligibility:Nonprofit organizations (i.e. community organizations and groups, schools, faith-based organizations, civic groups) serving or residing in the lower Naugatuck Valley (Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton), Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford, CT.
Changed at:1/18/2011 5:35 AMChanged by:Judy Treu
Created at:8/31/2010 9:50 AMCreated by:Griffin Hospital

Health Advocacy for Diabetes Prevention

Title:Health Advocacy for Diabetes Prevention
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Diabetes / Insulin Resistance
Funding Source:Connecticut Health Foundation
Funding Period:2007
Study Design:N/A
Purpose:To educate residents and community leaders about the devastating effects of diabetes and the dire need for public policies to prevent new cases and to avoid complications among those already diagnosed.
Further Study Details:The study engaged city residents and leaders in a dialogue with election year candidates to learn who among them is committed to work for legislation and adequate financing to seriously address these healthcare issues. The project also aimed to mobilize residents to vote for candidates who support their values on this issue.
Findings:The change ultimately hoped for in the African-American community of New Haven is an informed and vocal electorate that demands adequate health care for all diabetics, a healthy nutritional school environment, and increased opportunities for physical activity for all residents.Specific progress toward this end was planned through the implementation of five strategies:background informationcommunity education/advocacya candidates’ forumparticipation in a “Get Out the Vote” campaignand post-election follow-up with elected officials
Eligibility:African-Americans in New Haven
Changed at:3/1/2017 9:57 AMChanged by:Lisa Seaberg
Created at:8/31/2010 10:57 AMCreated by:Griffin Hospital

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program

Title:Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Cooking/Culinary Arts;Nutrition / Diet;Worksite Wellness
Funding Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Funding Period:2016-2019
Study Design:Pre/post
Purpose:The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of a worksite-based Fruit & Vegetable Prescription (Rx) program designed to increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other health-promoting foods and improve diet quality and health outcomes. This project was a subset of our Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE) core research project, with the Griffin Hospital worksite serving as a community portal.
Further Study Details:The PRC partnered with Wholesome Wave® to adapt and pilot test a Fruit and Vegetable Rx program offered elsewhere by Wholesome Wave® in clinical settings. The 58 study participants (Griffin Hospital employees) were randomly assigned to either Fruit and Vegetable Rx or control/no intervention. The Fruit and Vegetable Rx group attended 10 educational/skill-building sessions (45 minutes each) and received vouchers to buy fruits and vegetables. Sessions focused on nutritious, affordable, easy-to-prepare meals and cooking demonstrations. Control group members maintained their usual habits, and did not receive any incentives. All participants received a $50 gift card at each data collection time point (3 for the intervention group, 2 for the control group).
Findings:After the intervention: Overall diet quality increased by 5.3 points out of 100 in the intervention group, and by 1.7 points in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Intervention group members significantly reduced their intake of “empty calories” as compared to those in the control group. There were no effects on weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, blood lipids, or hemoglobin A1c.  More than 90% of intervention group members said the program helped them to increase their fruit and vegetable intake, and 78% said their diet was somewhat or much more healthful than before starting the program. There were no differences between groups in terms of cooking skills or household meal practices.By 3 months after the intervention: The reduction in empty calories was maintained in the intervention group, but no longer significantly different from the change in the control group (who also reduced their intake of empty calories).
Eligibility:Griffin Hospital employees who were willing/able to participate in weekly lunch & learn nutrition and cooking sessions for a 10-week period.
Evaluation:Outcome measures included body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, body fat, blood lipids, hemoglobin A1C, and diet quality based on 24-hour diet recalls. All participants were asked to complete surveys on their food and beverage intake, household meal practices, cooking skills, physical activity, and medication use. Those in the fruit and vegetable group completed a brief survey at each session.
Changed at:3/27/2020 3:42 PMChanged by:
Created at:11/30/2017 6:33 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Examining Community Partnerships for Prevention Research

Title:Examining Community Partnerships for Prevention Research
Status:Completed
Topic:Community
Funding Source:ASPH/CDC
Funding Period:2002-2003
Study Design:N/A
Purpose:The project’s ultimate goal was to facilitate approaches for effectively translating community interventions in public health and prevention into widespread practice at the community level.
Further Study Details:The project sought to build the capacity of communities and institutions to engage in participatory approaches to prevention research. “Community” is defined as community members, grassroots organizations and community-based organizations; “institution” is defined as academic institutions, state and local public health agencies and funding agencies. Through community-institutional partnerships for prevention research, new knowledge about the social and ecologic determinants of health was gained, priority health issues from the community’s perspective was increasingly addressed, and the public’s health was improved.The measurable outcome objectives of this collaborative project were to:identify and synthesize lessons learned about developing successful community-institutional collaborations in prevention research;identify the key issues that emerge from what is known concerning factors that can facilitate or impede successful community-institutional relationships and outcomes;3. develop a strategic plan to foster community and institutional capacity for participatory approaches to prevention research at national and local levels; and implement and evaluate one or more strategies to foster community and institutional capacity for participatory approaches to prevention research at national and local levels.
Eligibility:N/A
Changed at:1/18/2011 5:37 AMChanged by:Judy Treu
Created at:8/31/2010 9:52 AMCreated by:Griffin Hospital

Eat to Row, Eat for Life

Title:Eat to Row, Eat for Life
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Nutrition / Diet
Funding Source:Katherine Matthies Foundation, provided to Yale Community Rowing
Funding Period:2011-2012
Study Design:Pre/post
Purpose:At the request of the Yale Community Rowing Program, which offers free rowing classes each summer for lower Naugatuck Valley youth aged 10-18 years at the Gilder boathouse in Derby, the PRC and public health interns developed and delivered a pilot version of a nutrition education program to middle school and high school students enrolled in selected rowing classes during the summers of 2011 and 2012. 
Further Study Details: The program, called Eat to Row, Eat for Life, focused on the concept of food as a high-performance fuel, and offered practical tips to choose foods and be physically active. The program was presented by the PRC and/or interns as a PowerPoint and supplemented with hands-on activities and handouts. Students and parents who attended learned how to make healthful food choices using the Nutrition Facts labels and ingredient lists on foods. They also learned how to make better choices at fast food restaurants, how to choose realistic portions rather than “super-sized” portions of food, and how to incorporate physical activity into their everyday lives. We administered a brief pre/post quiz to assess changes in participants nutrition knowledge and food label literacy.
Findings:The program led to significant gains in nutrition knowledge/food label literacy levels of those who attended. In the summer of 2013, to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability, the PRC created a train-the-trainer model that transferred the role of program delivery to recent graduates of nutrition programs at local universities. 
Eligibility:Middle and high school students attending selected sessions of Yale Community Rowing
Changed at:3/2/2017 8:51 AMChanged by:Lisa Seaberg
Created at:3/2/2017 8:51 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE)

Title:Community Health Opportunities Organized with Schools at the Epicenter (CHOOSE)
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Nutrition / Diet;Physical Activity;School-based
Funding Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Funding Period:2014-2019
Study Design:Varies, depending on individual interventions to be conducted as part of CHOOSE
Purpose:CHOOSE was the Yale-Griffin PRC’s core research project during our 2014-2019 five-year cycle of funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose was to use a multi-level approach in schools and other community portals to improve diet quality and physical activity in children and adults. The CHOOSE project was designed to serve as a model template for other academic / community partnerships to promote healthy lifestyles in communities, using schools as the primary intervention portal, complemented by health promotion strategies utilizing other community portals.
Further Study Details:The overall CHOOSE intervention was conducted as four projects using complementary portals to reach different segments of the target community. For more information, please refer to each separate portal-based project shown below:Primary school-based intervention portal – Valley Initiative to Advance Health and Learning in Schools [VITAHLS]Worksite portal – Fruit and Vegetable Prescription ProgramOnline portal – Physical Activity Resource Guide (Active Valley CT)YMCA portal – Community-based Cooking Classes for Children
Eligibility:Varied, depending on the project
Evaluation:Varied, depending on the project
Changed at:3/27/2020 3:59 PMChanged by:
Created at:3/1/2017 3:19 AMCreated by:Lisa Seaberg

Addressing Chronic Conditions in Elementary and Secondary Schools (ACCESS)

Title:Addressing Chronic Conditions in Elementary and Secondary Schools (ACCESS)
Status:Completed
Topic:Community;Health Promotion & Wellness;Program or Product Development;School-based
Funding Source:Valley Community Foundation
Funding Period:2018-2020
Study Design:Cross-sectional survey
Purpose:The purpose of this project was to improve ways to identify and manage K-12 students with chronic health conditions (CHCs) in public schools in Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton, CT. CHCs such as obesity, asthma, seizure disorders, hearing problems, and behavioral and learning problems are prevalent among school-aged children. The ultimate goal was to improve health and academic outcomes for students by increasing access to services. This was done by identifying the greatest needs and addressing them with evidence-based intervention strategies.
Further Study Details:During Year 1, we established a working group of school nurses, teachers, and administrators from the Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton school districts; staff from the Naugatuck Valley Health District; and staff from Griffin Health Services. We conducted needs assessment surveys with school nurses and school mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors and social workers) regarding current practices, needs, and resources related to managing CHCs among students. Based on the survey results, the working group identified behavioral/mental health, specifically screening, as a top priority.During Year 2, we focused on mental/behavioral health screening for incoming students and on creating a family resource guide.Mental/behavioral health screening: The ACCESS working group selected a 17-item version of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17) as the best screening instrument. The Ansonia Public Schools volunteered to pilot test the PSC-17 and develop a protocol to integrate behavioral health screening for new students. The PRC worked with the district to implement the screening with students entering the 2020-2021 academic year. School staff faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but nonetheless were able to develop and implement the protocol. The district is committed to expanded use of the PSC-17 to place students evenly across all grade levels by taking into consideration their behavioral strengths and weaknesses, as well as their current level of social and emotional learning.Family resource guide: In response to a reported need for a centralized information source on available services for families, the working group created a resource guide written in both English and Spanish. The format enabled each school district to add its logo to personalize the guide. In Ansonia, the resource guide is now distributed to all families at the start of the school year, and is posted on the school district’s website. Copies of the guide are used by all staff, primarily by the school psychologists, social workers and guidance counselors who work most closely with students and families. The guide has proven to be a much needed resource, even more so due to challenges faced by families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligibility:N/A
Evaluation:A process evaluation was conducted to assess fidelity to the project goals and timeline. A needs assessment survey was developed and administered to school health professionals in Year 1 to assess the perceived prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed student CHCs, current practices related to managing CHCs, and perceived adequacy of existing resources and practices identifying and managing CHCs in school children. One survey was administered to school mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors and social workers). The other survey was administered to school nurses. In year 2, the use of the PSC-17 in the Ansonia School District was tracked and will continue to be followed over time.
Changed at:1/5/2021 9:09 AMChanged by:
Created at:3/27/2020 2:54 PMCreated by: