Governors State University College of Health and Human Services would like to share this great news that our Director of Community Engagement, Program Development and Academic Support , Adjunct Faculty Tonya S. Roberson, PhD, MPH,DTR , and her fellow partners listed in 'Community is at the Heart of Public Health; abstract submission was accepted for a poster presentation. Please see the information below pertaining to the improving stroke health abstract submitted to APHA.
CONGRATULATIONS from the American Public Health
Association!
Abstract
Put the unity back in community.: A cross sector collaboration for improving stroke health.
Tonya Roberson, PhD, MPH, DTR1, Debbie Meyers -Martin2 and Knitasha Washington, DHA, FACHE3 (1)Governors State University, University Park, IL, (2)District Office, Matteson, IL, (3)ATW Health Solutions, Chicago, IL
APHA 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo
Policymakers in the U.S. normally promote collaborations between health care organizations and other health sectors to improve population health. Yet little is known about the impact of cross-sector collaborations to improve community health and impact health inequities.
Through a collaboration between a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), a public health department, a policy maker, and other community stakeholders that provided health and health-related resources, a stroke education and awareness bill was authored, signed, and passed to develop a 12-month stroke awareness campaign focused on promoting stroke awareness, recognition, prevention strategies, access to reliable sources of information about strokes, and self-advocacy.
This project was organized around community voices and the disproportional rates of stroke in the high-risk communities in Chicago’s Southland to advocate for what is called â€oeA Critical Health Issue" among many. Unstructured interviews were conducted among n=150 to determine the stroke education and knowledge of area residents. The outcome of the interviews determined that the stroke education and knowledge of the residents were critically low; 75% of the participants did not recognize the signs of a stroke. These findings will guide stroke education campaign implementation strategies.
Alliances and partnerships are formed by doing real CBPR work together and sharing the resources. Leveraging what exists, adding value, and seeking inclusion are ways to cultivate new partnerships and alliances. It is imperative for stakeholders to know their role and to work together to optimize all the resources for the good of the community and not just for a single community organization.
Advocacy for health and health education Assessment of individual and community needs for health education Chronic disease management and prevention Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Public health or related education Public health or related public policy