Reducing health care disparities among communities of color is a priority for community health centers, but solving this problem is not easy.
CLEVELAND — The National Institutes of Health has awarded $18.2 million to programs in Cleveland and Detroit to see if grassroots efforts can make a difference in health disparities.
It's called “Addressing Cardiometabolic Health Inequities through Early Prevention in the Great Lakes Region.” Also known as “ACHIEVE GReaTER”. This multi-agency partnership includes Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, Wayne State University, and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and leverages trained community health workers to address issues and needs in a timely manner. We address health issues by building trust in communities that have long felt unfulfilled. Ignored because of systemic racism.
Fonda McClain is a certified community health worker. For the past six months, she has been visiting residents living in Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) neighborhoods. She sees her health care disparities firsthand.
“Food insecurity, not having enough food, not having food sources in different areas, not having pharmacies in different areas, not addressing the mental health of not only adults but also children,” McClain said. Stated.
These disparities often lead to poor health choices and ultimately disease.
“Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common reasons for death from heart attack and stroke. And it is a very common cause of death among African Americans in urban areas,” according to part of the university. said Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan, chief of cardiovascular medicine at University Hospitals and academic and scientific director of the Harrington Heart and Bastille Institute.Hospital Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute
“What we want to show is that the community health worker model is actually a model worth investing in, the community health worker model. Another thing that's important to understand is that these “We want to make this mechanism sustainable in the future. This is not a one-time thing. You just do something for two or three years and it disappears,” Dr. Rajagopalan said.
Fonda is literally on the front lines of saving lives. Nadine Head was one of the first.
“Now that she has become my friend, I am more committed to keeping my word and doing more for myself,” Nadine said.
Like many people, Nadine has a number of health issues, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, COPD, and sleep apnea. Just walking made her nervous. But Fonda came along and she gave Nadine the tools and education she needed.
“I started eating more vegetables and stopped eating hot dogs and cold cuts,” Nadine said.
Mr. Fonda provided Nadine with technology such as a fit watch, smart scale, blood pressure cuff, and even a pill bottle with a smart cap that was monitored daily by a medical professional. She also underwent a free coronary artery calcium score test to check her heart. Once Nadine understood how everything worked, she was motivated to make a change.
“I cut down on junk food and fatty foods, stopped all fast food, and stopped eating McDonald's,” Nadine said.
She also started exercising. It was slow at first, but now she could walk easily and after 6 months she saw her 50 pounds melt away. She has about 20 surgeries left, but it turns out she'll get the knee and hip replacements she's been waiting for. Her weight loss also had a huge impact on her diabetes and lung problems.
Referring to spending time with her grandchildren, Nadine said, “Now I'm off my (diabetes) medication, I can breathe, I don't feel like someone's sitting on my chest, I can't actually do anything.'' “Now I can do that.”
Having someone like Fonda to empathize with will help Nadine trust in medicine again, and it is hoped that she will inspire her neighbors to do the same.
“I'm here to serve you. I'm here to take care of your health. So the support staff is their conscience. We hear things like that. We is trying to address those problems, add solutions, add better quality, and help find ways to fill that gap,” Fonda said.
ACIEVE GreatER works with CMHA to pay community health workers, nurses, and care coordinators who provide medical services such as free risk factor screening. Nurses, nutritionists and pharmacists will also participate in the study, which will be delivered by the university's Center for Integrative and Novel Approaches to Vascular Metabolic Diseases.
Better Health Partnership (BHP), a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization, is partnering with UH to provide a community health worker care model and support the initiative beyond the five-year grant funding period. We plan to provide sustainability.
The program aims to hire approximately 250 people. There are currently less than 25 people registered, but Fonda is not giving up. She plans to continue supporting CMHA, which has more than 50,000 residents and is a partner in this effort.
She says it's frustrating to see people having to choose between food, rent and medicine, or not having transportation to medical appointments. Her goal is to not only help them take control of their health, but also introduce them to resources they didn't know existed.
“One of the great things about COVID-19 is that you can call your insurance company and they will provide you with transportation to and from the pharmacy or the grocery store. There are people who can help,” Fonda said. .
She is also very proud of her first participant, Nadine.
“It will make a big difference, because she will be able to pass it on for generations as a legacy of a healthy lifestyle. Making it a lifestyle is more than just a change; “It's going to be passed down because you don't want it to be. We're going to teach our kids, generation after generation, about high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, things like that,” Fonda said.
