Listen to this Nashman Prize presentation here.
This presentation is a submission for the Nashman Prize for Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR). This approach to inquiry is aimed at informing solutions to benefit the community, through collaboration with community members in all stages of the research process, including determining the research question and inquiry method(s), data collection, and dissemination of findings.
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To different degrees, your program uses all the pathways of service. Your presentation was really well done, your program is incredible. I appreciate that you provided some information about yourself, explained how the program started, and what directions you're currently pursuing to make it sustainable. There was a lot of information to take in and it was clearly explained to someone who is not familiar with your work. I sincerely look forward to hearing about your program in the future.
Thank you very much for your comment and interest in our project. We hope that this initiative shines light on the many ways that technology can help to create a more equitable healthcare system for all.
This seems like such an incredible program that has clearly made an impact on the DC community and I'm excited to see how it expands in the future! I'd love to learn more about how the program was created - what was the community partner's role in developing and overseeing the curriculum (other than the volunteers they provided)?
Thank you very much for your comment. I am excited about the lasting impact of this initiative for the D.C. community.
From our experience working in the GW Emergency Room, we are currently seeing a dramatic rise in patients who suffer from complications of their chronic diseases. Chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease have disproportionally affected residents living in Wards 5,7, and 8. By improving the health literacy of patients using technology, we hope that this initiative helps patients manage their existing medical conditions in order to reduce Emergency Room visits.
Members of The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church were involved in both creating the curriculum as well as providing real-time feedback. With the help of church members, we collectively created several “Google Classroom” videos for both volunteers and residents to watch on how to navigate healthcare applications on their smartphone. In addition, following each session we held debrief sessions with members of the church to refine elements on our surveys, Google classroom videos, and website.
Thanks for your replies above-I echo other comments here your work is very community centered and really impressive. Thanks for the ways in which you brought in community as a partner and not an afterthought.
Thank you for your comment and interest in our initiative. It was an absolute honor and privilege to work alongside and learn from The Pennsylvania Baptist Church about the community we serve.
What a great presentation, program, and such great potential for future impact and work! Has your team seen an increase in users or questions related to COVID-19? Especially as you note your service was used by folks with more chronic conditions I wonder how this pandemic has influenced their requests.
Thank you for your comment and interest in our initiative.
In regards to COVID-19, the website (http://healthdesk.info/) contains information/resources for residents to access to give them more knowledge regarding the virus. Furthermore, the GW Emergency Room physicians part of the project held Q&A Zoom sessions for residents to cover questions/concerns regarding the virus which are posted on the website. In addition, there are plans to cover topics such as 1.) Food insecurity and 2.) Depression and isolation as it relates to COVID-19.
Your research indicates that HealthDesk is a really promising route for reducing health disparities and increasing prevention of chronic health issues. The long term partnership with the churches is a great avenue for comprehensive health education. Excited to see how much more can be accomplished from this terrific foundation.