EQUATE/P3OPPY
Health Equity Research Network (HERN) on Disparities in Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes
P3 Providing an Optimized and Empowered Pregnancy for You (P3OPPY) and ConnectionHealth, will evaluate promising interventions to reduce disparities and improve healthcare access and quality among pregnant women and their infants from historically marginalized communities. The P3OPPY research is designed to support the American Heart Association’s mission to improve maternal/infant health outcomes and address inequities in maternal/infant health care. The promise of digital health intervention (DHI) and community health worker (CHW) engagement make P3OPPY interventions potentially transformative, sustainable, and scalable for non-Hispanic Black (NHB) mothers and their infants from underserved communities in Alabama and beyond. ConnectionHealth’s Community Health Workers will engage with patients bi-weekly, providing time-sensitive education, advocacy, and empowerment.
From Day One (FDO)
From Day One (FDO) is a comprehensive patient-centered program designed to educate and support expectant mothers from the first trimester of pregnancy to their child’s first year of life. FDO was created and implemented by the Jefferson County Health Department in partnership with ConnectionHealth, St. Vincent’s Maternity Department, Cribs for Kids, Bundles of Hope, clothing closets, food pantries, and local educational organizations providing GED completion services. FDO aims to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes for women in Jefferson County by promoting early access to prenatal care and connecting families to community resources.
FDO has hosted Baby Safety Showers for clients in the third trimester of pregnancy. Through each shower, participants learn CPR, proper car seat installation, safe sleep, and healthy breastfeeding (e.g., proper ways to breastfeed and information on natural immunity). Participants also received information about fire safety in the home from the fire department and gun safety/being aware of your surroundings from the police department. Children’s poison control provided information on safety-proofing the home from everyday household items and how to give infants medication properly. Finally, some speakers provided information on stress relief and Shaken Baby Syndrome. The mothers who attended the safety shower received baby items such as diapers, infant bathtubs, and other items.
Tinsley Harrison Unit Pilot Project
ConnectionHealth partners with the UAB Health System Care Transitions Team and the Department of Medicine Clinical and Population Health Sciences program to implement a CHW strategy to provide enhanced support to UABHS Tinsley Harrison patients by increasing post-discharge primary care visits, reducing 30-day hospital readmissions, and coordinating social services for patients post-discharge to reduce social isolation.
Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing Barriers to Nutrition and Physical Activity (EPIPHANY)
The EPIPHANY Project uses a multilevel intervention to prevent hypertension among African American adults in Alabama’s Black Belt Region. Specific Aims:
- Test if a multilevel intervention designed to reduce community and individual barriers to a healthy lifestyle lowers blood pressure among rural, Black adults
- Assess the reach, adoption, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention at 6- and 12-months post-randomization utilizing an evidence-based framework.
Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) COVID-19 Program
This program employs community health workers to help be boots-on-the-ground interface points for traditionally underserved communities. The Community Health Workers work closely with communities in Jefferson County to help connect various communities to COVID-19 education and support resources.
Alabama Community Health Worker Institute for Education, Vocational-training, and Engagement (ACHIEVE)
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded ConnectionHealth the Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP). The programs name is ACHIEVE, which aims to advance the conversation around CHWs in the state while recruiting and training Community Health Workers for sustainable employment opportunities. ConnectionHealth operates this program in partnership with support from, the Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama Statewide Area Health Education Center (AHEC), UAB and USA, State Medical Centers, BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama, and VIVA Health. This grant will provide the opportunity to explore the feasibility of developing a sustainable CHW infrastructure in our state that includes CHWs as care team members and as a destination career. More specifically, the grant focus includes: expanding the CHW workforce, upskilling current CHWs, creating and/or finding employment for CHWs, and contributing to health equity. At the conclusion of the grant: (1) a statewide coalition and Stakeholder Advisory Board will be established and actively engaged in moving the needle forward regarding the CHW workforce in Alabama, (2) 170 individuals will have been trained (90 new CHW trainees, 60 upskilled CHWs), (3) the CHW training curriculum will be revised to mirror established competencies more closely, and (4) at least 75% of new CHW trainees will gain on the job work experience, with at least 25% placed in a registered apprenticeship.