MAPPR Members Participate in 43rd Annual NAPCRG Meeting

October 24-28, 2015 marked the 43^rd Annual North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) Meeting, and MAPPR team members traveled to Cancun, Mexico to be part of it all.  NAPCRG holds the annual meeting in venues throughout North America, and this year chose Mexico in order to develop a “deeper understanding of its health system, the roles of primary care and primary care research, and how those roles can be strengthened in all our countries."  The program was a mix of presentations, workshops, and social activities to encourage networking and exploration of the local culture. 

MAPPR team members presented 9 research posters on topics including asthma, virtual healthcare, diabetes management, and risk modeling in research. Dr. Anthony Caprio, Associate Professor for the Division of Aging, in the Department of Family Medicine for Carolinas Healthcare System, presented, “A Call to Action:  Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care in the United States” to participants on Monday October 26^th.  The following day, Director of Research Dr. Hazel Tapp moderated a discussion on Infectious Diseases and led a workshop on PBRN Best Practices.

 "Attending the NAPCRG conference was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the diverse range of topics being researched by the MAPPR team," says MAPPR team member Madelyn Welch. "We presented a variety of projects and covered a range of research methods being used, such as dissemination and implementation research, ethnography interviews, risk stratification modeling, and quality improvement. I especially enjoyed networking with other researchers and discovering the new and exciting studies being conducted by our peers in primary care research across North America."

For more information on the conference, please visit www.napcrg.org/Conferences/2015AnnualMeetingArchives

MAPPR Hosts Research Results Forum

On Saturday, August 15^th, MAPPR hosted a research results forum where team members and researchers presented their findings and lessons learned.  The event was held at Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School, and the auditorium was filled with community leaders and other interested parties. 

Project Manager Brisa Hernandez welcomed attendees, before they were split into smaller groups to begin the interactive program.  Each group met with MAPPR researchers for 20-30 minutes, and heard about a research topic/project before having the opportunity ask questions.  After completing the circuit of presentations, everyone reconvened in the auditorium for the conclusion of the forum and to share lunch over discussions.  The entire forum was designed to encourage reflection and feedback from the attendees, including the decision to break the audience into smaller groups to hear the information being presented.

“Our audience (partners and community members) are very engaged in the work we are doing,” says Brisa Hernandez.  “We wanted to provide everybody an opportunity to reflect on the projects and voice their feedback.  Offering our research results in a small group setting encouraged conversation and great discussion." 

Research topics for the day included:

Results of Intervention:  East and South – MAPPR presented a series of wellness fairs in two areas of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and the results were quite different in these geographically varied communities

Photovoice – Students were tasked with photographing aspects of their environment that promoted healthy or unhealthy lives

Hispanos Unidos – A group of Hispanic women have been convened and continue to meet regularly to learn about different topics, and empower them to improve their health and support their families as they build a life here in Charlotte

Developing a Community Group – This current initiative involved convening groups in the community to participate in our research and develop sustainable interventions.  Strategies and best practices were discussed in this presentation

Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Lessons Learned – CBPR is a methodology that actively involves community members in the research process.  MAPPR has been a leader in CBPR and has learned many valuable lessons while undertaking this research.

Response to the forum was overwhelmingly positive, and attendees were energized by the discussions following the presentations.  To learn more about the research presented or the forum, please contact Brisa Hernandez at Brisa.Hernandez@carolinashealthcare.org.

View photos from the forum on our Flickr page! 

Chronic Disease Management Class Empowers Patients to Take Control of Their Health

SALUD participants and MAPPR Team Members at one of the "Tomando Control de Su Salud" sessions

Patients at a clinic in Charlotte are taking control of their own health, with some guidance from MAPPR and other medical workers.  UNC School of Medicine student, MAPPR team member, and Schweizter Fellow Rebecca Flint developed a program called SALUD (Support and Awareness for Latinos Undertaking Disease management).   Flint, who is leading the project, created it as part of her year-long Schweitzer Fellowship.  With the help of Research Coordinator Brisa Hernandez, SALUD is being implemented at Our Lady of Guadalupe health clinic.  The program is targeted at Spanish speaking, uninsured adults with chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and/or obesity.    Participants are taught ways to take an active role in improving their health and the steps they can initiate to achieve personal fitness goals. 

The first 6-week series is entitled “Tomando Control de Su Salud (Taking Control of Your Health)”, and participants get to hear from trained health care leaders about topics like diet, nutrition and personal health.  The patients work together to set personal goals, support each other and share their experiences.  Medical workers use in-depth surveys and various medical evaluations and tests to assess progress being made, and provide further guidance. 

Thus far, the program seems to be a success.  Not only are the patients gaining knowledge on methods to progress towards their goals, but they have built relationships that support their efforts to stay healthy.

“They are striving for the good not only of themselves, but their families, the fellow participants, and their community as a whole,” says Rebecca Flint.  “They are taking a chance at making change in the face of so many barriers and the potential for failure.  But it is the love, compassion and joy that they share with the group that pushes them to succeed.”

Participation in the classes has also improved access to healthcare overall – as patients get to work with medical staff and clinicians.  For more information on SALUD, please contact Rebecca Flint at rebecca_flint@med.unc.edu.

MAPPR Presents Research at PBRN 2015

In an oral presentation at PBRN 2015, the facilitators of ADAPT-NC shared their experiences working on the state-wide asthma dissemination project.  From left:  Lori Hendrickson (PCRC), Kelly Reeves (MAPPR), Paul Bray (Vidant), Jennifer Rees (NCnet), Lindsay Kuhn (MAPPR), and Jacquie Halladay (NCnet).

The MAPPR research team attended the annual Practice Based Research Network Conference (PBRN) hosted by the  North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) from June 29-30, 2015.  NAPCRG is a multidisciplinary organization for primary care researchers, and this conference provides a forum for presenting new knowledge to guide improvement, redesign, and transformation of primary care.  Researchers from PBRNs across North America come together to share strategies, methods and results.  The theme of this year’s conference was “Engagement”, and the research presented was designed to enhance the capacity of those attending to successfully engage their practices, patients, providers, and community stakeholders in research. 

Much of the research done by MAPPR concerning Shared Decision Making (SDM) was a perfect fit for the theme of the conference.  Shared Decision Making allows the patient to take an active part in their own treatment, and MAPPR team members have developed a SDM toolkit that has successfully reduced hospitalizations for patients with asthma. 

Other MAPPR Research described how an awareness of cultural differences can improve a researcher’s ability to engage various segments of the population, specifically African-Americans and immigrants.  Techniques such as the use of health coaches to facilitate IT-enabled virtual care visits were also discussed.

Overall, MAPPR team members presented five lectures and another five research posters during the two-day conference.   In addition to providing a chance to share our work, the conference provides an invaluable opportunity to hear what others in practice-based research are doing and learn from their experiences. 

MAPPR Team Members Make the Most of Volunteer Month

MAPPR team members planting trees at Community House Middle School

April was National Volunteer Month, and the team at MAPPR joined the rest of the Carolinas Healthcare System family in making the most of it!  Some team members volunteered with TreesCharlotte to plant trees at Community House Middle School.  The first part of the day was spent learning about proper planting technique and safety instructions.  Then this knowledge was put to work as the volunteers broke into small groups and planted more than 250 trees around the school property!

“I thought this would be a fun volunteer project to do because we got to give back to our community,” says Research Coordinator Lindsay Lowe.  “It gave us an opportunity to work together and bond as a team outside of the office environment.”  

TreesCharlotte was created in 2012 as part of Charlotte’s bold initiative to create a 50% tree canopy in our city by 2050.  Volunteers were rewarded with a BBQ lunch and free t-shirts, as well as a satisfying sense of accomplishment!

Other team members opted to work with different organizations, such as Second Harvest Food Bank.  MAPPR team members sorted boxes of foods into categories, to be distributed to families facing hunger in North and South Carolina. 

Regardless of their choice of activity, all of the volunteers found their experiences to be both enjoyable and rewarding.  It seems likely that many will continue to find ways to give back to the community year-round! 

Hispanos Unidos Educates Parents About Health and Social Issues

Members of Hispanos Unidos work with Harris YMCA on a community service project

A group organized through MAPPR research has grown and continues to meet with the goal of educating the Latino community about health and social issues.  Hispanos Unidos began meeting in January 2014 as part of MAPPR's Social Determinants of Health study.  The group is composed of Latino parents from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - including Huntingtowne Farms, Montclaire, and Collinswood Language Academy.

"Our group was originally convened as a way to engage the Hispanic/Latino parents of Huntingtowne Farms as a response to feedback from a neighborhood forum, where participants spoke about lack of engagement opportunities - which could lead to mental health issues and feeling isolated," says MAPPR team member Patricia Avraham.  "In addition to workshops addressing health and nutrition, the parents learn how to advocate for their children in the school system and how to navigate through it."

To date, there are 10-14 active members who meet twice monthly.  Topics discussed range from mental health to immigration law.  Four of the members have participated in health promoter trainings, which give them the ability to advocate for healthy lifestyles and educate their community about disease prevention and other issues.  The group also participated in a number of community service projects around Charlotte and walked together last September for the American Heart Association Charlotte Heart Walk.

“Estoy en hispanos unidos por la necesidad de información y por que ha sido un grupo que a sobrepasado adversidades y sigue unido para crecer!”
Translation - “I am in Hispanos Unidos because of the need of information and because it’s been a group that has overcome adversity and still is united to make a change!” says one participant.

The meetings are held bimonthly on Monday evenings, and coordinated through social media.  Being able to meet with other Latino parents and build a network has made Hispanos Unidos a valuable experience for the parents involved.  In addition to some members beginning to assume leadership roles, a partnership with the Harris YMCA is positioning the group to continue beyond the scope of the original research project.

To find out more about Hispanos Unidos, please contact Patricia Avraham at Patricia.Avraham@carolinashealthcare.org.

MAPPR Manuscript Wins RWJ Reader Poll

The votes are in, and a manuscript written by MAPPR has won a recent reader poll as the most influential research in its field for the current year!  The Culture of Health Reader Poll was created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to identify the research that best highlights the identification and elimination of disparities in health care. 

“To achieve a culture of health, we need to build an evidence base and identify and support research that promotes progress in improving the health and well-being of all,” says VP Research-Evaluation-Learning and Chief Science Officer Alonzo L. Plough.

A panel of experts looked at research published in 2014, including external and RWJ Foundation-supported research, and nominated four top finalists.  Readers were then encouraged to vote during a two-week period in November of this year.  The winners were announced on December 5, 2014. 

The winning research paper, Por Nuestros Ojos:  Understanding Social Determinants of Health through the Eyes of Youth was published this summer in the Progress in Community Health Partnerships journal and co-written by MAPPR Team members Claire Schuch, Brisa Urquieta de Hernandez, Lacey Williams, Heather Smith, Janni Sorensen, Owen Furuseth and Michael Dulin.  The paper discusses the use of Photovoice and student photographers to identify and validate existing data and models used to address socio-spatial determinants of health in at-risk neighborhoods.  The students were instructed to photograph evidence of issues that directly or indirectly affected the health of the neighborhood, and to create narratives explaining the role these issues played.

To read the abstract of the winning paper, click HERE.

Congratulations to the authors and thanks to everyone who voted!