Fall Conferences and Presentations Keep MAPPR Busy Through Year End

(l-r) Mary Espinosa, Aidan Smith and Claire Schuch at the SouthEastern Division of the Association of American Geographers meeting

Fall 2013 proved to be a busy season for the team at Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research.  With numerous conferences and annual meetings happening during this time of the year, it was the perfect opportunity to present research findings to the health care and research community. 

Three presentations were given at November's North American Primary Care Research Group Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario:

        

      Impact of Shared-decision Making On Disease-specific Quality of Life for Asthma     Patients

      Tapp, H; Taylor, Y; Alkhazraji, T; Kuhn, L; Mowrer, L;  Reeves, K; Dulin, M

      Improved Outcomes for Patients With Asthma: Preliminary Results of a Shared Decision Making  Intervention

      Kuhn, L; Tapp, H; Dulin, M; Alkhazraji, T; Taylor, Y; Reeves, K; Steuerwald, M; Mowrer, L

      Community-based Approach to Improving Primary Care Access In a Vulnerable Hispanic Neighborhood: Results From an Initial Cohort

      McWilliams, A; Urquieta de Hernandez, B; Smith, H; Sorensen, J; Coffman, M; Simmons, L; Tapp, H; Ludden, T; Taylor, Y; Dulin, M

      A month earlier, Brisa Hernandez and Maren Coffman presented Community-Driven Health Interventions - Designing a Neighborhood Health and Wellness Fair to Decrease Health Disparities at the Communities Joined in Action Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC.

  The SouthEastern Division of the Association of American Geographers met in Roanoke, Virginia and were treated to Engaging Students in Transdisciplinary Health Care Research by Mary Espinosa, Aidan Smith, Claire Schuch and Brisa Urquieta de Hernandez.  

"Conferences like this are a great opportunity to learn about the wide variety of research topics that georgraphers are investigating," says presenter and MAPPR Research Assistant Mary Espinosa.  "It's also great to be able to present the work that we do here and to teach others about the importance of our work and its impact on students and their future."

You can find research posters and presentations as they become available on our MAPPR website. 
     
    
    

Workshop Explores the Immigrant Experience in Accessing Healthcare

Owen Furuseth, PhD speaks to the crowd at "The Immigrant Experience in Accessing Care"

On November 5^th, members of Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research joined other community leaders for an all-day discussion entitled “The Immigrant Experience in Accessing Care”.  Dr. Michael Dulin and Dr. Owen Furuseth, along with attorneys Madison Hardee (Legal Services of Southern Piedmont) and Hans Christian Linnartz (NC Board Certified Immigration Specialist), and caretakers Tamara Withers-Thompson and Martha Brinsko (Charlotte Community Health Clinic) spoke to a near-capacity crowd at the Charlotte Area Health Education Center. 

The workshop illuminated aspects of the immigrant experience here in North Carolina, specifically as those in our area pursue health care and other services.  Immigrants coming to North Carolina face myriad challenges, including documentation and transportation.  Many times, their expectations of care from their health care provider do not align with the objectives set by the providers themselves.  Testimonials from immigrants who have experienced these challenges first-hand elucidated the need for increased access to care, as well as education on both sides to improve understanding.

The day concluded with an enlightening presentation on how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect the immigrant population – those with health insurance and those without. 

“I was surprised to learn that many healthcare professionals have limited understanding of immigrants, immigration law, and how the ACA will affect this population,” says Carolinas HealthCare System Health Careers and Diversity Education Assistant Director Michelle Boyd.  “This was a great experience and I believe those that attended feel better prepared to care for their patients.  It was a good day.”

The workshop was such a success that a follow up discussion is being planned for Spring of 2014. 

Workshop at Charlotte Area Health Education Center Delves into the Immigrant Experience in Accessing Care

In the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area and across the state of North Carolina immigrant-serving organizations, health care and social services, face challenges when treating both foreign-born and native-born communities. As such, there is a need for a better understanding of immigrants, immigration laws and the impact of The Affordable Care Act on both insured and uninsured immigrants. During this one-day workshop, attendees will discuss critical issues that arise as immigrants attempt to gain access to care and services. They will hear from experts as they explain the changes immigration has brought to the state of North Carolina, specifically Mecklenburg County, the experience of providing care and services to the immigrant community, and the immigration laws and documents that affect access to care and services, And finally, they will hear testimonials from immigrants that have navigated the NC healthcare system and the challenges they have faced.

• Date(s): Nov 5, 2013
• Time: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
• Location: Charlotte AHEC

 

$75.00 Registration fee (before October 22, 2013). Breakfast and lunch included.

 To register click HERE.

 

 

 

OBJECTIVES

*Describe the immigrant experience in North Carolina.
*Describe the expectations of care from both the provider and patient perspectives.
*Discuss immigration, how it operates, the categories of immigration status, common documents used by immigrants and public benefits for immigrants.
*Explain how the Affordable Care Act will impact immigrants.

TARGET AUDIENCE

 

Any health and social service provider. Includes but not limited to: case management employees, community clinic employees, nurses, physicians, public health professionals, and social workers.

FACULTY

Martha M. Brinsko, MSN, ANP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Charlotte Community Health Clinic

Mike Dulin, MD
Chair and Medical Officer for Analytics and Outcomes Research
Department of Family Medicine and Dickson Advanced Analytics Group
Carolinas Healthcare System

Madison Hardee, JD
Attorney, Family Support and Health Care Program
Legal Services of Southern Piedmont

Heather Smith, PhD
Professor, Geography and Director, Urban Studies Minor
Faculty Research Associate,
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
UNC Charlotte

Owen Furuseth, PhD
Associate Provost for Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs
Professor of Geography
Department of Geography and Earth Science
UNC Charlotte

Hans Christian Linnartz, JD
NC Board Certified Immigration Specialist
Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke Law School

Tamara Withers-Thompson, RN
Clinic Manager
Charlotte Community Health Clinic

 

In partnership with: Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Department of Family Medicine, Carolinas Healthcare System, Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, UNC Charlotte.

 

Contact for more information: Gabriela Staley, BS, 704-512-6596

Director of MAPPR Wins CHS Pinnacle Award

Dr. Michael Dulin, Founder and Director of Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research,  has been announced as a winner of the prestigious Carolinas Health Care System Pinnacle Award.  This award is given to individuals who ­­­­­­­­“provide excellent care and service by making extraordinary contributions while living out the CHS Core Values:  Caring, Commitment, Integrity and Teamwork”. 

Dr. Dulin has held many key leadership positions since joining the team at Carolinas HealthCare System 15 years ago.  In addition to his role at MAPPR, he has served as Chair of Family Medicine, where he helped to launch the CHS Patient First initiative and oversaw Elizabeth Family Medicine’s medical home pilot implementation.    He also served as the Executive Director of the Dickson Institute where he was instrumental in the development of the Dickson Advanced Analytics Group (DA2).  He has recently been promoted to the position of Chief Clinical Officer for Analytics and Outcomes Research with the Dickson Advanced Analytics Group, where he will lead analytics functions.

Both patients and colleagues have expressed their admiration for Dr. Dulin.  “His accomplishments are many and his genuine passion for patient care and population health is very apparent,” says one co-worker.  “CHS is lucky to have Dr. Dulin as a physician, researcher, data expert, and leader.”

“At our health fairs in particular, community members would always ask to be seen by him and mentioned him on their evaluations as something/someone they appreciated the most,” says another.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Dulin!

2013 Marks the 15th Year for the Latino Initiative

Dr. Michael Dulin (back right) and members from the 2005 Latino Initiative team

Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research is proud to recognize the 15th year for the Center for International Understanding's "transformational" program, the Latino Initiative!  This year-long leadership development program brings together community leaders from all sectors of the North Carolina economy to educate them in the ways immigration has reshaped North Carolina, invigorating its workforce and economy.  Participants learn about their own and other communities' challenges, and build relationships with others from their state.  The experience culminates with an intensive immersion experience in Mexico.  Upon their return, participants are challenged to use what they've learned to address an issue unique to their own community and take action to resolve it.

Several members of the MAPPR team have participated in the Latino Initiative, including Dr. Michael Dulin, Dr. Owen Furuseth, Dr. Heather Smith, and MAPPR Research Coordinator Brisa Hernandez. The experiences provided by their participation have shaped the way MAPPR approaches Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) here in Mecklenburg County.   MAPPR conducts community forums and surveys to hear directly from the Latino population we are striving to serve.  It was her experience in the Latino Initiative that really demonstrated to Brisa Hernandez that in order to understand a community, one has to immerse themselves in it.  "I have to step out of my comfort zone and really see what they're experiencing," she says. "I can't assume I know what it is."

To learn more about The Center for International Understanding, visit their website.

To learn more about the Latino Initiative, and to download their 15-Year Report click HERE.

Online Directory Will Increase Access to Care and Services for the Underserved in Charlotte

From February 2013

MAPPR has partnered with two local organizations to work on a project that will increase access to care and services for those that are underserved, including Internationals here in Charlotte.   Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Community Building Initiative, and Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research (MAPPR) are answering the call put out by these communities by collaborating to create an online database of resources and service providers available to help these vulnerable populations.

“We have been working with these communities for a while now,” says Annetta Foard of Community Building Initiative.  “What we were hearing was that there was a need for a centralized place where people could go to find the information they were looking for.  Initially we were compiling social service information and working independently from MAPPR, but when we got word that they were working on a database focused on health care  - it made sense to partner with them and try to do something comprehensive.”

The new website will allow users to input search criteria specific to their needs, and match them to organizations providing these services.  Additionally, there are social networking features allowing users and organization administrators to communicate directly with each other on the website.

As word is getting out, enthusiasm is building.  Thus far more than 70 organizations have registered to be included on The MAP. During this initial phase of development, only government agencies and not-for-profit organizations are populating the database.  The MAP will initially be tested by these service providers, but the goal is for the portal to be available to the general public.  Participation is free of charge for both the service providers and for the users seeking services.

Organizations are still being recruited to join the website!  If you or your organization would like to learn more about The MAP, please contact Brant Aycock at Brant.Aycock@carolinashealthcare.org.

Share Decision Making for a Better Quality of Life

From September 2012

Asthma is a hard chronic condition to treat due to the high costs of healthcare, lack of compliance and disparities in health costs.  It is important for patients to be responsible for their own healthcare and a good way for doing this is through the use of Shared Decision Making (SDM).  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States.  AHRQ is working with our asthma research team to implement comparative effectiveness research methods to improve outcomes for patients with asthma - in other words, finding better ways for patients to live with their asthma.

One of the goals is to improve the health of school-aged children by using a centralized data base in the school system and throughout the Carolinas Healthcare System.  This will continue even after the study is complete and improve the communication between school nurses and providers.  Preliminary results show that overall medical emergencies have decreased, fewer students are missing school, medical costs have decreased and their asthma is better controlled. 

For more information about this asthma study, please contact Tami Alkhazraji at thamara.alkhazraji@carolinashealthcare.org.