An Asset-Based Empowerment
Approach to Asthma Education:
Mobilizing Community Resources Through Asset Mapping
Presented by: Elizabeth L. Phillips, MPH, CHES
Community Health Asthma Alliance Minority Partnership (CHAAMP)
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
1/18/05
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Learning Objectives
• Learn how to incorporate an asset based approach to
problem solving or enhance asthma health education
efforts.
• Understand the benefits of coalition building via the
“asset-based” approach in the identification of
individual skills and organizational/institutional
resources.
• Build familiarity with the process of asset-based
mapping and its application towards public health
efforts aimed at addressing health disparities among
minority populations.
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
1/18/05
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Project Background
Project: Community Health Asthma Alliance Minority
Partnership (CHAAMP) formerly the Dutchess County Minority
Asthma Alliance established in 2000, a grassroots coalition
focusing on individual and community level issues associated
with the burden of this national epidemic.
Lead Agency: Hudson River Community Health
Coalition Membership: comprised of local agencies
representatives, family members, health professionals and
concerned individuals.
Funding Source: NYS Department of Health - Office of
Minority Health.
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CHAAMP
formerly the Dutchess County Minority Asthma Alliance
Mission
To improve health outcomes and
increase access to comprehensive asthma
care, support and services for African American
and Latino children with asthma, by working
within the community to overcome the daily
barriers encountered by families residing in
Peekskill, Beacon & Poughkeepsie.
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Asset-Based
Community Development
•
• ABCD is the assessment and mobilization of
these resources.
• An “asset map” is a display of the resources
which can take place in various forms and
media.
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Asset Mapping
• Seeing the glass half empty
– Clients have deficiencies and needs
• Seeing the glass half full
– Individuals with gifts/talents
Based on “Building Communities from the Inside Out” by John P. Kretzmann and John L,. McKnight as presented by
Robert Francis, Executive Director of Regional Youth & Adult Substance Abuse Project (RYASAP) Bridgeport, CT.
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
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Seeking Solutions
Needs Assessment
• Deficiency oriented
identity
• Sets a mood of
hopelessness
• Needs define the
intervention
• Destroys local
relationships
• Creates vicious
funding cycle
vs.
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Asset Mapping
Affirms “gifts”on all
levels
Built on community
strengths
Thrives on community
input
Relationship driven
Better use of external
and internal
resources
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Community Assets
Building Blocks
Individual Residents
Skills
Experiences
Knowledge
Outreach &
Advocacy
e.g. Youth, Seniors,
Low-income,
Disabled
Citizen Associations
Outreach & Advocacy
Visibility
Marketing
In-kind Support
Technical Assistance
Outreach & Advocacy
e.g. Tenant Housing Council,
Places of Worship, Artists,
Merchants, Sports Groups
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
1/18/05
Institutions
Outreach &
Advocacy
Visibility
Marketing
In-kind Support
Technical
Assistance
e.g. Hospitals, School
Districts, Universities
& Libraries
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Asset Mapping Process
Helps to identify…
• existing community resources & services
• different communication strategies for
working with community residents,
organizations & coalition members
• opportunities for the coalition to
promote and tell their story
• Prospective coalition members and allies
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Benefits of Asset Mapping
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Shift in power from professionals to community
Inclusiveness -- everyone has gifts
Relationship building
People NOT programs overcome barriers
Sustainability
Smaller, but better results
Focus on bridging resources by developing
organizers and “gappers”
Based on “Building Communities from the Inside Out” by John P. Kretzmann and John L,. McKnight as presented
by Robert Francis, Executive Director of Regional Youth & Adult Substance Abuse Project Bridgeport, CT.
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
1/18/05
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Our ABCD Experience in
Community Health Education
• Utilizing the asthma asset map
and tapping into community
member’s individual skills has
increased the community’s
access to culturally appropriate
asthma education.
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Assets in Action
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CBO’s
Health Providers
AmeriCorps/VISTA
Citizens
HeadStart/DayCare sites
School Nurses
Health Institutions
Public Schools
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1/18/05
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Assets in Action
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HomeAIR is an educational & environmental
approach to asthma management. Based on
the Community Health Worker (CHW) model to
provide outreach & asthma education via home
visitation.
A unique health intervention that focuses on
the need of health center users--pediatric
asthma patients and their families.
The HomeAIR team is comprised of local
community residents & AmeriCorps members.
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Home Asthma Intervention Resources
HomeAIR
• HomeAIR is a project of Hudson River Community Health. An
asthma care management intervention using the Community
Health Worker model approach to conduct home visits.
• Target Population: Parents/Caregivers of Community Health
Center Pediatric Patients
• The HomeAIR team is comprised of local community residents
& AmeriCorps members referred to as “Asthma Care Partners”.
• HomeAIR participants either self-refer or their Primary Care
Provides identifies & refers the family.
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HomeAIR Revisited
Changes in Intervention Delivery:
• HomeAIR needed to be responsive and flexible to families needs in a
proactive manner.
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Flexibility in the delivery of HomeAIR services meant condensing home visit
structure as necessary---by meeting with families on 2 visits instead of 3.
Proactive in not relying on providers to refer families and enable parent to sign up
directly.
Changes in Data Collection Survey
Pre
survey questions were unclear to interviewer & the family members.
Questions
were reworded to make it more user friendly to improve the
usefulness of the information.
Data Collection Pre Survey
Original Q. Does your child use a Peak Flow Meter?
If yes :_____________predicted measurement ___________actual measurement
Revised Q. Does your child use a Peak Flow Meter at home? If YES, what is their personal best
reading? ________ OR______ I do not know.
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HomeAIR Revisited
Other Proposed Changes:
Conduct
group asthma education workshops—HomeAIR Forums. The sessions
will be led by asthma care partners & Pediatric Department providers at the
community health center (to be piloted in Fall 2004).
HomeAIR
Forums will be open to the general public
The
anticipated benefits for HomeAIR participants will be the group experience
& exchange of information via facilitated discussion on the basics of asthma.
Home
AIR participants will then be offered the opportunity to sign up for a 1 time
home assessment conducted by the asthma care partner.
Incorporate
participant evaluation of HomeAIR forums with pre/post tests.
Home
Assessments will be available to all participants; maintain use of pre/post
asthma data collection surveys.
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1/18/05
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Chronic Care Model Components
the community…CHAAMP Coalition
self-management support… Home AIR Assessment
the health system….BOD monthly
reports; Strategic Plan; Use of PDSAs
decision support…Asthma Action Plan
clinical information systems…PECS
as of 11/04
delivery system design…HomeAIR pilot, CHW’s
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Roadblocks on the Journey
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Resistance from deficit oriented people
Competing initiatives
Conflicting priorities
Temptation to act alone
Motivation & Uncertainty
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Learn By Doing
-stay positive & don’t give up
-persevere, even if it doesn’t start out well
-get people to see dream & make it come true
-be willing to ask
-feed the vision
-innovation means taking risks
establish trust and respect
- establish a mission statement
- motivation leads to sustainability
- exchange assets
- promote networking
STAY FOCUSED
TRUST THE PROCESS
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Thank You.
Mobilizing Community Resources Through Asset Mapping
Presented by: Elizabeth L. Phillips, MPH, CHES
Community Health Asthma Alliance Minority Partnership (CHAAMP)
Northeast Cluster Collaboratives
1/18/05
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