¡Una Vida Sana!
Assessing and Improving the Health Status of
Richmond’s Hispanic Community Through
Health Professional Student Service Learning
NHMA March 19, 2011
• Mark Ryan, MD
– Department of Family Medicine, VCU School of
Medicine
• Allison Gregory, FNP-BC
– Department of Family and Community Health,
VCU School of Nursing
• Sallie Mayer, Pharm.D., MBA, BCPS, CDE
– Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes
Science, VCU School of Pharmacy
¡Una Vida Sana!
• ¡Una Vida Sana! (UVS) is a multidisciplinary service learning program
with a focus on providing cardiometabolic disease screenings to the
Hispanic community in Richmond, VA
• Supported by a grant from VCU’s
Council on Community Engagement
Background
• City of Richmond’s Hispanic community
has increased from 5,704 (2000
estimate) to at least 9,292 (2008
estimate).
• Large proportion first generation
immigrants.
• Similar changes in surrounding
counties.
Barriers to health care access
• Richmond City Latino Needs
Assessment, 2008:
– 65% “very worried” about access
– Recommended increased access to and
hours of health care services
– Explore use of mobile clinics
– Extend weekend and evening hours
– Expand promotora programs
Health professional interest
• SOM: LCME requires increased service
learning opportunities, encourages student
participation
• SOP: ACPE encourages community
engagement, integrating service learning.
• SON: ANCC requiring increased interprofessional collaboration and cultural
competence.
Health professional interest
• Interest from students for increased
service learning opportunities, and
opportunities to work with Spanishspeaking communities.
• Student interest developed
independently of school requirements.
Program design
• Develop mobile, community-based
project to provide cardio-metabolic
disease screenings.
• Cross-disciplinary team with academic
and community partners.
Participants
• VCU SOM, SON, SOP
• VCUHS Office of Language Services
• City of Richmond Hispanic Liaison
Office
• CrossOver Ministry
– Promotoras
– Clinical care/volunteers
Venues
•
•
•
•
Churches and faith communities
Community events
Government events
Future
– Community centers
– Housing developments
Event organization
• Measurements:
– BP, height/weight/BMI
– Cholesterol and blood glucose
– Framingham risk score calculation
• Provider review/counseling
• Referral coordinator (if needed)
• Promotora teaching
Event organization
• Patients are provided a data sheet
including their measurements/BMI, lab
values, blood pressure, etc.
• Patients can pick up educational
materials.
• Students work in multi-disciplinary
teams.
Event organization
• Opportunities to expand services in the
future:
– Dental care/education
– Flu shots
– Additional screening services
Project goals
• Hold events every 2 months.
• Establish new model of service learning,
and determine the validity of the
approach.
• Develop a health profile of the adult
Hispanic community, especially
regarding cardio-metabolic risks.
Project goals
• Patient satisfaction measures
– Developed a patient survey to assess how
well the project meets the community’s
needs.
• Learner impact/satisfaction
– Used a previously-developed survey
– CrossOver eligibility screening
• Enhanced impact for promotoras.
Results
• (I will note some of the findings to date. We
will have an event Feb 5, and I would like to
include that data)
• (Data will consist of %s screened w/ certain
abnormalities)
• (I will be happy to forward this once ready)
Future plans
• Strengthen the project’s service learning
structure.
– Enhance UVS student group’s role.
• Increase capacity:
– For students
– For the community
• Increase community input.
• Increase the services offered.