446. Salud familiar en McKinley: a community-campus partnership from the ground up
Salud Famliar en McKinley (Salud!) is a joint project of McKinley Elementary School and the San
Jose State University Health Science Department. Established in 2006 as part of the Health
Disparities Service-Learning Collaborative, our overarching goal is community resilience. Salud!
recognizes the powerful relationships between a family’s physical, emotional, and social health
and a student’s ability to learn. Our project is committed to nurturing family health as a key
strategy for educational success and community resilience. Our second goal is confianza con la
Universidad - trust and confidence in San Jose State University as a reliable resource for
community resilience. Our third goal is professional preparation of SJSU Health Science
students through community based action, reflection, and service-learning. Salud! has four core
elements: family health education through a set of reinforcing family health promotion events
led by SJSU student service-learners; a mothers’ biweekly health education group session; a
mothers community leadership component; and a girls health club. Over 300 SJSU servicelearners participate each year in the family health education activities which serve hundreds of
families each time. Over 50 mothers and 20 girls have become regular members, and are now
leaders in their own community health projects in collaboration with the university
students. Evaluation of student experience indicates deeper understanding of the social
construction and lived experience of health disparities have increased interest and commitment
to actions to eliminate disparities, and increased interest in public health and
leadership. Evaluation of parent and child experiences and participation in Salud! Activities and
leadership indicate increased health awareness and knowledge, family health behavior
changes, increased confidence for parenting in a new cultural context, community leadership,
and interaction with the university (students, faculty, campus resources). This presentation will
address the organization, key turning points, challenges, and lessons learned from the 5 years
of our partnership to date.