Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Community Outreach Research Programs
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(Top) CBO partners at the Brooklyn Health
Disparities Summer Internship Program
(BHDSIP) 2011 Awards Ceremony.
(Right) Barber and customer looking at
health literature.
(Bottom) Customer reading a Heart of a
Woman brochure.
Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1232
Brooklyn, NY 11203
P: 718.270.3101 F: 718.270.2602
www.arthurasheinstitute.org
REPORT 2012
Table of Contents
2
Overview
3
History
3
Our Mission, Vision, Values
4
Our Approach:
4
4
4
5
Research & Training Metrics
6
Current Programs
Community Health Empowerment (CHE)
General Health Promotion Model
Lay Advocate Training Model
14 Partnerships and Collaborations
16 Participating Hair Salons, Barbershops, Unisex (2010-2011)
16 Future Directions
17 Funders
17 Staff
Overview
The Institute’s community outreach programs, in keeping with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban
Health’s mission to address disparities in health, have expanded to include health promotion
activities in more barbershops and beauty salons in Brooklyn. Our efforts have been concentrated in barbershops and salons located in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant/
Crown Heights, Brownsville, East New York and East Flatbush/ Flatbush. This report highlights the
impact of community engaged programs in addressing the needs of the community. In addition to
a summary of the individual programs, we have included testimonies from program participants,
including the high school students, members from community based organizations, and our other
community partners.
More specifically, this report provides an update of the Institute’s community outreach initiatives
for the past three years, with a special emphasis on those programs conducted in 2011. The
initiatives outlined include the Institute’s community outreach to address various ailments,
including cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS, as well as our work to address health disparities
within various groups including adult men and women, high school students, and formerly incarcerated individuals.
In 2011, the Institute extended its relationship with the New York University, School of Medicine
to include a formal partnership centered on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
initiative to increase screening for hypertension and colorectal cancer in men of African descent
over the age of fifty. The partnership program is called the Mister B-AAIUH program, which utilizes
barbershops to recruit eligible men for the study.
The important work conducted by the Arthur Ashe Institute within the community would not
be possible without the important collaborations we have fostered over the years, and without
funding from various organizations. A list of our community partners and funders is included in
this report.
Finally, it is important to acknowledge the committed work of the community outreach/research
staff, which continues to work diligently to implement our community outreach/research
programs. As we embark on a new year, we look forward to the future with optimism, and would
like to extend our sincere appreciation to our community barbers, stylists, customers, academic
and community based partners, members of our advisory boards, and our funders, all of whom
have played an essential role in our mission to eliminate disparities in health and to promote
better health outcomes for those in our community.
Marilyn Fraser-White, MD
Associate Director of Research and Training
Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Director, Community Engagement
Brooklyn Health Disparities Center
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
History
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, located in multiethnic Brooklyn, was founded in 1992 by tennis champion and
humanitarian, Arthur Ashe, to address health inequalities and
disparities.
Since its inception, the Institute has collaborated with community
members to reduce morbidity and mortality from disease through
improved access to care and increased health knowledge among
the most vulnerable populations in our urban areas.
Our Mission,
Vision & Values
We design, incubate and replicate community-based behavioral
interventions in trusted venues that empower individuals to
address health conditions that unequally affect multi-ethnic
communities.
Our vision is an equitable healthcare delivery system that
reduces health disparities, improves outcomes for underserved
groups and better prepares a more inclusive workforce.
We share our founder’s values of justice, service, inclusiveness
and excellence and recognize access to quality healthcare as a
basic right for all.
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Our Approach
We work, using a community-based participatory research
approach to increase wellness in multi-cultural urban areas by:
n Preventing illness and disease
n Assuring availability of culturally competent care
n Breaking down institutional and cultural barriers in health
education and health care
n Building bridges between the public, private and non-profit
sectors
Community Health
Empowerment (CHE)
The Institute uses a Community Health Empowerment
(CHE) model, which we define as connecting people to the
information, tools and resources they need to make informed
health decisions, to safeguard and improve the health of their
families and neighborhoods by promoting wellness within their
communities.
The CHE objectives include:
n Health messages based on current research
n Outreach, tailored for participants
n Training that meets people where they are
n Encouragement of participants to share messages with their
social network
Health interventions take place in trusted settings including:
n Barbershops
n Beauty salons
n Faith-based organizations
n Public housing
n Tattoo salons
Trainings are designed to:
n Increase knowledge
n Influence attitudes
n Build skills
Strong, sustainable relationships are built with our partners and
CHE represents an equal partnership between the community
and scientific contributors. This approach is built on a
foundation of strong rigorous research methods and standard
practices.
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
General Health
Promotion Model
Our general health promotion
model utilizes non-traditional
settings such as barbershops,
beauty salons, tattoo & body
piercing salons and faith-based
institutions to deliver health
education to customers and
congregants. The intervention
takes place over a period of
three months and includes
distribution of health promotion
materials such as brochures
and pamphlets as well as
showing of a video on the
designated health topic. In
addition, each intervention
site hosts a monthly seminar
(Health & Wellness Day) where
health educators provide
information to participants.
Lay Advocate
Training Model
The Institute, with input from
the community, develops
culturally tailored training
curricula on various health
topics, including cardiovascular
disease (CVD), breast cancer,
colorectal cancer, prostate
cancer, diabetes and HIV/
AIDS. The curricula are used
to train barbers and stylists
as lay health advocates to
deliver health messages
to their customers and to
encourage healthy behaviors
in the community. This model
also includes monthly health
seminars and the distribution
of health materials within the
participating venues.
Research and Training Metrics
The Institute’s community outreach and research projects have traditionally included some
evaluation component. Initially, short surveys were utilized to obtain information from
barbershop/salon staff and customers around a specific health topic. These projects also
generally included a 3-month follow-up to assess changes in behavior related to diet, exercise,
tobacco use, etc. In 2000, the Institute received its first National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant
to conduct a randomized control trial to assess the impact of stylists’ delivered breast health
messages on the behaviors of salon customers. This project included a more rigorous evaluation
plan than prior outreach projects, including development of assessment tools and evaluation
instruments by a team of researchers with expertise in evaluation and data analysis. This
evaluation model has been adapted for our subsequent projects. Although many of the Institute’s research projects have been funded by federal grants from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
Institute has also received funding for its research projects from private foundations. While it
is expected that the federally funded programs will require greater scientific rigor, in terms of
metrics, other programs such as the Langeloth funded ACCESS proposal was peer reviewed with
similar scientific rigor.
Survey Instruments:
Many of the survey instruments used in our research and community outreach programs have
been adapted using validated survey tools. Instruments were also developed in collaboration
with other researchers at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center who have expertise in survey
development. Community input is also obtained, through focus groups with community partners,
to ensure that the survey instruments are tailored to the community. Key variables: In addition to general demographic questions to define the population, our
assessment tools usually include questions to assess knowledge of a particular health issue,
attitudes, self-efficacy (stylist/barber confidence in their ability to deliver health messages to
customers, participants’ confidence in ability to change behavior), health behavior, intention to
change behaviors, and access to services.
Data collection/Analysis:
Data are generally obtained within our programs through focus groups, in-depth interviews,
assessment surveys, baseline surveys and post-intervention surveys. Focus group transcripts are
coded and analyzed by at least three persons to ensure rater reliability. Surveys are collected
from study participants by trained staff. All data instruments and research protocol are reviewed
by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center. All study staff are
trained in proper research conduct (a renewable 3-year certification in human subjects training). Qualitative data are analyzed using NVIVO, and the quantitative data are generally analyzed using
SPSS (most recent version). Most of our grant proposal budgets include costs for a Biostatistician
to analyze the data from our studies.
To evaluate data obtained from pre- and post-surveys, demographic characteristics and questionnaire responses from the surveys are evaluated in aggregate, using descriptive statistical
techniques (Box plots, frequency distributions). Univariate analyses are conducted including
means/standard deviations or medians/standard errors, depending on whether normal distribution exists. To compare pre- and post-survey responses, statistical analyses include paired t-tests,
and analyses of co-variance (ANCOVA) are performed for potential covariates.
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To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, do what you can
2009–2011 Programs
Heart of a Woman
Heart of A Woman
n Food
demonstration:
Nutritionists and educators demonstrated
healthier alternatives to unhealthy meals,
including effortless juicing. n Fitness
Instruction:
A professional trainer demonstrated various
exercise techniques to the customers, which
can easily be incorporated into their everyday
routines.
Heart of a Woman (HOW) is a signature
salon-based program of the Institute. The
cardiovascular disease component uses a
culturally tailored heart health curriculum to
deliver heart disease risk reduction messages
to African American and Afro-Caribbean women. The curriculum was developed as a project
of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center and
was pilot tested in two hair salons in Central
Brooklyn with funding from the NYU Clinical &
Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
In 2011, the Institute broadened the scope of
the HOW cardiovascular initiative by launching
a major project in Bedford-Stuyvesant/Crown
Heights, and East Flatbush/Flatbush with
support from a leadership grant of $190,000
from the Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
Foundation. The initiative was carried out in
partnership with customers and stylists in eight
hair salons, over the course of three months,
to increase awareness of heart disease risk,
and promote changes in diet and exercise. An
additional eight salons were utilized as the
control group, which received CVD information
without implementation of the curriculum.
The three components to the curriculum are
healthy eating, exercise, and “know your
numbers.” 33 stylists were trained from
the intervention salons to deliver these
messages to their customers. Customers
also received resource information on access
to care, including access to prescription
assistance programs. In addition, customers
received brochures and other information
during the monthly health seminars at the
salons, such as:
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
Health & Wellness Days (exercise session)
n Equipment
to “Know Your Numbers:”
Scales, tape measures and blood pressure
monitors were provided to each participating
salon, with hands-on training on the proper
usage of the units, to encourage customers
to “know their numbers.” Since its launch, Heart of a Woman has
enrolled approximately 370 participants, and
has been featured on several media outlets
including:
n Health Beat Brooklyn
n Brooklyn Independent Television
n The Daily News
n PBS
The program also received press coverage
from Yahoo Finance in an article entitled
Fighting Heart Disease among Black Women in
Brooklyn, and was presented at the 2011 and
2012 annual meeting of the American Public
Health Association (APHA).
338 individuals were enrolled in the 2011
study (177 women from intervention salons
and 161 from control salons). The charts
below illustrate the demographic data of the
participants:
Race/Ethnicity
0%
3% 2%
n
n
n
n
n
Afro-Caribbean
African American/Black
Black Hispanic/Latino
non-Black hispanic/Latino
Other
29%
66%
Age
n
n
n
n
8%
18-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
n Above 50
2% 3%
and participate in discussions related to cardiovascular disease. Frequent site visits, and
follow-up calls encouraged the stylists to invite
customers to the Health & Wellness Days and
the administer blood pressure monitoring.
A small comprehensive heart health group
which meets regularly throughout the intervention can potentially increase the retention rate,
since interaction between participants and
program staff would tend to increase as they
engage more frequently in activities (weekly
check-ins to monitor weight, waist circumference, and meetings with nutritionist and
trainer). Given the interest this program has
generated among customers and stylists, it
would be important to expand our programs to
new salons, while we maintain relationships
with the former participants.
The impact of heart disease among women
of color necessitates CVD risk reduction interventions specific for this population. The
Institute is proud to serve the community, using
its innovative, culturally tailored approach
to empower women to make heart healthy
decisions.
Testimonies
18%
23%
23%
23%
“A lot of people, unless they are in pain, don’t
pay attention to their health. This program
is taking a step to address such problems
that can lead to cardiovascular disease and
strokes.” — HOW, Customer
“We need more of this education in the
community.” — HOW, Stylist
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Findings from preliminary data analysis indicate
that those attending our Health & Wellness
workshops were receptive to the programs and
that stylists are enthusiastic about their role as
lay health advisors.
Since the stylists did not speak about heart
health as much as we anticipated, we may
need additional booster sessions during the
intervention.
The Health & Wellness Days at the salon served
as a refresher for the stylists and provided an
opportunity for customers to ask questions
“This program is great because not even
doctors take time out to explain medical terms
such as total cholesterol. They are too busy and
you can leave the office not knowing what you
were just told.” — HOW, Salon Owner/Stylist
“Having the blood pressure machine in the
salons is a great way to monitor your blood
pressure without having to wait until you have
an appointment to [see] the doctor.” — HOW, Customer
“I would love to have a weekly fitness class
with the fitness instructor.” — HOW, Stylist
feedback after the Fitness Workshop
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screening to participants (via mobile van)
of a grant to the National
Institutes of Health to develop an intervention to address cardiovascular disease in
formerly incarcerated men.
n Submission
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Access
In 2009, the Institute received funding from
the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation to
develop and conduct an intervention focused
on increasing access to health and social
services for formerly incarcerated individuals
and their families. The ACCESS project is
conducted in barbershops and beauty salons in
Bedford-Stuyvesant/Crown Heights, Brooklyn,
neighborhoods that are disproportionately
affected by incarceration. Our accomplishments have included the following:
n Conducted
six focus groups with barbers,
stylists and customers to inform the development of the intervention to increase access
to healthcare and social services for formerly
incarcerated individuals and their families
n Developed a health and social services
Resource Guide for formerly incarcerated
individuals and their families
n Developed an Advisory Board, made up
of representatives from health organizations, reentry organizations, and community
leaders, to provide input throughout the
project
n Recruited barbers and stylists from five
personal care establishments: two barbershops, two salons, one unisex establishment
(barbershop/salon)
n Conducted training sessions with 16 barbers
and stylists from Bedford-Stuyvesant/Crown
Heights based personal care establishments. The training sessions included general information on incarceration, the importance of
addressing incarceration in our community, as
well as information on three key health topics:
cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS and stress.
n Enrolled 120 customers from the participating barbershops and salons
n Conducted 12 health seminars within the
barbershops and salons, and provided HIV
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
Some difficulties were encountered in reaching
participants to conduct follow-up surveys after
the intervention. However, the majority of those
reached successfully completed the follow-up
survey.
Strong ties have been built primarily with
barbers/stylists who have participated in the
study. The sustainability of these relationships
will be fostered by consistent interaction after
the project.
Barbers and stylists have the potential to
be effective health advocates based on the
knowledge acquired through this program as
well as the trust that they have established with
their customers as friends, parental figures,
counselors, mentors, role models or, in many
cases, “therapists.” Other key elements of the
program include the following:
n Community
ties were developed and nurtured
through collaborations with organizations
within the community on various levels of
the program, including Health & Wellness
Day presentations and screening (e.g. HIV
testing).
n Barbers/stylists who previously expressed
reluctance to participate were transformed
in their response to the program during the
implementation, resulting in increased enthusiasm for the program.
Policy Implications
It is important to incorporate health into reentry
discharge planning for individuals incarcerated
in New York City. Discharge planning services
should be tailored to the unique needs of
individuals.
Families should also have information of
available services prior to discharge because
they play an important role in assisting in the
reentry process, and because the community is
greatly impacted by incarceration.
Testimonies
“We are like a family now so I hope you guys
keep coming back since the project is over.”
— Access, Barber feedback after last Health &
Wellness Day.
“This was a really great opportunity to present
to the community about something I love and
to get tested myself.” — Access, Trainer from
WIBO
“My nephew just came home (recently released)
and could really use this information. He needs
housing now so I will pass this [information]
on to him.” — Access, participant feedback
after Health & Wellness Day conducted by DOE
FUND. Ready, Willing & Able
Future Directions
The results from this program have the
potential to greatly inform reentry strategies for
the community, thereby promoting better health
outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals
and their families.
Consistent engagement of community
members who participate in baseline surveys
should be incorporated, through texting and
other mediums, in addition to their participation
in Health and Wellness Days.
A grant was submitted to the National Institutes
of Health to develop an intervention to address
cardiovascular disease in formerly incarcerated
men.
Communities of Color Project
HIV/AIDS, Condom Distribution
For the past 3 years, the Institute has received
funding from the New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct an HIV/
AIDS risk reduction program in barbershops and
beauty salons. In addition to an HIV/AIDS risk
reduction education event in each of the participating venues, this program includes the distribution of condoms, brochures and pamphlets.
The customers and barbers/stylists are very
receptive of this initiative and encourage its
continuation.
Total #
Venues approached
6
Venues Distributed
6
Male Condoms distributed
4,230
Female Condoms distributed
600
Lubricants distributed
2,500
Distribution Summary (2011)
Challenges & Lessons Learned
The program provides a variety of latex
condoms free of charge; and, some condoms
are preferred and requested by customers
over others. Some participants expressed the
need to have polyurethane condoms because
of latex allergy. There were delays in receiving
the Trojan, Durex and Lifestyle condoms, which
resulted in delays in the distribution of these
particular condoms. This was an issue because
the community expressed that the aforementioned condoms were preferred over the NYC
condoms.
Future Directions
The Institute received funding to implement this
program in three personal care establishments
in 2012. The lessons learned will be incorporated to further enhance this program.
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9
BHDC Community Engagement
Program (P20)
Health Disparities Summer Internship
Program (HDSIP)
The Brooklyn Health Disparities Center
(BHDC) is a partnership between the Arthur
Ashe Institute, the SUNY Downstate Medical
Center, and the Office of the Brooklyn Borough
President. The Center, funded by a grant from
the National Institutes of Health, has as its
mission to reduce health disparities among
minorities and new immigrants in Brooklyn,
NY through clinical and community based
research, education, outreach and training.
The Center is supported by four cores
(Administrative, Community Outreach/
Engagement, Research, and Training). A grant
received in 2009 funded the Center to expand
its community engagement core to develop
and implement a health disparities curriculum
for high school students and to increase the
capacity of community based organizations
(CBOs) to engage in research. Students were
selected from the Institute’s Health Science
Academy (HSA) to participate in the summer
internship program. Over the past two years, two cohorts of
students participated in the summer internship
program and four workshops were held at the
Brooklyn Borough Hall for leaders of community
based organizations. Students at closing ceremony
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
CBO supervisor with students
Students at closing ceremony
Program outcomes include the following:
retention rate of students (99% over two
years)
n Continued CBO interest in hosting interns in
the future
n Post-internship volunteering (students volunteered at some of the internship sites after
the program)
n Participation at the New York Science &
Engineering Fairs (NYSEF) - 2 projects
n Some interns featured on KJMC’s Health &
Wellness Talk show: “Health You Can Use”
n External interest in program participation
from non-HSA applicants
n Community engaged research & policy
agenda developed
n Library access for community based partners
n Participation of faculty in community based
training
n Grant collaborations with CBOs
n Manuscripts accepted for publication (JNMA,
International Public Health Journal )
n Grant awarded from the NIH to continue
project for an additional five years
n Replication of internship in Trinidad & Tobago
as part of Dr. Ruth C. Browne’s Fulbright
Fellowship
n High
Challenges & Lessons Learned
The Health Disparities Summer Internship
Program provided an opportunity for students
to learn about careers in health research, and
develop practical skills to support community
agencies actively involved in addressing health
outcomes through research.
Students also welcomed opportunities to be
engaged by leaders in the field. Students were
introduced to experts in the various subject
areas. These experts (community leaders,
advocates, researchers and clinicians) provided
opportunities for mentorship and insights into
career options and personal experiences that
shaped their career paths.
Testimonies
“Simple and straightforward topics such
as sleep turned out to be complicated and
interesting knowledge learned. I highly
recommend this internship.” — BHDSIP,
Student
“It was a great opportunity to learn many new
things and be informed about things going on
in our communities.” — BHDSIP, Student
Students at presentation
Students expressed interest in learning opportunities with high levels of interactivity and
welcomed opportunities where they could seek
a link between the lectures and actual health
issues. For instance, students were eager to
observe procedures and patients on a sleep
clinic tour after participating in a lecture on
sleep disorders presented by Dr. Girardin JeanLouis. Similarly, several students commented
that the visit to the dialysis clinic was an
interesting experience because they had the
opportunity to observe the process of dialysis at
the adult and pediatric units.
Students are also seeking opportunities that
prepare them for college and teach valuable
personal and professional development skills. They were openly appreciative of skill building
sessions such as the public speaking workshop
and tools that helped with time management
and organization.
2010
2011
Students
51
49
Projects
31
21
CBO Training
2
2
Publications/
Presentations
n RX For Urban
n Urban Health
Health, Winter
n Urban Health
Chronicles, Winter
n APHA oral
presentation
Chronicles,
Winter of 2011
n Journal of the
National Medical
Association,
September 2011
“What I appreciated most about the program is
it educates students through evidence-based
instruction, as well as, provides direct field
research in communities that are the subject of
the study.” — BHDSIP, Parent
“The program helped my child feel more
independent. I saw how excited she was to
complete a project with her peers and develop
into a more responsible person.” — BHDSIP,
Parent
“Now I have a better understanding of community-based research & the benefits.” — BHDSIP,
CBO Feedback after attending workshop 1
“The research students have done will be the
stepping stone for a strong needs assessment
for future proposals...” — BHDSIP, CBO
Future Directions
This program was replicated in the Republic
of Trinidad & Tobago as part of Dr. Browne’s
Fulbright Nexus award.
A grant award from the NIH will continue this
program for an additional 5 years.
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11
Fulbright Program
In 2011, Dr. Ruth C. Browne was selected as a
recipient of the prestigious J. William Fulbright
Regional Nexus Scholar Award. Through
this award, the Health Disparities Summer
Internship Program was piloted in Trinidad &
Tobago as a model for international replication. From July 2012 through August 2012, 20
secondary school students from Trinidad &
Tobago were exposed to a Social Determinants
of Health curriculum tailored for Trinidad &
Tobago. Students obtained practical experience
in their research projects conducted at NonGovernmental Organizations (NGO) in Trinidad
& Tobago.
Barbershop Talk
With Brothers
The Institute, in partnership
with the SUNY Downstate
Medical Center’s School of Public Health, was
funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to develop an HIV/AIDS program
for heterosexual African American men. The
program is a barbershop-based intervention to
reach men in Central Brooklyn with HIV/AIDS
risk-reduction messages.
Challenges & Lessons Learned
This approach focused vastly on having a shared
vision and building trust between the Institute,
the barbers and the customers, which served as
the platform to open the door to the community
and set the tone for the work that we do.
Barbershop Talk With Brothers (BTWB) is
designed to create a safe space where Black
men can have barbershop discussions with a
health twist. The intervention was developed
as a collaborative process which included input
from barbers and customers.
Some of the challenges encountered involved
recruitment of participants for the training
sessions, more specifically as it relates to
scheduling group sessions with three or more
men.
The BTWB uses an empowering approach, by
taking into account both the social (e.g. lack
of health insurance, high exposure to crime
and violence) and individual factors (e.g.
perceptions) that contribute to risky behaviors. Participants’ conflict in work schedules was one
of the leading hurdles encountered in attending
the workshops. Multiple reminder attempts
were conducted to secure attendance. However, there were still repeated no-shows
from some participants, even after confirming
that they were en-route.
HIV knowledge was relatively low among the
participants. The men were eager to learn and
appreciative for this initiative, and suggested
that BTWB be made available to everyone.
Emergent themes related to risk behaviors
included: 1) the psychological and emotional
role of multiple partnerships; 2) risk taking
regarding condom use; 3) the role of trust in
condom use decisions; 4) low perceived HIV
risk and community awareness; and 5) lack of
relationship between HIV testing and safer sex
practices.
12
Of the 1,215 individuals approached, 599
screening questionnaires were administered.
Based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria,
137 participants were eligible, and 129
individuals agreed to participate in the study. A total of 78 men completed the intervention
with a follow-up rate of over 91%.
Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
At follow-up, there were challenges contacting
some participants due to change of phone
numbers and/or relocation.
When recruiting customers, it is imperative
to utilize the rapport that exists between
barbers and their clients. This relationship
between researchers, barbers, and customers
is significant throughout the program and even
after completion. This program was the first HIV education
session for most of the men and, as advocated
by many participants, more risk-reduction
initiatives need to be made available to heterosexual African American men in Brooklyn.
Future Directions
A grant awarded from the NIH on the behalf
of the Health Disparities Center, will provide
development and implemention of a large
scale intervention to address HIV risk in African
American men.
Testimonies
“The barbershop is like the heart of the hood…
Everything passes through the barbershop…
That’s how you all got me in. …that was real
smart.” — BTWB, participant feedback
“It has been the most fulfilling, greatest
experience ever in my life because never have
I thought that, you know, something like this
would have ever come out where us as men
would have really gotten an opportunity to get
educated on how we are supposed to live, and
treat our bodies and our health. So, this has
been the most beautiful experience for me. It
has been.” — BTWB, participant feedback
New York University (NYU)
Partnership Project
The Institute was invited by the New York
University School of Medicine to lead a
community advisory board for its MISTER B
outreach program, funded by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. This initiative
is focused on increasing colorectal cancer
and blood pressure screenings among men of
African descent over the age of 50.
Subsequently, a partnership was formed
between the Institute and the New York
University. The goal of the Mister B project is to
recruit 720 participants from barbershops and
community events. To date, over 600 participants have been enrolled. Some challenges
faced during this initiative included:
n Maintaining
the Institute’s perspective on
community engagement as a key aspect in
recruitment
n Utilizing community spaces without over burdening our community partners
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health-NYU
partnership has successfully provided blood
pressure screening and colorectal cancer
screening information to customers at many
barbershops in Brooklyn that have participated in previous Institute programs, thus maintaining
and enhancing the relationships with these
Brooklyn barbershops.
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To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, do what you can
Partnerships & Collaborations
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
would like to acknowledge our partners for their
valuable contribution to our work.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
New York University
Community Advisory Board (BHDC)
American Cancer Society
Arab-American Family Support Center
Brooklyn Perinatal Network
CAMBA
Caribbean Women’s Health Association
Community Counseling and Mediation
Diaspora Community Services
Dwa Fanm
East New York Farms
Greater Brooklyn Health Coalition
Haitian American Community Coalition
Korean Community Services of
Metropolitan New York Inc.
Make the Road New York
Diane Bailey
Salon Owner/Stylist
Angela Banks-Jourdain, RN
Queens County Black Nurses Assoc.
Marion Council
Salon Owner/Stylist
Simone Cremona
Salon Owner/Stylist
Gerald Deas, MD
Director of Health Education and
Communication
Hermione Fraser
Salon Owner/Stylist
Adika Roberts
Barbershop Owner/Barber
Nelson Urraca
Barbershop Owner/Barber
Jean Ward
Breast Cancer Survivor
Patrick Wellington
Salon Owner/Stylist
Bettina Willis, RN
People’s Institute
Advisory Board (Access Project)
Health & Beauty Council
Bernice Cummings
Stylist
Ruth C. Browne, ScD
CEO (AAIUH)
Chair
Debbie Deas
Salon Owner
Co-chair
14
John Atchison
Salon Owner/Stylist
Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
Eric M. Deadwiley
Community Activist/Author
Caitlin Dunklee
Drop the Rock
Robert Greifinger, MD
Corrections Consultant
Ali Knight
Justice Corps, John Jay
Frank Holder
SUNY Downstate
Melissa Lee
CIBS – Center for the Improvement of Bed-Stuy
Orlando Moreno
Bibi’s Unisex Salon
Rukia Lumumba
Center for Community Alternatives
Winston Rollock
SUNY Downstate
Gretchen Maneval
Center for the Study of Brooklyn (Brooklyn
College)
Nelson Urraca
Barbershop Owner/Barber
Glen Martin
Fortune Society
Louis McDuffie
Owner/Barber
Tina Reynolds
WORTH (Women on the Rise Telling Her Story)
Eddie Rosario
Fifth Avenue Committee
Gabriel Torres-Rivera
Community Services Society Director of Reentry
Initiatives/ New York Reentry Roundtable
Craig Trotta
Doe Fund
Steering Committee (BTWB)
Bibi Alli
Salon Owner/Stylist
Patrick Wellington
Salon Owner/Stylist
Taskforce for Community Collaboration
Veronica Arikian, PhD, RN
College of Nursing
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Clinton Brown, MD
College of Medicine
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Mark Stewart, PhD
College of Graduate Studies
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Suzanne White, MA, OTR
College of Health Related Professions
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Tracey Wilson, PhD
SUNY Downstate School of Public Health
Humberto Brown
Director, Health Disparities
Initiatives & New Constituency Development
Marion Council
Salon Owner/Stylist
Designer Braids & Trade
Gerald Deas, MD
Director of Health Education and
Communication, SUNY Downstate
Garry Graham MA, MPH, CASAC
Deputy Director - Patient Relations, SUNY
Downstate Medical Center
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Participating
Salons &
Barbershops
(2010-2011)
Hair Salons
Asase
Caramel City
Cherry’s
Claire’s Confidence Beauty Salon
Crown Glory 2
Dynasty Expert Stylist
Eni’s Salon
Hermie’s Salon
Kikeja’s Salon
Knaps
Level One
Michelle’s Salon
Michou
Platinum Image
Royal Ambiance
S&J Perfection
Seymonnia’s
Trend Settas
Women’s Hair Care Center
Yolees Beauty Salon
Barbershops
Continental
Dr. Cuts
Duckett’s
F&S
High Profile
KutZone
Nelson’s
New Cutting Edge (Master Builders)
Nigel’s (Rutland Ave.)
Nigel’s (Tompkins Ave.)
Playhouse
Prestige
Reg’s Nation
Step Ahead
Unisex
Grooming Room
Zu Styles
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Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
Future
Directions
The Institute is focused on further reducing the
burden of health disparities within underrepresented communities by increasing the impact
of our programs as well as their sustainability.
Our future strategies will particularly focus on:
Replicating our programs (e.g. replication of the
Summer Internship Program in the Republic of
Trinidad & Tobago)
Establishing formal relationships with academic
institutions to engage in community academic
research projects
Developing and standardizing a training
curriculum on the structure and historical
context of health disparities for staff and
interns
Developing and publishing additional research
articles
Extending the reach of our programs to other
communities and other establishments within
the existing partner communities
Funding (2011)
Staffing (2010-2011)
We rely on the support from our foundation,
corporate and philanthropic partners, as
well as many individual donors, to conduct
our community outreach initiatives. We
acknowledge the generosity and commitment
of our current sponsors, without whom our work
would not have been possible.
Thanks to our community outreach staff and all
other Institute staff, as well as the volunteers/
interns, who made this work possible.
Community Outreach and Research
Funding Contribution
n
n
n
n
Federal
Academic Partnership
City Funding
Private Foundation
Ruth C. Browne, ScD
CEO
Community Outreach
Marilyn Fraser-White, M.D
Deputy Director
Francis Agbetor
Community Outreach Researcher
Brignel Camilien
Community Outreach Researcher
39%
46%
Lakeisha Lubin
Community Outreach Relations Coordinator
Angelo R. Pinto, J.D
Program Manager
12%
3%
FUNDERS:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation,
George Link Jr. Foundation, Jacob and Valeria
Langeloth Foundation, National Institutes of
Health, New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene, NYU School of Medicine,
Pfizer Helpful Answers, SUNY Downstate
Medical Center
Nicole Primus
Education Coordinator
Calpurnyia Roberts, Ph.D
Post Doctoral Fellow
Interns
Allison Braham
Shonnette Campbell
Shawn Mitchell
Allana Rollins
Health Science Academy
Mary E. Valmont, Ph.D
Associate Director
Health Science Academy
Catherine Herrera
Program Coordinator
Ese Oghenejobo
Education Coordinator
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Staff Across Programs
Merrill Black
Manager, Curriculum Development
Humberto R. Brown
Director, Health Disparities
Initiatives & New Constituency Development
LeeAnn M. Hicks
Manager Corporate Affairs/Volunteer Program
John N. Lewter, Ph.D
Director, Development
Deborah Neal
Administrative Assistant
18
Community Outreach Research Programs REport 2012
Support
Our
Programs
By donating to our programs you help eliminate
health disparities by empowering individuals and
communities to become and remain proactive for
their own health concerns.
Text ARTHUR to 27722
to make a $10 donation!
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Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Community Outreach Research Programs
*Text Arthur to 27722 to make a $10 gift
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Reply YES to receive updates.
*Please note you must be 18 or older to participate.
(Top) CBO partners at the Brooklyn Health
Disparities Summer Internship Program
(BHDSIP) 2011 Awards Ceremony.
(Right) Barber and customer looking at
health literature.
(Bottom) Customer reading a Heart of a
Woman brochure.
Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1232
Brooklyn, NY 11203
P: 718.270.3101 F: 718.270.2602
www.arthurasheinstitute.org
REPORT 2012