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Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP), the regular measurement of blood pressure by a patient outside the clinical setting, plus additional support, is a proven, cost-effective but underutilized strategy to improve hypertension outcomes. To accelerate SMBP use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the National Association of Community Health Centers, the YMCA of the USA, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to develop cross-sector care models to offer SMBP to patients with hypertension. The project aimed to increase the use of SMBP through the coordinated action of health department leaders, community organizations and clinical providers. From 1/31/2017 to 6/30/2018, nine health centers in Kentucky, Missouri, and New York partnered with seven local Y associations (local Y) and their local health departments to design and implement care models that adapted existing primary care SMBP practices by leveraging capacities and resources in community and public health organizations. Nine collaborative care models emerged, shaped by available community assets, strategic priorities, and organizational culture. Overall, 1421 patients were recommended for SMBP; of those, 795 completed at least one cycle of SMBP (BP measurements morning and evening for at least three consecutive days). Of those recommended for SMBP, 308 patients were referred to a local Y to receive additional SMBP and healthy lifestyle support. Community and public health organizations can be brought into the health care delivery process and can play valuable roles in supporting patients in SMBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of a children's asthma management education program delivered through a community–university partnership. Design: Quasi‐experimental pretest/posttest. Sample: Convenience sample of 50 children with asthma, grades 2–5, and their parent/caregiver from nine elementary schools in New York State. Measurements: Child Asthma Management Self‐Efficacy Survey, Child Asthma Control Test©, Parent Asthma Knowledge Test. Intervention: Nursing students certified as Open Airways for Schools facilitators administered the program once weekly for 5 weeks. Parent handouts were sent home after each session. Pre/posttests for all measures were completed prior to Open Airways and at completion. Results: Improved asthma management self‐efficacy (p <.001) and improved asthma control (p =.013) for children with asthma were noted. Parent asthma knowledge was high pre‐ and posttest with no significant change. Parental knowledge regarding inhaled corticosteroids was consistently low. Conclusions: Collaboration between universities and local school systems allows for mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources to address the need for asthma self‐management for children with asthma. Nursing students trained in asthma management develop expertise and provide sustainable resources for this education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community schools provide integrated services and supports, often through partnerships with community-based organizations, to mediate health and psychosocial barriers to learning faced by children from low-income families. Wediko Children's Services conducted a program evaluation with over 500 students at two schools in low-income communities in New York City to measure the impact of trauma-informed supports on students' social skills and problem behaviors. Wediko used a mixed-methods intervention explanatory sequential design with a pre- and posttest quantitative assessment using the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) and a modified Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire with qualitative data collection through student interviews after the intervention. The Wediko community school partnership was the intervention, with social workers providing assessments and tiered supports. The evaluation found that students reported lower social skills and higher problem behaviors as the level of reported traumatic experience increased. In addition, students with higher reported levels of trauma reported more problem behaviors over the course of a school year, in spite of receiving additional interventions. This article discusses the impact of trauma and community school supports on self-reported social skills and problem behaviors. It concludes with a discussion of the implications and recommendations for trauma-informed community school partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines residents' perceptions of inner-city revitalization in legacy cities. The analysis focuses on neighborhoods undergoing revitalization in a legacy city, Buffalo, NY. The article draws from data for a larger research project called Turning the Corner which was sponsored by the Urban Institute. The focus of that project was to identify planning strategies to address negative externalities caused by neighborhood change and heightened risks of displacement due to revitalization. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with residents and stakeholders in working-class, minority neighborhoods which were identified as being in the early stages of revitalization. Two findings emerged from the analysis. First, residents perceived urban revitalization to have a destabilizing effect on traditional neighborhoods. Second, residents perceived revitalization as detrimental to the sustainability of family-friendly neighborhoods. Insights from the analysis are used to prompt planners' advocacy for revitalization strategies aimed at protecting minority, working-class neighborhoods when institutionally driven revitalization occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Sales Executives Club of New York that believes that its function is to help its members to become more knowledgeable about the sales profession, assist them in finding solutions to sales issues and problems, and to encourage them to stay competitive since today's marketing strategies are increasingly requiring faster implementation time. The Club was founded in 1932 by Thomas J. Watson, then president of IBM. Watson proposed the formation of a club or association that could serve as a nucleus and source for the development of better selling methods and for the establishment of selling as a profession with sound underlying fundamental principles. In its approach to the public, the Club engages in extensive public relations activities, sending out assorted public relations releases to local media, supplying guest speakers for television talk shows and having its members speak at college and high school career sessions. The Club publishes "The Sales Executive," a monthly magazine that it affectionately identifies as a "news magazine of sales, marketing, and management".

Objective Research has demonstrated that early intervention for children with autism can lead to improvements in core symptoms and enhance cognition, adaptive functioning, and quality of life. Unfortunately, most children are diagnosed too late to fully benefit from these services. Even in regions where diagnosis of autism can reliably be made, families often face additional barriers in accessing quality services. This article describes case examples in which Autism Speaks' Global Autism Public Health ( GAPH) Initiative partnered with communities to facilitate a process of multi-stakeholder collaboration to better understand local autism priorities related to awareness activities, early diagnosis, and developing autism surveillance systems. Method This paper utilised a nested case study to demonstrate how GAPH employs multi-stakeholder collaboration, community-based participatory research (CBPR) and consensus building to enhance early identification in low-resource settings. Each of these processes influenced different phases of the projects. Results In the first example, Autism Speaks adopted a CBPR approach to understand and address barriers to help-seeking behaviour among the Korean community affected by autism in New York City. The second example describes an international effort to develop open-source screening and diagnostic tools for autism that can be delivered by non-specialists in low-resource settings. The last example describes efforts to facilitate the development of an autism registry in Ireland to inform health policy decisions. Conclusions Collectively, these examples outline approaches the GAPH initiative uses to support global communities in working to overcome challenges related to the needs of individuals with autism and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluated the contributions of the academic health department (AHD), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), to the operation of the University at Albany School of Public Health (UA-SPH), as of May 2014. It cites the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). It features the Health Research Inc. (HRI) and UA Faculty Activity Report (FAR).

Chronic health conditions are overrepresented among jail or prison inmates but oft en go untreated during incarceration and following release. We describe the Bronx Transitions Clinic, a partnership between a community-based organization and an academic medical center, which facilitates connections to medical care for formerly incarcerated people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because they focus on culturally and contextually specific health determinants, participatory approaches are well-recognized strategies to reduce health disparities. Yet, few models exist that use academic and community members equally in the grant funding process for programs aimed at reducing and eliminating these disparities. In 2008, the Communities IMPACT Diabetes Center in East Harlem, New York, developed a partnered process to award grants to community groups that target the social determinants of diabetes-related disparities. Community and academic representatives developed a novel strategy to solicit and review grants. This approach fostered equality in decision-making and sparked innovative mechanisms to award $500,000 in small grants. An evaluation of this process revealed that most reviewers perceived the review process to be fair; were able to voice their perspectives (and those perspectives were both listened to and respected); and felt that being reviewers made them better grant writers. Community-academic partnerships can capitalize on each group's strengths and knowledge base to increase the community's capacity to write and review grants for programs that reduce health disparities, providing a local context for addressing the social determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, annual influenza vaccination rates are suboptimal and are well below the national health objectives. Project VIVA mobilized community members and organizations to implement an influenza vaccination program in Harlem by administering vaccines in 'non-traditional' venues, such as community-based organizations, pharmacies, and faith-based organizations (FBOs). FBOs have been recognized as important venues for health promotion initiatives within medically underserved communities. However, data regarding the extent of resources and interest in health promotion programs among FBOs are sparse. We conducted a telephone survey among 115 FBOs in three New York City neighborhoods with histories of low influenza immunization rates to identify the congregation's health concerns, interest in serving as a community-based venue for influenza vaccinations, and existing resources for health programming. Twenty-six percent of the FBOs had an established health ministry, while 45 % expressed interest in developing one. Seven percent included nurses among their health activities and 16.5 % had contact with the local health department. Most FBOs expressed interest in common health promotions programs; 60 % expressed interest in providing on-site influenza vaccination programs within their organization. Health programs within FBOs can be a point of access that may improve the health of their congregants as well as the larger community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean Six Sigma is a well-proven methodology to enhance the performance of any business, including health care. The strategy focuses on cutting out waste and variation from the processes to improve the value and efficiency of work. This article walks through the journey of "green belt" training using a Lean Six Sigma approach and the implementation of a process improvement project that focused on wait time for patients to be examined in an urban academic primary care clinic without requiring added resources. Experiences of the training and the project at an urban paper-based satellite clinic have informed the planning efforts of a data and performance team, including implementing a 15-minute nurse "pre-visit" at primary care sites of an accountable care organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to the call for evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work, the authors conducted a multiphase exploratory study to test the acceptability of a training-based collaborative agency–university partnership strategy supporting EBP. The Bringing Evidence for Social Work Training (BEST) study includes an agency training component consisting of 10 modules designed to support the implementation of EBP in social agencies. Qualitative data from post-training participant focus groups were analyzed in order to describe practitioner perceptions of the 10 training modules and trainer experiences of implementation. Based on the findings from this study the authors suggest that the BEST training was generally acceptable to agency team members, but not sufficient to sustain the use of EBP in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

School-based health centers (SBHCs) continue to provide essential health care services to children and families in underserved neighborhoods across the country. Preliminary studies show that students who use SBHCs have better attendance rates as well as higher rates of academic achievement and attachment to the learning environment. Few studies, however, detail the programs that create better learning environments and higher attendance rates. The present study provides detailed information about programming in New York City SBHCs. Centers were asked to complete an online survey about the specific programming offered at each school. Recommendations for future research, including program evaluations, are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We evaluated efforts in New York to build a consensus between community health workers (CHWs) and employers on CHWs' scope of practice, training standards, and certification procedures. Methods. We conducted multiple-choice surveys in 2008 and 2010 with 226 CHWs and 44 employers. We compared CHWs' and employers' recommendations regarding 28 scope of practice elements. The participatory ranking method was used to identify consensus scope of practice recommendations. Results. There was consensus on 5 scope of practice elements: outreach and community organizing, case management and care coordination, home visits, health education and coaching, and system navigation. For each element, 3 to 4 essential skills were identified, giving a total of 27 skills. These included all skills recommended in national CHW studies, along with 3 unique to New York: computer skills, participatory research methods, and time management. Conclusions. CHWs and employers in New York were in consensus on CHWs' scope of practice on virtually all of the detailed core competency skills. The CHW scope of practice recommendations of these groups can help other states refine their scope of practice elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of public health nursing beyond cities into rural areas, leaders in nursing education early on recognized the need for additional training to prepare nurses for the rural experience. To this end, nursing faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University developed a pilot program designed to prepare nurses for work in rural areas. These leaders recognized the unique conditions confronting the rural public health nurse in her daily work, including distances to be covered, isolation, and the dearth of facilities for health work. The pilot program discussed in this reprint, published in The Public Health Nurse in 1925, describes the genesis of this project, and the collaborative relationship that was developed with Dutchess County, a rural county about 2 hours north of New York City, to provide practical experiences for students. The project included a series of lectures on rural health issues and rural nursing, as well as field work that included school nursing, and nursing care of special populations such as tuberculosis and maternal and child health, as well as experiences in population-based nursing akin to what we think of as community development today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study addresses public child welfare workers'' perceived value of no-charge Masters level social work education courses as part of a project aiming at increasing professional identity and retention in public child welfare work. Over a 3.5year time period, a total of 164 respondents completed 338 questionnaires that addressed their attitudes related to the value of their coursework. Descriptive statistics indicated that 90% were either pursuing or intended to pursue a degree in social work. Logistic regression showed that plans to remain in the child welfare field were most related to an understanding of workplace issues, and secondarily to the number of courses taken. Demographic factors were not statistically significant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 2005, local leaders in New York City developed the Washington Heights/Inwood Network for Asthma Program to address the burden of asthma in their community. Bilingual community health workers based in community organizations and the local hospital provided culturally appropriate education and support to families who needed help managing asthma. Families participating in the yearlong care coordination program received comprehensive asthma education, home environmental assessments, trigger reduction strategies, and clinical and social referrals. Since 2006, 472 families have enrolled in the yearlong program. After 12 months, hospitalizations and emergency department visits decreased by more than 50%, and caregiver confidence in controlling the child's asthma increased to nearly 100%. Key to the program's success was the commitment and involvement of community partners from program inception to date. INSET: Partner, Staff, Provider, and Participant Interviews Conducted.... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We have described and evaluated the impact of a unique fellowship program designed to train postdoctoral, physician fellows in research at the interface of medicine and public health. Methods. We developed a rigorous curriculum in public health content and research methods and fostered linkages with research mentors and local public health agencies. Didactic training provided the foundation for fellows' mentored research initiatives, which addressed real-world challenges in advancing the health status of vulnerable urban populations. Results. Two multidisciplinary cohorts (6 per cohort) completed this 2-year degree-granting program and engaged in diverse public health research initiatives on topics such as improving pediatric care outcomes through health literacy interventions, reducing hospital readmission rates among urban poor with multiple comorbidities, increasing cancer screening uptake, and broadening the reach of addiction screening and intervention. The majority of fellows (10/12) published their fellowship work and currently have a career focused in public health-related research or practice (9/12). Conclusions. A fellowship training program can prepare physician investigators for research careers that bridge the divide between medicine and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Positive relationships with skilled frontline staff are critical to positive youth outcomes (Bouffard & Little, 2004), and yet many youth workers are insufficiently prepared to deal with these complex environments (Casey Foundation, 2003). There is also concern that there is little motivation for frontline youth workers to stay in a field rife with danger of burnout, feelings of being overwhelmed, and low pay (Anderson-Nathe, 2008; Borden, Craig, & Villaruel, 2004). This article establishes the important role higher education can play towards stabilizing the youth workforce, and posits that coursework that is multidisciplinary, relevant to students'' jobs, and supported by employers is important to the success of college programs. The 12-credit Youth Studies Certificate (YSC) was offered by the City University of New York (CUNY) to 223 youth workers from 1999 to 2011. Coursework addresses the complex field of youth development by recasting traditional courses in education, human services, psychology, sociology, development, and recreation. Frontline workers combine their practical knowledge of the field with the theoretical framework of a college course. Additionally, the certificate is an opportunity to develop academically and in critical thinking, skills which enhance a worker''s development and delivery of service in the practice setting. Public/private partnership is an important feature of this replicable model aimed to build the stability and capacity of the youth development field and the workers within it. Recommendations for replicability and future research are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Human service organizations are uniquely positioned, given their scope of practice and access to consumers with the widest range of needs to significantly increase the national capacity for research if they were effectively equipped with the knowledge, skills, and funding to integrate research and development into their ongoing organizational activities. A university–community research partnership is one approach to achieving this goal. This article describes the Hillside/UB (HUB) Research Model, a formal research partnership between Hillside Family of Agencies (HFA) in Rochester, NY and the Buffalo Center for Social Research (BCSR) at the University at Buffalo (UB). The HUB research model combines the practice expertise and research subject access of HFA with the BCSR research expertise and resources to develop collaboratively a vibrant research partnership based on community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles that garners the strengths and assets of both partners to realize a true research to practice and practice to research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the marketing strategy of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, an HIV clinic that has migrated from Greenwich Village to Chelsea, in New York City. Mount Sinai's marketing professionals understood that traditional channels would not meet their needs for the center's HIV program because of the small size of its promotional budget and its targeted audience. Due to this, they opted for a grassroots approach, with a combination of strategies including public relations, out-of-home advertising, and digital and social media targeted to Latinos, African-Americans, homosexual men, and at-risk youth.

The author of this original case study research investigates advocacy barriers impeding the home, school, and community connection. Specific solutions by educational professions regarding how to bridge these three arenas are provided in this study. Twenty educators serving in varying teaching roles from two high needs elementary schools located in the greater western New York region, participated by answering a quantitative and qualitative confidential survey. Survey results indicate that a more unified home, school, and community connection is beneficial to include families, educators, and community service providers. Findings support that to advance ecological sensitivity and advocacy for school children at risk, educators should consult more with administration such as building principals and vice principals, collaborate more with outreach community social service providers, and communicate more with children's parents and/or caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "Mobilizing the Community for Better Health: What the Rest of America Can Learn From Northern Manhattan," edited by A. J. Formicola and L. Hernandez-Cordero.

In this article, the authors describe the development of a multidisciplinary, interfaith, grassroots community group of professionals and laypersons who have created a replicable model to enhance palliative and end-of-life care. The Collaborative for Palliative Care leverages existing community assets and capacities within the health and social service programs of Westchester County, New York, resulting in a unique public-private partnership. It has played a critical role in changing the culture of care for residents of Westchester who are faced with the challenges of serious and terminal illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes data from the 2008 Symposium Charting the Future for New York State Workforce Training and Education in Aging: The Stakeholder Perspective and the 2009 report Workforce Training and Education: The Challenge for Academic Institutions. This research is the outcome of a collaborative State Society on Aging of New York and New York State Office for the Aging study on New York State's workforce training and education needs. Eight Listening Sessions were held across New York State to obtain input on topics including training, gerontology education, and credentialing and certification. Individual sessions highlighted the needs of urban, rural, and suburban communities. Key themes identified through content analysis included the need for education about aging in agencies serving older adults, education on human development, positive aspects of aging, disabilities, developmental disabilities, and greater opportunities for training and education for service providers. Lack of incentives was identified as a barrier to credentialing or certification. Education about growing older beginning in grade school was recommended. Lack of funding was identified as a barrier that limited support for employee education/training. Disconnects were identified between employers and academic institutions and state government and providers regarding gerontology/geriatric training and education. Consideration to how these themes may be addressed by the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents various information from different universities and colleges. It is informed that John Behrens will be the new director in the Public Relations and Journalism Studies Program at Utical College of Syracuse University, New York. The Department of Communications at Winthrop College, Rock Hill, South Carolina, has been renamed the Department of Mass Communication following removal of speech courses to a Department of Speech. Fifteen new courses have been added to the department. Kansas State's 78-year-old journalism and mass communications program has been named the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21, along with various partners and sponsors, is hosting the 2009 Teaching and Learning Celebration March 6-7, 2009. This article describes the Celebration and suggests benefits to educators considering attending this exciting educational event in New York City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]