Partnerships to Address Social Determinants of Health
Community Partnerships to Address the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Residents of Public Housing Module 1
TCA Health is a PHPC grantee located in Chicago, Illinois. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic they have encountered challenges related to food access among their patient population. These challenges are due to the built environment surrounding public housing developments near TCA Health. For example, Chicago Housing Authority’s Altgeld Gardens & Phillip Murray Homes is in an isolated community sitting on the border of Chicago and Riverdale, Illinois. Their built environment involves structural road and sidewalks limitations such as little sidewalks, no bike lanes or pedestrian crossings, highways and speeding cars, and a heavy industrial zone with only one city bus available to access the housing authority’s area. Due to this issue, access to foods became one of the most prominent challenges affecting high risk populations such as the elderly. Senior care packages were given to seniors in public housing which included basic hygiene needs and food items. This was possible through ongoing partnerships between TCA Health and the Chicago Housing Authority. TCA health also addressed food insecurity with the use of prescriptive markets that feature locally grown, chemical free fruits and vegetables. This was successfully done with the Black Oaks Center and Healthy Food Hub collaboration.
Partnerships to Address Smoking Cessation During COVID-19
Community Partnerships to Address the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Residents of Public Housing Module 2
Smoking is a risk factor for increased risk of COVID-19 mortality. To mitigate COVID-19 mortality rates among smokers, Lancaster Health Center in Pennsylvania, has been collaborating with local public housing authorities to implement the My Life, My Quit Program, Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program along with the PA Free Quitline. The goal of this project is to strengthen collaborations among community health centers, quitlines, and public housing agencies to promote smoking cessation in public housing communities. The aim of this project is to also increase tobacco cessation services among residents of public housing, improve systems and clinical workflows to deliver tobacco cessation services.
Partnerships to Address Access to Care
Community Partnerships to Address the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Residents of Public Housing Module 4
The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need to develop or improve telehealth services, particularly in community health center settings. Health centers around the nation served as the first point of contact for vulnerable populations who were in need of comprehensive primary care services. As a result of the high influx of virtual patient visits, Quality of Life Health Services, Inc. is a health center located in Alabama that has addressed challenges surrounding digital health literacy, digital divide, broadband internet, and improved access to care through their Telehealth Mobile Units. With these mobile units, they were able to take health care services to schools such as those located in rural areas to connect students to medical, dental, optometry, and behavioral health services Pre and Post COVID-19.
Partnerships to Address COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing
Panel Discussion on COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing: Promising Practices, Lessons Learned, and Challenges
UI-Mile Square Health Center located in Chicago, Illinois created a partnership with the University of Illinois, and established a centralized COVID-19 vaccine center to address challenges they experienced in vaccine distribution. At the centralized vaccine center, patients would not only get tested for COVID-19, but they would also offer the vaccine. They have also worked closely with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and provided trained community health workers to conduct outreach in the community and educate residents of public housing communities on the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and testing.
Partnerships to Address an Endemic COVID-19
A New Normal: Learning to Live with COVID
La Maestra Community Health Centers are located in San Diego, California with a culturally diverse patient population. Due to this, it was necessary to disseminate the information about COVID-19 vaccine and the local resources that were available in the community in different languages as quickly as possible. To fulfill this, LMCHC utilized their existing community partnerships and cultural liaisons to rapidly convey messages to their patient populations. Message included ways to address vaccine hesitancy, fear of contracting COVID-19 and ways to protect the elderly and those with existing medical conditions from COVID-19 infection.
Partnerships to Address Public Housing Agencies and Health Center Collaborations
Partnering for the COVID Vaccine: Lessons from the Flu-LEAD Project
Axess Pointe Community Health Centers (API) located in Akron, Ohio, has had an established partnership with the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. To implement COVID-19 vaccination efforts, through their collaboration they have provided transportation for residents of public housing communities to obtain the vaccine. API hosted health education events, food pantries, and used their mobile medical and dental units to improve access to care to residents of public housing. They also trained community health workers (CHWs) from the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority community to serve as advocates for the health needs of the patients.
Partnerships to Address Food Insecurity
Community Partnerships to Address the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Residents of Public Housing
Food insecurity became an obstacle in accessing healthy foods for health center patients at a national level, in part, due to the COVID-19 guidelines that were set in place by local authorities. Although the COVID-19 guidelines served to stop the spread of COVID-19, the most vulnerable populations were affected as they encountered limitations related to transportation to grocery stores, social distancing, unemployment and more. Health Centers such as TCA Health and UI-Mile Square addressed these challenges by facilitating access to food in their surrounding communities by partnering with local community stakeholder and public housing agencies.