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Volume 1:
No. 2, April 2004
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
ORIGINAL RESEARCH: FEATURED
ABSTRACT FROM THE 18TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHRONIC DISEASE
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
State-Community
Partnerships: Eliminating Health Disparities Through Coalition-driven,
Asset-based, Community-focused Interventions
MA Acosta
Suggested citation for this article: Acosta MA.
State-community partnerships: eliminating health disparities through
coalition-driven, asset-based, community-focused interventions [abstract]. Prev
Chronic Dis [serial online] 2004 Apr [date cited]. Available
from: URL: http://www.cy118119.com/pcd/issues/2004/
apr/03_0034a.htm.
PEER REVIEWED
The objective of this state-community partnership initiative was to mobilize community action to eliminate
health disparities through coalition-driven, asset-based,
neighborhood-specific program designs. Participants included 16 African American, Hispanic, Asian American,
and other underserved neighborhoods throughout New York State.
From April 2000 through March 2003, the New York State Department of Health funded the Minority Health
Community Partnerships initiative, establishing 16 coalitions to address
health disparities. Coalitions were funded for 3 years and received training
on coalition development and the asset-based community development model.
Interventions were designed around the strengths and resources of
coalition members and community assets — individuals, associations,
and institutions. Disparities addressed included asthma, cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, oral health, and access to care. Peer
education, provider education, case management, media messages, and
community-wide outreach strategies were used. Success was measured based on
the extent to which intervention objectives were met, community assets
utilized, and coalition members engaged.
A total of 400 organizations (e.g., faith-based, educational, health
care, commercial, financial, media) and residents
engaged in the process. Three hundred peer educators were trained to deliver
prevention messages, and 300 providers were trained on prevention
strategies. A total of 60,000 community residents were reached with
prevention messages. A total of $2 million in additional funding was
leveraged.
A coalition-driven, asset-based approach to addressing health disparities
creates opportunities for underserved populations to make collective
decisions about community health and to implement strategies
that build skill sets and competencies useful to the community.
Corresponding Author: Michael Acosta, Health Program
Administrator, New York State Department of Health, Office of Minority
Health, Empire State Plaza, Corning Tower, Room 780, Albany, NY 12237.
Telephone: 518-474-2180. E-mail: maa04@health.state.ny.us.
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