Office of Minority Health

Grantee Information

Organization: Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), Bureau of Minority Health Access & Promotions (BMHA)

Organization Address: 628 North 4^th Street – Room 922, Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Phone Number: 225-803-0709

Fax Number: 225-342-3738

Organization website URL (if any): http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/

Brief Description of the Organization]: The mission of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is to protect and promote health and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all of the state’s citizens. The Department of Health and Hospitals is dedicated to fulfilling its mission through direct provision of quality services, the development and stimulation of services of others, and the utilization of available resources in the most effective manner. The Bureau of Minority Health Access (BMHA) is housed within the department and was established in 1999 by the Louisiana legislature to provide an infrastructure to address public health issues related to minority populations.

Grant Project Information

[Title of Grant Project]: Louisiana State Partnership Grant to Address Health Disparities Program (LPAHD) [Amount of OMH Award]: $200,000

[Name of Project Director]: Rudy Macklin

[Phone Number of Project Director]: 225-342-4886

[E-mail Address of Project Director]: rudy.macklin@la.gov

Abstract

Louisiana continues to observe higher prevalence rates of obesity, preventable chronic diseases, and decreased quality of life among racial and ethnic minority residents compared to other states. The Louisiana State Partnership Grant to Address Health Disparities Program (LPAHD) seeks to improve health and address disparities among racial and ethnic minorities through individual, organizational (worksite) and community interventions. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) Bureau of Minority Health Access & Promotions (BMHA) will work with local, state, and national communities to develop and implement comprehensive and effective policies to support prevention of obesity and overweight health statuses in minority communities and increase access to physical activities and healthy food choices. The program will specifically address diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and mental illness in project activities. The target audience for the LPAHD program is adults, 25 years old and older, primarily representing African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American minority groups. Interventions will be completed in twelve geographic hotspot parishes throughout the state of Louisiana. These parishes are geographically located within the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Administrative Region 1 (Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes), four out of twelve parishes in Region 8 (Franklin, Lincoln, Ouachita, and Concordia parishes), and Region 9 (Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes).

The LPAHD Program includes conducting the following three major activities:

• Development of Health Disparities Profiles: BMHA will develop user-friendly Health Disparities Profiles with charts and graphs indicating prevalence rates of physical inactivity, fruit and vegetable consumption, obesity, and mental health for geographic hotspot parishes. BMHA will use the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to document prevalence rates.
• Implement Own Your Own Health-Comprehensive Wellness Program : This program is an online physical fitness and nutrition tracking program designed to help people in racial and ethnic communities combat obesity, overweight, and related chronic illnesses. The program offers physical activity, nutrition, and mental health/wellness challenges to individuals or teams with up to 10 members. Participants can track their fitness and nutrition progress and earn points by achieving milestones. At least 1,000 individuals will be selected annually through the use of the online tool and will be provided education, health referrals, and health screenings.
• Mental Health Worksite Wellness and Community Awareness Program : BMHA is working with the IAM Wellness Solutions’ First Responders Mental Wellness Project to pilot and model a non-traditional workplace wellness plan tailored for stressful, physically challenging professions. A baseline wellness questionnaire and physical exam will be administered and at-risk participants will be encouraged to participate in the intervention. The intervention will include wellness events and health screenings, nutrition workshops, training with the DHH Workplace Wellness Tool kit, and engagement of officers’ families to build support.

Intended outcomes of the project include increased public awareness/knowledge of health disparities in select geographic areas, increased access to peer support and care for mental health, and improved individual health through modifiable risk behaviors. By the end of the five-year project period, BMHA will have used grant funding, evidence-based information and promising practices to:

• Develop a total of three Health Disparities Profiles, one for each geographic hotspot area–DHH Administrative Regions 1, 8, and 9;
• Reach a total of 5,000 participants (1,000 per year) who are primarily African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American to complete the “Own Your Own Health-Comprehensive Wellness” obesity and mental health wellness challenge;
• Establish Memoranda of Agreements through the partnership with IAM Wellness Solutions First Responders Mental Wellness Project with four emergency preparedness worksites, reaching a total of 200 first responders, to use recommended worksite wellness protocols and tools in the BMHA’s Mental Worksite Wellness and Community Awareness project;
• Partner with community organizations and government agencies to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations, and offer technical assistance to address obesity and mental health;
• Use recommendations from the LPAHD Program modeled after the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care to develop and implement appropriate plans, policies, and outreach materials to directly impact the negative effects of obesity and mental health among minorities in communities;
• Publish a report on project results, and present information to inform public health professionals and advocates of current trends and changes among health disparities in Louisiana.

Data will be collected through the “Own Your Own Health” built-in evaluation system, worksite wellness health risk assessments (pre, interim and post-intervention), and health screening referral system tools, partner assessments, and pre/post D training workshop surveys.

Process measures include:

· Number of individuals participating in the “Own Your Own Health-Comprehensive Wellness” Challenge each year;

· Number of worksite wellness initiatives established for first responders;

· Number of new community partnerships supporting health screening and/or health education;

· Number of developed health and wellness education materials;

· Number of program reports, and the number of scholarly articles describing program methods, results and lessons learned.

Outcome measures include:

· Percent of total population from all geographic hotspot areas to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables;

· Percent increase of total population from all geographic hotspot areas to complete at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity;

· Percent reduction in adults who are obese, and a reduction in the percentage of adults who commit suicide;

· Changes in weight;

· Changes in proper nutrition;

· Changes in physical activity across the program period.

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR ACTION TO END HEALTH DISPARITIES GOALS

Awareness : Increase awareness of the significance of health disparities, their impact on the nation, and the actions necessary to improve health outcomes for racial, ethnic, and underserved populations.

Health System and Life Experience : Improve health and healthcare outcomes for racial, ethnic, and underserved populations.

Data Research and Evaluation: Improve data availability and coordination, utilization, and diffusion of research and evaluation outcomes.

RELATED HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 OBJECTIVES & SUBOBJECTIVES

• NWS-14: Increase the consumption of fruits to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older
• NWS-15.1: Increase the contribution of total vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older
• PA-1: Reduce the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity
• NWS-9: Reduce the proportion of adults who are obese
• MHMD-1: Reduce the suicide rate