Webinars:
A Public Health Approach to Addressing the Opioid Epidemic and Substance Use Disorders in Public Housing Rural Communities
This webinar will explore federal and local efforts to address this public health crisis in rural communities and the role of Health Center Programs to address the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders in rural communities.
Bridging the Gap: Behavioral Health and Oral Health in Public Housing
Oral health and behavioral health are intimately connected, which can impact health outcomes. Individuals with behavioral health concerns are more likely to have poor oral health. Poor oral health can also result in behavioral health impacts. Individuals in public housing are at risk of experiencing both poor behavioral and oral health outcomes. Dental providers have a unique opportunity during dental appointments to assess behavioral health status and link patients to behavioral health care. In partnership with the National Center for Health in Public Housing, this webinar reviewed behavioral health data and resources from a recent survey of residents of public housing. The webinar will also highlighted how a health center dental program located in public housing integrates behavioral health screening and referral into oral health care.
Considerations for Serving Residents of Public Housing During Emergencies and Disasters
In addition to addressing the effects of emergencies and disasters on public housing residents, this webinar by NCHPH and the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) also highlights promising practices that have been taken to address the issue.
Environmental Determinants of Health: Fostering Environmental Health Programs in Public Housing Primary Care
A healthy environment is vital to ensure healthy communities and promote well-being for all at all ages. Environmental threats can occur naturally or because of social conditions and ways people live. Addressing Environmental Determinants of Health directly improves the health of populations. Indirectly, it also improves productivity and increases the enjoyment of consumption of goods and services unrelated to health. This webinar will show how chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD are exacerbated by environmental factors in low-income communities and will provide promising practices and discuss the first national, place-based tool designed to measure cumulative impacts of environmental burden through the lens of environmental justice & health equity.
EnVision Centers, PHAs, and FQHCs–Opportunities for Collaboration to Improve Resident Health
In this webinar, background information is provided on the intersection of health centers and public housing agencies in the effort to improve health and wellness of residents. This webinar also focuses on EnVision Centers and how community health centers can collaborate nationally with EnVision Center partners in order to achieve the health and wellness goal of the health and wellness pillar within the EnVision Centers.
NCHPH Tips Campaign Pilot Project Kick Off Call
This is a joint call with all Pilot participants to go over the basic components of the project, walk through the CDC Tips Campaign website and identify the specific resources you would like to include at your site, discuss the evaluation measures, as well as answer any questions.
Promoting CDC Tips from Former Smokers to Public Housing Residents
The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) is working with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health (CDC OSH) and their national tobacco education campaign contractors at the PlowShare Group to increase access to smoking cessation counseling in patients served at Health Centers. NCHPH is recruiting 3-5 Health Centers located in or immediately accessible to public housing developments to participate in a pilot project that promotes the use of the CDC Tips campaign materials. Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®), launched in 2012, features individuals living with the serious health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. During 2012–2015, the CDC’s Tips® campaign was associated with over half a million sustained quits among U.S. adult smokers, and over 9 million quit attempts. Participants in the pilot project will receive free technical assistance and coaching on how to make the most of these materials.
SC Tobacco Quitline Health Systems Change Program
This webinar focuses on tobacco quitlines and discusses ways to encourage providers to place an emphasis on smoking cessation.
Screening for Broadband Access and Digital Health Literacy in Public Housing Patients
In the 21st century, broadband internet is vitally important for education, employment, health, and connection to others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its critical role in helping Americans conduct transactions of daily life has become even more apparent. Yet many low-income Americans, especially those served by HUD’s public housing program, have less access to broadband internet, devices, and the training to use them. NCHPH hosted a webinar describing the importance of screening digital health literacy and broadband access; listed potential screening tools; and highlighted a health center that is screening for these issues and can provide promising practices for other health centers.
Secondary Traumatic Stress Identification, Mitigation and Improving Work Satisfaction for HC Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This webinar educates staff on the concept of traumatic stress. It identifies terms, risk factors, and symptoms associated with compassion fatigue/secondary traumatic stress and burnout. The concept of self-care is introduced, and participants learn about building skills that can mitigate traumatic stress responses and improve work satisfaction and resilience.
Smoke Free Public Housing Webinar
The National Center for Health in Public Housing and two PHPC Health Centers recently presented a webinar on smoke-free public housing hosted by HRSA. The purpose of the webinar was to provide information on how PHPCs and PHAs can work together to support smoke-free policy implementation and improve health outcomes within their communities. This webinar highlighted innovation and promising practices from Health Centers in Alabama and New York and identified helpful smoking cessation resources for PHPCs.
Smoke-Free Public Housing Tobacco Cessation ECHO
This webinar discusses ten ways to quit using tobacco.
The Oral Health Impact: Tobacco, Marijuana, and Vaping in Patients in Public Housing
This webinar was presented in partnership with the National Network for Oral Health Access. Tobacco, marijuana and vaping have long-term effects on health, including oral health. Tobacco use is an ongoing challenge for patients who live in public housing. With emerging issues like marijuana and e-cigarettes, health centers who serve patients in public housing need to learn how to address these issues to improve health outcomes. This webinar reviewed data of tobacco use in public housing and the oral health effects of tobacco use. During the presentation, Zufall Health Center discussed their programs to reduce smoking and vaping within their patient population.
Tobacco Cessation Champions Presentation
This webinar discusses the Tobacco Cessation Champions program.
Learning Collaboratives:
Addressing Violence in Public Housing Communities: Genesee Health Systems, Flint, MI
Violence is a significant social determinant of health for public housing residents. Exposure to violence is higher in communities where there are limited economic opportunities, high concentrations of poverty and unemployed people, and limited access to health and social services. And experiencing violence of any type-physical, sexual, or psychological- is associated with increased risks of physical, mental health and behavioral health disorders. Therefore, effective violence prevention and intervention programs at Health Centers that are located in or immediately accessible to public housing developments are critical to improving health.
Addressing Violence in Public Housing Communities: OIC Medical, Rocky Mount, NC
Violence is a significant social determinant of health for public housing residents. Exposure to violence is higher in communities where there are limited economic opportunities, high concentrations of poverty and unemployed people, and limited access to health and social services. And experiencing violence of any type-physical, sexual, or psychological- is associated with increased risks of physical, mental health and behavioral health disorders. Therefore, effective violence prevention and intervention programs at Health Centers that are located in or immediately accessible to public housing developments are critical to improving health.
AMIGAS Cervical Cancer Prevention Program Learning Collaborative
The AMIGAS “Ayudando a Las Mujeres con Información, Guía y Amor para su Salud” or “Helping Women with Information, Guidance, and Love for Their Health” is an evidence-based, bilingual health education intervention program designed to train community health workers (CHW) or “promotoras” to increase cervical cancer screening rates among Hispanic women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incidence rate of cervical cancer is highest among Hispanic women in the United States with over 2,000 new diagnoses reported each year.
Barriers for Achieving Glycemic Targets
Improved glycemic control in people with diabetes delays the onset and progression of severe microvascular complications of diabetes. Despite advances in pharmacotherapy and diabetes treatment devices and the emphasis placed on treatment adherence over the last decade, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data showed 45% of patients with diabetes did not achieve glycemic targets of <7%. Although some patients with diabetes may be undertreated (e.g., inappropriate treatment regimens, psychosocial issues that require adjustment in therapeutic targets), one reason for poor glycemic control is patients’ difficulty in following treatment prescriptions and recommendations for diabetes self-care. This collaborative addresses barriers for achieving glycemic targets and approaches and interventions that assist patients with managing diabetes.
Cervical Cancer Prevention: Communication Interventions and Peer Health Education
The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)–related cancers is more than 35 000 cases in the United States each year. Preventing high-risk HPV infection is the key to the prevention of cervical dysplasia and cancer. Barrier contraceptives, such as condoms, are only about 70% effective at preventing HPV transmission. Effective HPV vaccines have been available in the United States for several years but are underused among adolescents, the target population for vaccination. Interventions to increase uptake are needed. This learning collaborative explores the use of communication interventions and peer health education to increase cervical cancer screening and the use of the HPV vaccine.
Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention
A cervical cancer prevention and control program comprises an organized set of activities aimed at preventing and reducing morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. The program provides a plan of action with details on what work is to be done, by whom and when, as well as information about what means or resources will be used to implement the program. The achievement of the program is assessed periodically using a set of measurable indicators. The goal of any comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control program is to reduce the burden of cervical cancer by reducing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, detecting and treating cervical pre-cancer lesions, and providing timely treatment and palliative care for invasive cancer. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in any health program is conducted to ensure that the processes and systems are developed and adhered to in such a way that the deliverables are of good quality and maximize the benefits to the target population.
Clinical Quality Group Diabetes and Staff Needs
On February 23 the Clinical Quality Working group, STAR² Center, and National Nurse-Led Care Consortium discussed diabetes and staffing needs in Public Housing Primary Care. People with diabetes have differing health care needs relating to their diabetes subsequently the diabetes workforce comprises a large multidisciplinary team spanning the health continuum and service providers with varying levels of expertise. As diabetes occurs across the lifespan and concomitantly with many other conditions, multiple services are required at different times or at the same time.
Culturally Competent Care Learning Collaborative
To assist Health Centers in the adoption of the CLAS Standards and to equip providers with the competencies that will enable them to better treat the increasingly diverse population, NCHPH will be offering a 4-part learning collaborative. The interactive sessions will cover the fundamentals of cultural competency, language access, and building community partnerships through a combination of case studies and didactic learning.
Current and Emerging Issues in Public Housing Primary Care
Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for promoting and maintaining health, preventing diseases, reducing disabilities, and achieving health equity. On this call, Public Housing Primary Care Health Centers (PHPCs) and NCHPH discuss current and emerging issues in PHPC settings, including the two HUD’s most recent initiatives: Envision Center Demonstration and Smoke-Free Public Housing.
Diabetes and Eye Exams in Primary Care
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that anyone with diabetes should receive a retinal exam every year. Early detection can reduce the risk of severe vision loss by 90% and significantly reduce long-term healthcare costs. Unfortunately, fewer than 50% of patients with diabetes get a diabetic eye screening annually. During this session NCHPH explored ways to prevent and limit the extent of DR in public housing primary care settings.
Diabetes Continuum of Care: Impact of Health Literacy on Patients’ Diabetes Management and Self-Care
NCHPH partnered with members of the Special and Vulnerable Population Diabetes Task Force to provide a Learning Collaborative (LC) addressing critical issues to improve diabetes control in health centers nationally. NCHPH provided expertise in public housing primary care and provided a more in-depth exploration of strategies, tools, and resources needed to create positive change in diabetes control among health center patients. The LC sessions also provided in-depth knowledge and skills in order to address the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness, residents of public housing, migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, school-aged children, older adults, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, LGBT people, and other vulnerable populations.
Exploring Cultural Competence & Humility in the Care of HIV Patients
This training was designed to help move organizations past cultural stereotypes and biases (e.g., based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity) to offer client-centered services with cultural humility. During this session NCHPH collaborated with the Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) to provide participants the opportunity to better understand identity and diversity as we explored the long history of identity in the context of serving populations living with and/or impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Focus points for this session were also to provide a brief overview of PHPC grantee patients living with HIV.
Forging Community Collaborations
During this informative conference call, NCHPH and PHPC Health Centers discuss the most recent topics regarding public housing and public housing primary care, including Envision Centers, Smoke Free Public Housing, Chronic Disease Management and Integrated Care, and PHPC trends. PHPC leaders offer new perspectives and solutions to improve the health status of public housing residents.
HUD’s Smoke Free Rule: What Health Centers and Public Housing Agencies Need to Know
HUD’s rule banning smoking in public housing is an excellent opportunity for Health Centers and PHAS to forge collaborations and address the health care needs of those living in public housing. During this session, we will be exploring best practices and challenges PHAs faced to implement the rule as well as smoking cessation services provided by Health Center programs, and the opportunities to collaborate across agencies.
Identifying and Treating People with Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 84 million American adults—more than 1 out of 3—have prediabetes. Of those with prediabetes, 90% don’t know they have it. In this session participants discussed statistics of prediabetes and conversion rates from prediabetes to diabetes, identify patients at risk for diabetes, resources to screen and test for prediabetes and the use of EHRs to identify people with prediabetes.
Kids, E-Cigarettes, Vaping, and New Tobacco Products
E-cigarettes and vaping devices have become an almost ubiquitous – and dangerous – trend among youth that has reached epidemic proportions. Over the past several years, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product by youth. In fact, more than 2 million middle and high school students were current users of e-cigarettes in 2017. Health Centers and community organizations will have to develop campaigns and put resources to educate youth that using e-cigarettes, just like cigarettes, puts them at risk for addiction and other health consequences because nicotine can rewire the brain to crave more nicotine, particularly because adolescent brains are still developing. In addition, e-cigarettes, among other things, can contain dangerous chemicals such as: acrolein, a chemical that can cause irreversible lung damage; formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical; and toxic metal particles, like chromium, lead and nickel, which can be inhaled into the lungs.
Microvascular Complications and Foot Care
The importance of protecting the body from hyperglycemia cannot be overstated; the direct and indirect effects on the human vascular tree are the major source of morbidity and mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes complications are divided into microvascular (due to damage to small blood vessels) and macrovascular (due to damage to larger blood vessels). In this session, we discuss diabetes barriers to care and best practices to address microvascular complications among diabetic patients.
Nonadherence and Behavior Change: How are You Helping your Patients?
Research studies indicate that diabetes affects around 9% of the U.S. population, and it is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, lower limb amputations, and blindness among U.S. adults. A recent CDC publication estimated direct medical costs attributable to this disease were $116 billion, and the number of patients with diabetes will more than double by 2050. Thus, diabetes is a highly prevalent disease that is important for both public health and public policy reasons.
Partnerships and Collaborations in PHPC Settings
On this call, PHPC Health Centers discuss the changing face of public housing, strategies to increase access to care in public housing primary care, and current and emerging issues affecting Health Centers located in and/or immediately accessible to public housing developments.
Smoking Cessation
Public housing residents are more likely to smoke and suffer from health conditions that are exacerbated by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, such as asthma, diabetes, and COPD, compared to the general adult population. The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) hosted a call as part of its learning collaborative on improving access to smoking cessation services for public housing residents. Participants discussed needs, challenges faced by PHAs during the implementation process and HCs shared smoking cessation services and best practices.
Strategies for Diabetes Awareness, Prevention and Control: Focusing on Prediabetes
Increasing awareness and risk stratification of individuals with prediabetes may help physicians understand potential interventions that my help decrease the percentage of patients in their communities in whom diabetes develops. During this session NCHPH discussed strategies for diabetes awareness, prevention and control with a focus on prediabetes.
The Use of CHWs in the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy and HPV Vaccine Promotion in Hispanic Adolescent Girls Living in Public Housing
Teen pregnancy and HPV vaccination continue to be a pressing issue for low-income populations. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection which is the cause of several cancers, including cervical cancer, and genital warts. Although cervical cancer can be prevented through screening, this cancer persists in the US. More recently, HPV vaccination has the potential to decrease the burden of HPV-related disease among young HPV-unexposed adolescents. This learning collaborative will explore the role of community health workers in teen pregnancy prevention and HPV vaccine promotion in teenage girls living in public housing.
Violence and Opioid Abuse in Public Housing Communities
During this presentation, NCHPH highlighted the problems, solutions and opioid overdose training related to public housing residents. An overview of the likelihood of opioid abuse and the long-term effects on children due to violent experiences was provided in addition to a detailed description of the methodology behind NCHPH’s case study on Addressing Violence in Public Housing Communities. NCHPH also presented on case examples on what health centers are doing to mitigate the effects of violence and opioid abuse in public housing communities.
Publications:
Mental Health Status & Service Utilization Among a Sample of Public Housing Residents: Guidance for Public Housing Primary Care
This report by NCHPH explains findings of different factors that are contributing to the mental health of public housing residents.
National Center for Health in Public Housing’s Smoking Cessation Protocol: A Guide to Conducting Groups
This guide provides readers with all necessary information and supplemental materials that are needed to conduct a comprehensive smoking cessation program either in a group setting, or with individual patients.
Promoting CDC TIPS® Campaign Materials to Public Housing Residents
Public housing residents are more likely to smoke and suffer from health conditions that are exacerbated by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. The objectives of this study were to educate health care providers on the CDC Tips® From Former Smokers resources, to increase access to smoking cessation materials for public housing residents and the health care providers that serve them, and to evaluate the pilot project.