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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-08-1995 - X-A 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. �} ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 8, 1995 SUBJECT: Report from Community-Based Public Health Initiative (CBPHI) DEPARTMENT: HEALTH PUBLIC HEARING: Yes X No ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT: HEALTH DIRECTOR'S OFFICE X2411 1. Brief Report TELEPHONE NUMBER: Hillsborough - 732-8181 Chapel Hill - 968-4501 Mebane - 227-2031 Durham - 688-7331 PURPOSE: , To present a report of the Community-Based Public Health Initiative (CBPHI) funded by the Kellogg Foundation. The report will be presented by residents of the target communities of Efland, Cheeks and Cedar Grove. BACKGROUND: On February 6, 1995, the Board of Commissioners approved the third year contract between the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the Orange County Health Department to fund the Community-Based Public Health Initiative (CBPHI) through a four year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The health department is the fiscal agent for a coalition representing UNC-CH School of Public Health, the Health Department, the Joint Orange Chatham Community Action Agency (JOCCA) , Piedmont Health Services, the Cooperative Extension Service and three grassroots, community-based organizations, the Efland Development Association, the Cheeks Homeowners Association and the Low Income Policy Advisory Council of JOCCA. The aim of the project is to improve the health of African-American members of the Efland-Cheeks and Cedar Grove Communities by strengthening the capacity of community-based groups to assess and address their own unique health related problems. Using a broad definition of health including the physical, mental, social, economic and political health of the community, the coalition has worked with 2 the three community-based partners to support the priorities and activities chosen by the community groups rather than imposing a top down approach from the agency partners. The coalition has assisted the community partners to plan and implement solutions to problems identified by the community-based groups. The following representatives of the community-based partners will report their involvement in the project and the impact of these activities on their communities: 1) Leo Allison, Efland United Voices 2 ) Ernest Corbett, Cheeks Homeowners Association 3) Hattie Vanhook, Low Income Policy Advisory Council of JOCCA Representatives of the target communities have completed a 15 week program of 2 1/2 hour sessions called, "Community Voices. " This leadership training program lead the participants through a process to envision the future of their communities, establish priorities on a short-term and long-term basis and choose strategies for community improvement. One of the highest priorities was improving services for young children. The fact that they had begun to organize and identify priorities placed them in a position to write a strong proposal for a family resource center which was successfully funded. Following the report of the community members, Dr. Ann Maiden, Director of the Family Resource and Research Center of the Hearth Foundation will present a , brief report of the Family Resources Center based at the Northern Orange Human Services Complex in Cedar Grove. This report is intended to keep the Board of Commissioners informed of the steady progress being made in this community-based public health initiative. RECOMONDATION(S) : The Manager recommends that the report be received as information. 3 SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE (KELLOGG PROJECT) Training community members in Community Voices (a leadership development model) . - 17 community members from Cedar Grove and Efland-Cheeks completed a 15 week (21/2 hours each sessions) training through which they created visions for what they would like their respective communities to be like both in short-term (6 months-one year) and long-term ( 10 years) in areas such as health, education, recreation, environment, aesthetics, employment, and housing (see attachments) - as a result of this training, these "emerging leaders" have reorganized/revitalized the Efland-Cheeks Homeowner's Association and the Cedar Grove Homeowner's and Recreation Association - Efland Development Association has developed a telephone survey which they used to gather information from 200 residents in the Cheeks township in reference to recreation services and has met with Parks and Recreation Director and Advisory Board - Perry Hills in Cheeks has organized and held Drug Patrols in conjunction with the Sheriff's Department because of heavy drug trafficking in the area; seven identified drug houses have been reduced to two as a result of the patrols - Cedar Grove has developed an environment and beautification campaign; they have enlisted the assistance of an architect to design a sign to mark the entrances to Cedar Grove - As a result of collaboration of these community groups, the CBPHI staff, and the coalition, a grant for the development of a Family Resource Center was awarded to carry out family-focused activities and programs for residents of Efland/Cheeks and Cedar Grove (parenting classes, tutoring, cultural arts, book lending, story- telling, etc. ) - Development of Teens In Power (TIP) which is the youth component of CBPHI which is designed to get youth involved in the community (it was initially developed and staffed by a UNC health education graduate student) who met with the 4 teens weekly and involved them in activities designed to give them leadership skills, education on topics relevant to health and entrepreneuralship; the teens also planned and held a youth conference - because of the development of TIP, and the Family Resource Center, a United Way grant award and additional matching funds from Kellogg has made it possible to hire a Youth Coordinator which will facilitate full-scale programming for teens including an adaptation of Community Voices for teens - the project has also been working with Wake Area Health Center to develop activities to encourage youths in these communities to get interested in health careers - the existence of the Orange County CBPHI Coalition has established an inter-organizational network that has increased collaboration among community service agencies, the University and community -based organizations to better serve the targeted communities in this project; - the coalition meets once a month with project staff to plan and keep abreast of issues and activities needed to meet the goals and objectives of the project S EFLAND-CHEEKS COMMUNITY PROBLEMS AND NEEDS PRIORITY LIST Short Term Goals (6 months to 2 years) *Police Sub-Station *Day Care *Landfill *Community Center Accessibility *Youth Sponsored Activities Health Care Facility Satellite Library Satellite Continuing Education Long Term Goals(2 years and up) Affordable Housing Lack of Jobs Health Care Facility Middle School Community Center Expansion Decrease division Human Relationships Transportation Community Bank On-Going Human Relations(races,churches) Neighborhood Clean Ups Clean Drugs Out of Community Landfill(current issue) 6 CEDAR GROVE COMMUNITY PROBLEMS AND NEEDS PRIORITY LIST Short Term Goals-(6 months to 2 years) *Environment: Water/Sewage issues, neighborhood clean-up days, road and speed signs, penalty signs for littering *Continuing Education Classes: Satellite classes, GED, satellite library, school curriculum *Health Care: Mobile health units, immunization, B.P., cholesterol, physicals, prostate mammography Community Forums Community Activities Housing (Habitat, FHA) ' Political Base (Cedar Grove Voices) Economic Development Long Term Goals (2 years and up) Environment: Water/Sewage Education (curriculum, vocational training, elementary school) Housing Human Relationships (work on black/white race relations, build stronger family units) Economic Development: Local Jobs Immediate plans to develop strategic approaches to concern/issues