Report on Health Care Reform and Health Equity (posted 9/8)

The new health care reform law establishes a strong foundation for eliminating persistent racial disparities in the U.S. health system, but more needs to be done to expand opportunities for good health for all, according to a report released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has released a new report that identifies areas where the new law may significantly improve health and health care access and quality and reduce health inequities, as well as areas where more work is needed to fully eliminate inequities. In it, the authors, Dr. Dennis Andrulis of the Texas Health Institute (THI) and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Nadia Siddiqui of THI, Jonathan Purtle of Drexel University School of Public Health, and Dr. Lisa Duchon of Health Management Associates, said the new law “has the potential to seed, promote and guide diversity initiatives in this country for decades to come.”
 
This new report titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Advancing Health Equity for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations" analyzes the health reform law for its potential to address these inequities.  It examines both the general provisions of the law, such as health insurance expansions and reforms, as well as equity-specific provisions, such as efforts to improve federal health data collection and improve both the diversity, cultural and linguistic competence of the health workforce.

“The breadth of the health care reform law offers an unprecedented opportunity to reduce racial and ethnic inequities. However, its depth is still uncertain,” said Dr. Andrulis.  “With additional specificity and appropriations, the law will make enormous strides to improve timely access to high-quality health care, free from barriers related to culture, language, income and geography. The law will also go a long way toward ensuring that many populations receive culturally-appropriate health information, and that practitioners will receive appropriate training to address the needs of diverse populations. These and related provisions in the law are central and essential for promoting health equity.”

The report also points to provisions in the law that will increase the nation’s focus on and investment in health promotion and disease prevention.  This includes both clinical preventive services, as well as community-based primary prevention to ensure that all communities are conducive to good health.

Indian Country Reports on SAMHSA’s Mental Health Initiative (posted 9/7)

"A new mental health initiative from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is aiming at a high incidence of serious mental health problems in Indian country, officials said. Released in July, the new media directive is specifically aimed at young American Indian adults, ages 18 to 25, to talk openly about mental health issues with materials that caregivers hope will spur change about negative attitudes associated with mental illness in tribal communities." Reports Indian Country Today, a nationally distributed weekly newspaper that reports on news relevant to the Indigenous people of the Americas.

The article highlights SAMHSA's national public service advertising campaign to promote recovery from mental health problems within multicultural communities. This campaign was released in July in collaboration with the Ad Council and the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED). These PSAs were part of a larger multicultural public service effort designed to reach Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Chinese American, and African American communities during Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July.

"Creators are hoping the new media campaign will turn around the trend to silence and suffering common in native communities. One part of the campaign addresses being strong and self-reliant as a hindrance to getting assistance in tribal settings. One emphasis is on seeking outside help," continues the article from ICT. Read more.

A New Way to Talk About the Social Determinants of Health (posted 9/1)

Watch this recording of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Grantmakers in Health webinar, "A New Way to Talk About the Social Determinants of Health" to learn about how organizations can create more compelling, effective and persuasive messages about the importance of social determinants of health that resonate across the political spectrum.

The webinar took place on July 29, 2010 and features the findings of an iterative research and message development process that took place over the course of four years and utilized both traditional and nontraditional research techniques.  Users can watch the recording of the webinar and download the slides and all resources presented during the call. For more information click here.

NNED Launches New Community of Practice: Project Venture (posted 9/1)

The NNED is pleased to announce the launch of our second Community of Practice: Project Venture.  NNED Communities of Practice (CoP) are professional development opportunities for NNED Members to receive training on a specific promising practice that can be implemented in diverse communities. Members will ‘meet’ regularly using virtual learning platforms to receive training, discuss common practice challenges and successes, and share information about strategies and resources.

The NNED and the National Indian Youth Leadership Project have partnered to offer 20 NNED Members training and continued coaching on Project Venture, an outdoors experiential youth development program designed for high-risk, middle school-aged American Indian youth.  

Key Steps & Dates

• August 31st - Introductory NNED Forum Call on Project Venture.  Watch the recording.
• September 21st - First CoP Training Session at 1:00-3:00pm ET. 
  
• Training Sessions will take place every Tuesday from September 21-November 9th.
• Monthly follow-up coaching sessions will take place from December - June every second Tuesday of the month from 1:00-3:00pm ET.

Empowering Native Youth Through Experiential Education

Empowering Native Youth Through Experiential Education

 
This NNED Forum Call that took place on August 31, 2010 featured Project Venture, an evidence-based practice for high risk middle school-aged American Indian youth. Project Venture is an outdoors experiential youth development program that relies on American Indian traditional values to help youth develop positive self-concept, effective social skills, a community service ethic, internal locus of control, and increased decision-making and problem-solving skills.  This unique program has been recognized by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs & Practices (NREPP) as the first Native American model program. 

Video Recording:

• Watch the video recording of the live Forum Call that took place on August 31, 2010.

Slides:

• Download the slides from this Forum Call.

Presenter:

• Beth Wonson, National Director of Operations, National Indian Youth Leadership Project
  Ms. Wonson is also a trainer and consultant for sites seeking to implement Project Venture. Beth has nearly 20 years experience in youth development, juvenile justice, education, outreach and communications. A graduate of Salem State College, Salem MA, Beth has held positions both in special education and school administration, served on the National Alternative Education Association (NAEA) board of directors and was a member of the senior management team at Project Adventure (PA), an international non-profit training and consulting organization for 11 years and was responsible for development and implementation of whole-school and whole-agency professional development programs.  In addition to training, Beth oversees NIYLP’s replication, implementation, publications, outreach and communications and development strategies.

 
Interested participants can now apply to join the newest NNED Community of Practice (CoP) to receive further training on how to implement this program in their communities.

NNED Forum Call & New Community of Practice: Empowering Native Youth Through Experiential Education from Rachele Espiritu on Vimeo.

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