MRC Public Health Promotion

MRC Involvement in Public
Health Activities
Kristy M. Bolen, MPA
Ashland-Boyd County-Catlettsburg MRC
February 1, 2012
Unit Overview

Formed September 2003
Received original federal grant
 Joint venture between local health department and
emergency management
 Housed in Office of Emergency Management
 Focused on Emergency Preparedness & Response


63 members
25 “Active” members
 10 “Super” members


Mainly comprised of nurses and non-medical

3 retired health department employees
County Population: 49,542
Ashland Population: 21,864
Tobacco Free Academy

Program started in 2002
Partnership between health department, local
hospital and local substance abuse coalition
 Designed to provide 3rd-6th grade students at local
schools information on dangers of tobacco


Local partners left due to budget cuts in 2009


Program was in jeopardy due to inadequate staff at
health department
MRC began providing volunteers in 2010
2 volunteers have participated
 4 have signed up to participate

Tobacco Free Academy

Volunteers provide the following services:
Crowd control
 Time keeper
 Set up and Break down


Volunteers who are comfortable can work at 1 of
4 education stations
Lung demonstration
 Posions & Chemicals
 Peer pressure and choices
 Other drugs & alcohol

Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure

Health Department was asked to staff the
“Komen’s Kids” area
Provide an activity for the children at the event
 Provide education for adults with children



Health Department didn’t have the staff to
devote to the event
MRC volunteers stepped in to provide staff
5 volunteers worked in Komen Kids area
 1 volunteer worked in Snack Tent

Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure

Volunteers provided the following services:






Education on breast cancer and early detection
A “Save the Booobies” craft
A preparedness ring toss game
Beads of Life Necklace craft
Information on MRC membership
MRC provided 2 preparedness kits as giveaway
prizes
Community filled out a brief preparedness survey to
register to win
 Kits were in Pink breast cancer awareness bags

Volunteer Firefighter BP project


12 MRC volunteers went to six local volunteer
fire departments in Boyd County to provide a free
Blood Pressure screening
Firefighters signed a liability waiver


Also had one developed to be signed if a person had a
dangerously high blood pressure
Data collected was used by health department for
a program conducted by Dept. of Public Health
Volunteer Firefighter BP project

94 firefighters were screened

35% were in the Red Range (>140/90)

39% were in the Yellow Range (120-139/80-90)

Another measurement will be taken in Spring 2012

Using NACCHO CBA funds to purchase education
materials on High Blood Pressure and Risk
Lessons Learned
Busy volunteers are happy volunteers
 You can’t do everything
 Public health activities can be used to practice
concepts used in emergencies

Education
 BP measurements
 Set-up/Break-down

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Public health activities build trust between
coordinator and volunteers

Learn who can do what, for how long and in what
environment
Contact Information
Kristy M. Bolen, Coordinator
Ashland-Boyd County-Catlettsburg MRC
Email: kristym.bolen@ky.gov
Phone: 606-329-9444 ext 2232
PROJECT H.E.L.P. USA/MRC
Dr. Thomas Ellison MD, PhD
Produced By
21ST Century Youth Leadership MRCt
Shuttlesworth-Woods Chapter.
PO Box 11434
Birmingham AL 35202
205. 701.HELP
PROJECT HELP USA
A
Not for Profit Voluntary Community Based
Health Organization.
 PROGRAMS:
Hypertension, Violence
Prevention, Teen Pregnancy, Substance
Misuse, Youth Enhancement, Sexually
Transmitted Infections, Mobile Medical Units,
HIV/AIDS, Health Disparities, Community
Based Research. Disaster Response,
 Founded
in Birmingham, AL in 1981
 PROUDLY
JOINED MRC IN 2005
SHARED COMMUNITY FOCUS
REMOVE BARRIERS TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES
VAN RYN ET AL AM J PUB HEALTH 93:2;248-255


Do health and human service providers behave in ways that contribute to
systematic inequities in health care? If so, why does this occur?
Social cognition: a subfield of social psychology that studies how we make
sense of other people, that is, the mental representations and processes that
underlie social perception, social judgement, social interaction and influence.
OR “HOW TO EFFECT CHANGE
THROUGH SUSTAINED COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT”
1.
Credentialing of residents of communities to be
partners in all aspects of prevention.
2.
Socially conscious education and training settings
Subsidized education linked to a service
commitment
Programs which leave permanent health resources
in communities
Political advocacy
Involvement of all sectors of the community
3.
4.
5.
6.
CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY FOCUS
Desired
Opportunity
Output
Provide the Help Needed
ESTABLISH KEY PARTNERSHIPS
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
BRIDGING THE GAPS
TRUE OF THE BOX SERVICE
 Expanded
 Service
Hours
Delivery
needed on a
continual basis.
 Client
FEES for
services for
ANYONE
where most
 Indigenous
 NO
Staff
Driven
POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY
BASELINE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC
CHARACTERISTICS (N = 643)
Age (mean + SD)
Education (mean + SD)
Employment
Unemployed, %
Disabled, %
Income > $35,000/yr %
Income < $25,000/yr, %
No health insurance, %
38 + 4.6
10 + 2.1
79
13
24
63
51
Baseline Cardiovascular Risk
Factors
(n=643)
%
Cholesterol > 200 mg/dl
HDL cholesterol < 35 mg/dl46
Cholesterol/HDL > 5
Diabetes
BMI 25-30 (overweight)
BMI > 30 (obese)
58
48
42
51
29
Causes of Death (n=29)
Narcotic / Alcohol Intoxication
CVD-related
AIDS-related
Renal Disease / Diabetes
Cancer-related
Injury-related
n
(%)
2
15
3
3
4
2
( 7)
(52)
(10)
(10)
(14)
( 7)
IMPLEMENTATION KEY TOOLS
 Marketing
 Open
House Presentations
 Wellness
Seminars
 Corporate
Presentations
 Networking
with Major Corporations
 Networking
with Social Agencies
 Tracking
and Follow-Up
Reach the Goal

We must continously increase the pipeline
DR. TOM ELLISON MD,
PH D
MEDICAL SERVICES
DIRECTOR/PI
PROJECT H.E.L.P. USA/MRC
BRUNO-SMITHFIELD
COMMUNITY HEALTH
CENTERS
P.O.BOX 11434
BIRMINGHAM,AL 35202