On Tuesday, September 27, Community Health Partnerships, a program of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute, brought together partners from across the state to take part in their Collaborative Engagement Day. The event, held at Fort Harrison State Park, marked the first time since the pandemic that the Community Health Partnerships team and their statewide colleagues were able to gather in person to network and learn from top notch presenters. “This was a wonderful opportunity to network with leaders involved in community engagement to promote health,” said Dennis Savaiano, Associate Director for Community Health Partnerships.
The keynote address was presented virtually by Linda Cottler, PhD, MPH, FACE, president and dean for research at the University of Florida Department of Epidemiology. While Cottler was originally planning to speak in-person, she was forced to present via Zoom as a result of Hurricane Ian’s impending landfall in Florida, where she lives. Despite the last-minute complication, her address, The (fluid) Excitement of Community Engagement, was well-received.
In addition to the keynote, guests were treated to presentations from awardees of the Community Health Partnerships Trailblazer and Planning Grant Awards. The 2019 awardees who presented included:
• Alison Greene & Kathy Bruner – “Sexual Health Equity for School-Aged Youth with Special Needs”
• Jennifer Lefever & Todd Zeltwanger – “Food for Families: The impact of a backpack program on lessening child hunger, improving school attendance, behavior and academic outcomes”
• Jill Nault Connors & Julie Hayden – “Building Grass Roots Advocacy through Photovoice for Improved Policy and Practice Targeting Health & Healthcare Needs Among Individuals with Mental Illness”
• Tess Weathers & Niki Norris – “Exploring the life expectancy gap in the Near-Southside as a bridge to action for a healthier community”
• Victoria Wilburn & Robin Wonnell – “Life Skills: The Power of Doing”
View videos from the 2019 awardees here.
The 2020 awardees who presented included:
• Natalia Rodriguez & Jennifer Layton – “Mitigating COVID-19 Impacts on the Homeless Population of Tippecanoe County: A CHW-Led Approach”
• Tamara Hannon & Tyler Gough – “Expanding Veggie Box Access to Neighbors (EVAN)”
• Valerie Yeager & Kathy Berman – “Supporting Families and Children with Complex Health and Social Needs: Evaluating About Special Kids’ Participation in Care Conferences”
• Ephrem Abebe & Holly Wheeler – “Medication Access and Safety for Children with Special Healthcare Needs (CSHCNs) During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
• Vicki Simpson & Lorra Archibald – “Using Social Network Analysis to Create an Effective Health Coalition to Support a Systems Level Approach to Improve Health Outcomes and Reduce Disparities”
View videos from the 2020 awardees here.
“I found the presentations to be informative and a I learned quite a bit about our partner programs and projects,” said Karen Hinshaw, Associate Program Director for Connections IN Health. “We are definitely thinking how we can collaborate more within CHeP as well as what our community partners are doing that might be great Trailblazer Award applicants.”
The event also featured breakout sessions that allowed attendees to brainstorm ways to address some of the most pressing issues across the state. A large focus of these sessions was how to improve trustworthiness in medical care and research.
View more photos from the event here.
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- The Community Health Partnerships team poses for a group photo
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- Deidre Gray and Carolyn Voigt sort out the check-in table
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- Sarah Wiehe, Director for Community Health Partnerships, speaks with event attendee over a cup of coffee
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- Dennis Savaiano, Associate Director for Community Health Partnerships, talks with several event attendees
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- The crowd of attendees listens as Sarah Wiehe, Director for Community Health Partnerships, introduces keynote speaker Linda Cottler via ZOOM
