HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wolff, M. Articles by Maurana, C. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wolff, M. Articles by Maurana, C. A.

Marie Wolff, PhD, Staci Young, BA and Cheryl A. Maurana, PhD

The authors are with the Center for Healthy Communities, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Marie Wolff, PhD, Center for Healthy Communities, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (e-mail: mwolff{at}mcw.edu).

	INTRODUCTION

TOP INTRODUCTION THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM OUTCOME LESSONS LEARNED References

 
Successful community health advocate programs recruit and train local residents to act as advocates for community members regarding health and other social issues. Advocates are effective in improving the accessibility and quality of health care services, empowering communities to effect change, and increasing collaboration between community members and health care providers in identifying and resolving problems.^1–4

The Highland Park advocate program in Milwaukee was developed to address critical health and quality-of-life concerns in a public housing community. The program provided leadership training to selected residents to strengthen the skills necessary to effect change in their community.⁵ The advocates have developed culturally appropriate programs to address the many concerns of the housing residents.

	THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM

TOP INTRODUCTION THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM OUTCOME LESSONS LEARNED References

 
The Center for Healthy Communities in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to forming community–academic partnerships to improve health. In 1998, the center collaborated with the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee and SET (Service, Empowerment, Transformation) Ministry, Inc, a community-based organization that provides case management services in public housing to develop a community advocate program.

The Highland Park Resident Organization had received a Tenant Opportunity Program grant in 1997 through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a core group of leaders and to address aging, employment, mental health, and alcohol and other drug abuse. After discussing whether and how to integrate the programs, the partners jointly developed the program's structure, goals, selection criteria, and training content. Following their selection, the advocates participated fully in continuing program development.

The partners developed the program according to the partnership principles developed by Community–Campus Partnerships for Health⁶: (1) trust, respect, and genuineness; (2) shared mission and goals; (3) open communication; (4) respect for community knowledge; (5) focus on strengths and assets; (6) shared resources; (7) flexibility, compromise, and feedback; (8) attainable, measurable objectives; (9) commitment by all partners; and (10) shared credit.

	OUTCOME

TOP INTRODUCTION THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM OUTCOME LESSONS LEARNED References

 
The advocates reported that the training was adequate and useful for the program. More residents are participating in building activities such as the annual health fair and monthly potlucks, yet there is a continued need for more health promotion programs. Funding from the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center and from an anonymous donor has covered staff time and advocate stipends.

	LESSONS LEARNED

TOP INTRODUCTION THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM OUTCOME LESSONS LEARNED References

 
The Highland Park community health advocate program would not have been as successful without the key participation of SET Ministry, housing residents, and the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. It was extremely important to commit the time required to develop trust and credibility with the community. Adhering to partnership principles such as communication, respect, and sharing credit facilitated this process. It was also critical for the program to address communityidentified and prioritized issues (Table 1). It was important to define health very broadly and to address nonphysiologic health issues such as concerns about safety, literacy, economics, and housing that may be more urgent. Continued funding received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will allow the community health advocate program to expand to other housing developments in Milwaukee.

	Acknowledgments

 
An anonymous donor and the Tenant Opportunity Program grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development received by Highland Park funded the program.

The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Charles Aitch, Margaret Murphy, and James Holifield to the development of the program. We would also like to acknowledge the community advocates: Annette Armour, Thomas Chrystal, Dorise Hardin, Brenda Jenkins, Lorene McLemore, Mary Prophet, and Timothy Roberts. We thank Christine Gibbs, president of the Highland Park Resident Organization, and we acknowledge and thank Marilyn Rodney, RN, MS, for her assistance in developing the training for the advocate program.

	Footnotes

 
M. Wolff and S. Young planned, developed, and implemented the community advocate program and wrote the paper. C. A. Maurana supervised the planning, development, and implementation of the program and contributed to the paper.

Peer Reviewed

Accepted for publication April 6, 2001.

	References

TOP INTRODUCTION THE HIGHLAND PARK PROGRAM OUTCOME LESSONS LEARNED References

 
1. Witmer A, Seifer SD, Finocchio L, Leslie J, O'Neill EH. Community health workers: integral members of the health care work force. Am J Public Health. 1995;85:1055–1058.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

2. Giblin PT. Effective utilization and evaluation of indigenous health care workers. Public Health Rep. 1989;104:361–367.[Medline]

3. Grant TM, Ernst CC, Streissguth AO, et al. When case management isn’t enough: a model of paraprofessional advocacy of drug- and alcohol-abusing mothers. J Case Manage. 1996;5:1.

4. Love MB, Gardner K, Legion V. Community health workers: who they are and what they do. Health Educ Behav. 1997;24:510–522.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

5. Maurana CA, Rodney MM. Strategies for developing a successful community health advocate program. Fam Community Health. 2000;23:40–49.

6. Maurana CA, Beck B, Newton GL. How principles of partnership are applied to the development of a community-campus partnership. Partnership Perspect. 1998:1:47–53.

This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wolff, M. Articles by Maurana, C. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wolff, M. Articles by Maurana, C. A.