The African-American Health Improvement Partnership (AAHIP) is an example of a CER approach in Durham. AAIHIP is a collaboration among researchers, health care providers, community leaders, health care consumers and churches dedicated to improving the health of African-Americans in Durham. AAHIP was created in October 2005 through a grant from the National Center of Minority Health and Health Disparities to Sherman James of the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke's Division of Community Health of the Department of Community and Family Medicine in partnership with the Community Health Coalition. AAHIP aims to design and evaluate different approaches to health improvement and to document, maintain and expand previously successful programs. (Duke Division of Community Health http://communityhealth.mc.duke.edu/)
A long history
Durham and Duke University Health System (DUHS) share a long history. Not only is DUHS Durham's largest employer, but Dr. Victor J. Dzau, chancellor for Health Affairs and CEO of DUHS, is committed to improving the health of Durham's communities. He is very supportive of the Community-Engaged Research approach and has helped DUHS engage community partners such as Lincoln Community Health Center, the Durham County Health Department, Durham Public Schools, El Centro Hispano, CAARE, and the Walltown Neighborhood Association to create community-based health services throughout Durham. Examples of these services include: LATCH (Local Access to Coordinated Healthcare) and Just for Us (for senior citizens), as well as many community clinics and school Wellness Centers.
These partnerships are the foundation for developing other projects. For example, with funding from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, El Centro Hispano runs a program to educate Latinos about stroke prevention. The program originated as a small collaboration between the Duke Division of Community Health and Dr. Larry Goldstein, director of Duke's Stroke Center, and grew into a partnership including El Centro, DUHS, Durham Regional/Lincoln Community Health Center Pharmacy, and Durham Emergency Communications Center. In another example, Dr. Lori Carter-Edwards joined with the John Avery Boys and Girls Club to study of how African-American children influence their parents' food purchasing behaviors.
CER takes time
CER involves building partnerships, negotiating, planning and communicating. These are time-consuming activities over and above regular research responsibilities. But there are rewards for researchers and organizations that use this approach. When community organizations advise on recruitment, developing research procedures and local understandings of medicine and health, research projects can be much more effective. With community-engagement, researchers can work in the "real world" they are trying to study. This increases the chances that the research results will be applicable in the particular community and other similar communities.
A look to the future
Imagine a Durham in the future where researchers and community organizations work together to find solutions to health problems and ways to prevent them. Imagine an organization you belong to meeting with diabetes or hypertension researchers and forming a partnership to develop a research project. Imagine a healthier Durham.
The Partnership for a Healthy Durham is the Healthy Carolinians planning team for Durham and serves as the Health Committee for the City and County's Results-Based Accountability initiative. For more information on the Partnership, see www.healthydurham.org or call 560-7833.
