1. Minority Health Summit Third Annual September 23, 2006 Minority Health Task Force

2. WCHP Vision and Mission Vision Statement: Washington County Health Partners, Inc. envisions a community in which citizens of all ages are able to enjoy a life in which they know peace of mind, body and spirit. Mission Statement: Washington County Health Partners, Inc. serves as a catalyst to unite the energies of the community to improve peace of mind, body, and spirit by:  identifying and addressing aspects of our community health and wellness that are less than optimal;  empowering collaborative Task Forces to conduct activities that will enhance the community health status; and  encouraging citizens to make positive decisions that lead to peace of mind, body and spirit.

3. Minority Health Task Force Problem Statement Health disparities between majority and minority groups have been well documented (county statistics and focus groups), but no large-scale effort has been made to reduce them, especially in Washington County. The Minority Health Task Force has been charged with identifying health issues in Washington County ’ s African-American community and partnering together to bring about programs to address these issues to improve the health of African-Americans in our county.

4. Minority Health Task Force State Evidence Figure 1. Average Annual Age-Adjusted Incidence and Mortality Rates,* All Cancer Sites, by Sex and Race, Pennsylvania Residents, 1994-1998. *per 100,000 1970 US standard million population. Source: PA Department of Health, Online, Number of Cases by Stage, Sex and Race, by County, 23 Selected Sites, 1990-1998

5. Minority Health Task Force Priority Lists  High Blood Pressure  Diabetes  Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco use  Cancer  Health Insurance  Mental Health

6. Minority Health Task Force Barriers  Lack of education / knowledge / awareness / mixed messages  Fear / lack of trust due to bad experiences  Apathy / denial  Community not involved  Lack of resources (money & health insurance)  Identifying those at risk

7. Minority Health Task Force Solutions  Prayer  Get involved  More education programs then pass on to / encourage others  Need local role models / advocates / spokespeople

8. Minority Health Task Force Main Objective The main objective of the Health Ministry Initiative is to identify a Health Ministry Team within the African-American community in Washington County, and train them to become health advocates for people in their churches and community.

9. Minority Health Task Force Marketing Objectives and Outcomes 1. To develop a marketing and communications plan for promoting the Health Ministry Initiative and programs within the initiative: 1.With pastors/leaders by July 2006 2.With churches/organizations by September 2006 2. To develop a Health Ministry Resource Box that will contain such items as blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope, and teaching materials by June 2006 3. To engage the pastors/leaders of at least 10 African-American churches/organizations by July 2006: 1.Schedule a face-to-face meeting 2.Complete church/organization assessment/structure form 3.Identify at least one health minister 4. To activate at least one health minister in at least 5 churches/organizations by August 2006: 1.Schedule a face-to-face orientation meeting 2.Complete health minister assessment form 3.Get input on health resource box 5. To hold a health summit by September 2006: 1.Announce health ministry initiative grant 2.Introduce health ministers to the community 3.Recruit minority health task force members 4.Gather input on how we can partner with attendees

10. Minority Health Task Force Marketing Objectives and Outcomes (cont.) 6. Educate and train each health minister in basic health promotion, disease prevention skills, and management of chronic disease by December 2006, utilizing such programs as: 1.Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions 2.WCHP’s WellLife™ Program 3.Blood pressure measurement, CPR, etc. 7. Shadow each health minister through their first year of implementation of the Initiative 8. Act as a resource and provide yearly update training to each health minister 9. Collect outcome data from each health minister monthly and prepare it for dissemination to key audiences: 1.Quarterly to health ministers and task force 2.Annually to funders and community

11. Minority Health Task Force Next Steps  Welcome additional members to task force –Task force meets second Thursday of every month from 5:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. at Nazareth Baptist Church in Washington, PA  Refine and Implement Minority Health Task Force strategic plan

12. Minority Health Task Force Thank you! Washington County Health Partners, Inc. 190 N Main St, Ste 208 Washington, PA 15301 (P) 724-222-6511 (F) 724-222-6685 (E) info@wchpinc.org