• ODMH Curricular Development
• ODH Community Health Worker Curriculum
• Research and Evaluation Enhancement Project (REEP)
• Community Health Assessments
• Miami County Final Report
• Springdale Final Report
• Norwood Final Report
• Midwest Health Professions Service Learning Consortium

ODMH Curricular Development Project

Project Purpose

The Behavioral Healthcare Organizations (BHOs) in Ohio have been working to demonstrate the competitive level of the skills and competencies of their workforce, particularly the 24/7 Therapeutic Program Workers, in an industry environment increasingly calling for higher academic credentialing of the workforce. A surprisingly large percentage of these workers have been employees of the BHOs for many years, and although not all of them have academic credentials, they have a wealth of experience working with the patient populations typically served through the BHO system in Ohio. In an effort to recognize both the value of experienced, competent workers and the importance of standardized education and training for BHO employees, the Workforce Development Steering Committee of the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA) piloted three courses through community colleges aimed specifically at BHO employees interested in higher education. Center for Healthy Communities faculty from Sinclair Community College and Wright State University teamed up to develop the curriculum to be offered in community colleges across the state.

At the conclusion of the pilot project, five community colleges (Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Wayne State campus of University of Akron, Owens Community College, and Sinclair Community College) successfully offered the curriculum in 2006 and 2007. Click on this link for more information about the curricular development project.

top

ODH Community Health Worker Curriculum

Working in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health, The Center for Healthy Communities developed courses for community colleges across the state to prepare Community Health Worker/Advocates to provide cardiovascular health education and help link community members to needed resources.

Research and Evaluation Enhancement Project (REEP)

Center for Healthy Communities staff are working with Dr. Betty Yung of the School of Professional Psychology on the Research and Evaluation Enhancement Project (REEP), sponsored by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. The purpose of REEP is to develop a minority health research agenda in Ohio and to create a culturally appropriate evaluation system for use in assessing the outcomes of health promotion projects funded through the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. After a statewide kickoff meeting in January 2005, a series of regional task forces undertook the task of crafting a minority health research agenda. In addition, a state-wide program evaluation work group has convened to create a culturally sensitive evaluation model for use in Commission funded programs. This evaluation model is available at the Commission’s web site: http://mih.ohio.gov/

In 2007, REEP conducted a telephone survey of the capacity building needs of Ohio minority health service provider organizations. Organizations surveyed were asked to indicate their level of need regarding technical assistance in 23 specific types of organizational activities. Additionally, focus groups were held with service providers in Akron, Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati.

REEP and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health are sponsoring a capacity-building conference for minority health organizations on September 5 and 6, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio. Click here for conference brochure.

Community Health Assessment

As a part of state Public Health Standards, local health departments are required to do a community health assessment every five years. They can accomplish this in a number of ways, but minimally they are to review local health data, request input on health concerns from the community and develop a strategic plan addressing issues identified in the assessment. The board of health receives a final report to assist them in planning future public health programs. The Center for Healthy Communities provides technical assistance to a number of local health departments to complete their community health assessments.

Miami County Final Report

Springdale Final Report

Springdale Community Health Assessment - March 31, 2005
Springdale Community Health Presentation

Norwood Final Report

Norwood Community Health Assessment - June 30, 2005
Norwood Community Health Presentation

top

Midwest Health Professions Service Learning Consortium

With support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Center for Healthy Communities established the Midwest Health Professions Service Learning Consortium (MHPSLC). This project provided faculty training in how to integrate the teaching methodology of service learning into health professions schools curricula, maintains a national database of evaluation data related to service learning courses from over 100 colleges and universities, and distributed electronically a quarterly newsletter, Learn&Serve Midwest.

To download Learn&Serve Midwest, please visit our publications page.

top