Category: Center for Community Health Partnership & Research

Center for Community Health Partnership & Research Blog Posts

Health inequities in endometriosis care

Practicum student Katie Wiedeman, MSW candidate, writes about diagnostic gaps as just one of the inequities in the care of this common women’s condition.

Climate change is a public health crisis

Written by Ola Adebayo, MPH candidate and student worker at the Institute for Public Health There has been a plethora of unprecedented climate activity in 2021. This year we have seen global sea levels rise to a new high, months of rainfall occurred in the space of a few hours in China, levels of CO2 […]

COVID-19 affects everything: The increase in opioid-related deaths & initiatives

Written by Ola Adebayo, MPH candidate and student worker at the Institute for Public Health Overdose-related deaths have reached an all-time high with more than 96,000 people dying during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a 30 percent increase from 2019, the largest increase ever seen of drug-related deaths in the United […]

Institute supports new lab

The Institute for Public Health is supporting WashU’s new Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2) as an institutional partner by helping fund its Black Girlhood Studies Lab. According to the lab’s webpage: “The Black Girlhood Studies Lab examines the lives of Black girls historically and ethnographically in community-centered ways. Black girlhood […]

COVID-19: Community Conversations

Across the world, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is affecting the lives of nearly every single person. A special spotlight series presented by the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, features conversations with diverse members of the St. Louis regional community regarding how they view the pandemic, and what strategies they use to thrive in this time of […]

African American employment and COVID-19: Disparities and compounding risks

COVID-19 is an equal opportunity virus, but exposure to this virus does not take place in an equal opportunity context. Although only some states and counties provide COVID-19 cases and outcomes by race, the data available indicate that disparities are stark. We know that individuals who live with serious underlying health conditions are at higher […]

Striking a balance: Violence prevention in communities

The Gun Violence Initiative at the Institute for Public Health turns five in April 2020. This blog is part of a special series related to the key themes of the initiative: What we know, what we need to know, and what to do about this critical issue. Violence prevention is both a science and an […]

Gun Violence & Human Rights: Part I

The Gun Violence Initiative at the Institute for Public Health turns five in April 2020. This blog is part of a special series related to the key themes of the initiative: What we know, what we need to know, and what to do about this critical issue. U.S. Gun Violence is a Public Health and […]

Premature Birth: Paving the Path for my Granddaughter

Written by Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine Embed from Getty Images “In the shadows of our finest medical facilities, where kings and shahs travel thousands of miles for the world’s best medical care, black babies continue to die.” My mother opened nearly every […]

Combining public health and rights-based approaches to address violence

Written by Poli Rijos, MSW, manager for the Center for Community Health Partnership & Research at the Institute for Public Health In early June, I spent eight days in El Salvador. Funding from the Institute for Public Health, the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, and my family gave me the opportunity to attend Global […]

Commentary: #ThisIsOurLane, but Our Lane Needs All of Us: EM Physicians Speak Out on Gun Violence

Written by Kristen L. Mueller, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, and Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, Department of Emergency Medicine at Alpert Medical School, Brown University On November 7, 2018 the NRA responded to “Reducing Firearm Injuries and Deaths in the United States: a Position Paper […]

Removing barriers to make research more meaningful and inclusive

Written by Robert Doyle, data coordinator for the REACH Initiative at the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research/Center for Community Health Partnership & Research at the Institute for Public Health Diversity of participation in National Institute of Health (NIH) research became a mandate with the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, yet nearly 25 years later, […]

Health research matters to me

Written by Kym Radford, outreach coordinator for the REACH Initiative at the Institute for Clinical & Translational Sciences/Center for Community Health Partnership & Research at the Institute for Public Health Research matters to me. In the late 2000s, a study conducted at Washington University was instrumental in the early detection and confirmation of Alzheimer’s disease—a […]

Levels and strategies for community-engaged research

Community engagement involves conversations, sharing of insights and diverse perspectives that allow consensual problem identification among defined constituencies. Advocacy for identified issues is achieved through coalition and consensus building, constituency and community outreach and networking, communication including negotiation, grassroots organizing, as well as efforts related to organizational development (Adler & Goggin, 2016; Zakus & Lysack, […]

Finding the answers to building a supportive community

By Emily Luft, Program Director, Alive and Well STL In my work with Alive and Well STL, I have the opportunity to talk to thousands of service providers about the impacts of stress and trauma on our health and wellbeing. I frequently witness providers connecting their individual work to the science of trauma in ways […]

Moving beyond mental illness to mental health and wellbeing

When the conversation moves to mental health, there is a tendency to think about diagnostic categories. This is largely the result of an emphasis on mental illness in public funding for the mental health system. Given limited dollars and resources, we focus on those with critical needs, individuals with serious mental illness. Diseases such as […]

Get to know the Center for Community Health Partnership & Research co-directors

Written by April Houston, MSW/MPH, graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis; and Hilary Broughton, MSW, co-manager of the Center for Community Health Partnership & Research The Center for Community Health Partnership & Research—a joint endeavor of the Institute for Public Health and the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences at Washington University in […]

The Discharge Summary Tracking System project: Ensuring community health center providers can care for patients after hospital discharge

Written by the Discharge Summary Tracking System project team [1] Our local community health centers are bustling with the activity of  primary care providers answering their patients’ vital inquiries. But what happens if their question regards a hospital visit of which the provider was never informed? “My patient exclaimed, ‘I’ve been shot!’” said primary care doctor […]

Community health – An idea first developed by Mother Nature

If a creature from outer space came to Earth wanting to collect a specimen capable of disrupting and destroying the health of its own community, pretty much any human would do. If that same creature also wanted to study a living being that ensured the health and wellness of its community, pretty much any animal […]

After two years, ‘For the Sake of All’ continues to push for action and outcomes

Written by Jason Q. Purnell, PhD, associate professor in the Brown School When the For the Sake of All report was released two years ago chronicling the significant racial disparities in health and other life outcomes in the St. Louis region, there was much concern about the report collecting dust. We have worked hard to […]

Keys to community health partnerships: Lessons learned at Becker Library

Over the years, the Becker Medical Library at Washington University School of Medicine has worked with various institutions and programs across the St. Louis metro area to provide credible health information resources to the community. Our projects have included training public school librarians on reliable health information resources, working with community health fellows on campus, […]

Enhanced Cultural and Linguistic Services standards: Not just language anymore

In 1997, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) undertook the development of national standards to provide organizations and providers with guidance on the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Three years later, the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (CLAS) were entered into the Federal Register [1]. […]

HEAL Partnership aims to reduce obesity in St. Louis by 5% by 2018

Written by Melissa Ramel, MS, MPH, RD, LD, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Saint Louis University It’s the beginning of a New Year which brings New Year’s resolutions, cold weather, and hope for healthy change. For the HEAL (Healthy Eating, Active Living) Partnership, the community coalition tasked with reducing obesity […]

Working to connect and coordinate local HIV/AIDS efforts

Written by Matthew Brown, MPH, manager of the Center for Community Health Partnership and Research at the Institute for Public Health The Center for Community Health Partnerships continues to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders working in HIV/AIDS in St. Louis. The group first met last December, and assembled again in September 2015. At […]

Saint Louis Effort for AIDS engages community through World AIDS Day event

On December 1, 2015, Saint Louis Effort for AIDS organized its annual World AIDS Day event. This year’s event was titled “Getting to Zero”: Remembering the impact of HIV/AIDS on our community, and took place at the Missouri History Museum. It included live music, exhibit booths, a names project, HIV testing and other health services, […]

Food Outreach helps local HIV/AIDS patients through nutrition and education

Written by Jessica Healey, marketing and event specialist at Food Outreach For more than 27 years, Food Outreach has continued to be the only nonprofit organization in the greater St. Louis area that focuses on providing vital nutritional support to low-income men, women and children with HIV/AIDS or cancer. An impassioned staff, along with 600 […]

A regional approach to improving STI care

In November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released two reports detailing the increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections in the US. As a provider of care for patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, increasing rates of all STIs are a great concern to me. National STI data indicates that rates […]

Linking community members to key resources with 2-1-1

Written by Regina L. Greer, vice president of community response at United Way of Greater St. Louis Imagine being a first responder that saves a family from their severely damaged home; a concerned citizen witnessing devastation and grief on the faces of your neighbors on TV; or a parent seeking food, water, and toiletries for […]

First-year medical students volunteer in urban gardens

The Washington University Record recently reported on a volunteer opportunity for first-year medical students, allowing them to volunteer at City Seeds Urban Farm through Gateway Greening. The experience tied together some of what the students learned during the Washington University Medical Plunge (WUMP), which addressed community health issues including food insecurity and malnutrition.

Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) partnership in St. Louis

Written by Kara Lubischer, MUPPD, community development specialist at University of Missouri Extension The HEAL Partnership is working to reduce obesity in the City of St. Louis by increasing access to healthier foods. The problem How close do you live to the nearest grocery store? If you live in the City of St. Louis, chances are […]

Creating economic opportunity in St. Louis

Written by Jason Q. Purnell, PhD, associate professor in the Brown School Last year, the For the Sake of All project team released a series of policy briefs and a report that analyzed the data around health disparities in the St. Louis region and outlined a set of recommendations to help close the gap. This […]

Behind the scenes at the St. Louis County Department of Health

Written by Eleanor Peters, epidemiology manager in the Division of Communicable Disease Control Services at the St. Louis Country Department of Public Health. The functions of a health department vary by region based on the priorities of the citizens it serves. Some functions are mandated by state government whereas others are considered best practices and […]

On relationships and public health

Written by Jason Q. Purnell, PhD, associate professor in the Brown School Several years later, I am still disappointed by how my brief interaction with a talented young man at one of St. Louis’s most challenged high schools ended. I heard him speak passionately of his career plans at a meeting on tackling high school […]