Scroll down for project summaries.
Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System Dataset Project: Using the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System dataset, this project examines potential health disparities experienced by American Indian/Alaska Natives living in areas served by urban Indian health organizations. Disseminating this information at multiple levels is necessary in order to increase support for resolving identified needs. Further exploration of the benefits and limitations of this state-based national surveillance system will also occur through partnerships and collaborations to improve available data. The UIHI has Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 1990 through 2005. Data for specific urban Indian health organization areas may be requested.
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
Breast and Cervical Cancer Project: The Urban Indian Health Institute helped to plan an urban American Indian/Alaska Native breast and cervical cancer training for health professionals in Seattle,
Partners: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center
Contact: Jessie Folkman, phone 206-812-3033
Colorectal Cancer Project: The Urban Indian Health Institute submitted an application to attend the American Indian/Alaska Native colorectal cancer workgroup meeting. This application is a collaboration among four urban Indian health organizations, a representative from the National Council of Urban Indian Health, a representative from the Urban Indian Health Institute, and local/state government representatives. This urban American Indian/Alaska Native team will work to develop solutions to improve access to screening services and reduce the burden of colorectal cancer for American Indian/Alaska Native people residing in urban areas.
Partners: Urban Indian health organizations, National Council of Urban Indian Health, and local/state government
Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Communicable Diseases Project: The aim of this project is to identify and then assess the burden of communicable diseases that affect urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. Multiple resources will be used to determine those infectious diseases most impacting our population. Source of data related to these issues will then be explored, both to attempt to quantify the burden of disease and to highlight gaps and limitations in the available data.
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
Communications: The Urban Indian Health Institute embraces a “community-based approach” in its current/future projects, ever-mindful of how it may best serve the 34 urban Indian health organizations. As a result, community-based approaches, evaluation activities, capacity-building efforts, and local to nationwide expansion schemes are incorporated into communications projects. As such, the Urban Indian Health Institute’s communications objectives within the urban Indian health organization network are people-centered, time-based and measurable: Ultimately, the goal is to design and disseminate communication tools for creating awareness at the highest level to promote the purpose of Urban Indian Health Institute and urban Indian health organizations. Now that the Style Guide has been implemented, Urban Indian Health Institute staff are working on a broad Communciations Plan to disseminate and make information easily accessible through office communication strategies, the Internet, measurable community outreach, and other electronic and printed mediums on the transfer of project research knowledge, funding initiatives, current and past projects, research findings and on-going data gathering toward funding goal. The Urban Indian Health Institute’s communications objectives encompass a range of information management and dissemination strategies.
Contact: UIHI, phone 206-812-3030
Community Based Participatory Research: The Urban Indian Health Institute was invited to participate in the April 2006 Community Partner Summit organized by Community Campus Partnerships in Health. As a result of the Summit, workgroups were developed to promote community-based participatory research. The Urban Indian Health Institute participates in the monthly conference calls for the policy and mentoring workgroups. Tasks include developing a mentoring toolkit for community organizations and academic partners on community-based participatory research and contacting granting agencies to encourage adding requirement for community-based participatory research in program announcements.
Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Diabetes Data Collection Project: In collaboration with the Indian Health Service, the Urban Indian Health Institute is participating in the analysis and reporting of diabetes data for urban programs, collected through the Indian Health Service Diabetes Audit for the years 2000-2005. Results of the analysis will be provided to the Indian Health Service and the Urban Indian Health Organizations.
Contact: UIHI, phone 206-812-3030
Electronic Health Records Project: Three year project to evaluate of new electronic health record (EHR) graphical user interface for use in Indian Health Service’ RPMS clinical network. Goal of next portion of this project is to assess whether IHS facilities that implemented the new electronic health record experienced larger gains in quality of care than IHS facilities that did not implement the electronic health record. Partners: Funded through Indian Health Service and the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
Emergency Preparedness Project: Emergency preparedness is a vital function of health departments, hospitals and clinics in identifying unexpected events that may impact their community. However, uncertainty surrounding authority and responsibility of federal, state and local governments in providing public health support to UIHOs complicates the delivery of emergency preparedness services. In an effort to address this problem and facilitate collaboration between the UIHOs and their respective public health agencies, the Urban Indian Health Institute will conduct a comprehensive emergency preparedness evaluation of all 34 UIHOs. This project has three aims: 1) to become familiar with local/state/national plans for emergencies/disasters/pandemics, to identify how involved UIHO are in local emergency preparedness planning along with associated challenges, 2) to identify to what degree UIHO are able to respond to an emergency and 3) to help develop UIHO capacity for such a response.
Partners: Indian Health Service
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
EXPORT Project: Coordinated by the Urban Indian Health Institute, the Export Project was a collaborative project between five urban Indian health organizations with the aim to assess the prevalence of select cardiovascular disease risk factors among urban American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents. Data was collected through medical chart review. This project is in the final stage of data analysis. Upon completion, results will be reported back to the participating sites.
Contact: Jessie Folkman, phone 206-812-3033
Family Health History Project: Family history and the oral tradition of storytelling are highly valued in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. This project translates patient knowledge of personal family health history into a Family Health History Awareness Tool for health care consumers and providers. The Urban Indian Health Institute will produce a Family Health History Awareness Tool, bringing together a traditional medical model of a Family Health History Awareness Tooland a community based approach, which enables storytelling to drive the collection of family health history. Basic Community Based Participatory Research principals will be used to evaluate the Family Health History Awareness Toolinfluenced by community members knowledgeable in the American Indian/Alaska Native culture. Partners: Genetic Alliance, Inc., University of Washington - School of Public Health
Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Infant Mortality Project: The Urban Indian Health Institute is working in several projects focused on infant mortality. One project is a collaboration with Pubic Health –Seattle & King County and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Tribal Epidemiology Center to conduct a regional Perinatal Periods of Risk analysis for
Partners: Pubic Health – Seattle & King County and Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Tribal Epidemiology Center
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Linkage Project: Collaborate with Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board’s Tribal Registry Project to assess and correct the level of American Indian/Alaska Native misclassification of state cancer registries by linking the Seattle Indian Health Board patient roster, the Northwest Tribal Registry, and the Washington State Cancer Registry. While the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board has previously linked their patients with state-level registries from
Partners: Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, the Northwest Tribal Registry Project, and the Washington State Department of Health
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council: The Urban Indian Health Institute has developed a Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council who is charged with advising and supporting the Urban Indian Health Institute Maternal and Child Health surveillance in various ways including, review of data, guidance with reports, and input regarding direction and priorities. The Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council is comprised of leaders from grassroots community groups, maternal and infant health, and urban Indian health care including technical experts in: epidemiology, infant and child mortality, maternal alcohol exposure activities, pediatric oral health care, Maternal and Child Health nutrition, community health representatives, health care providers and others who provide overall program direction. The inaugural face-to-face meeting of the Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council was held on August 4, 2006.
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Capacity Needs Assessment: The Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Maternal, Infant and Child Health Capacity Needs Assessment was created to better understand the maternal, infant and child health services available to urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Urban Indian Health Institute conducted a maternal, infant and child health Capacity Needs Assessment. We surveyed the 34 urban Indian health organizations nationwide. The survey included questions about the populations served and the services provided to women, infant, child and youth groups. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize information about site accessibility, quality and affordability of services in aggregate. Potential barriers to care for women, infant, child and youth clients were also assessed. The findings of the assessment may be used to identify specific areas where greater attention is needed to enhance services for women, infants, children and youth.
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologic Studies: Utilizing the Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council recommendations, the Urban Indian Health Institute is developing two epidemiologic studies of Maternal and Child Health injury and women’s pregnancy & childbirth experiences to be conducted and reported on in 2007. In urban American Indian/Alaska Native, rates of infant mortality are 33% higher than in the general population, and injury is the leading cause of death in children. These quantitative and qualitative research projects will be the foundation for future Maternal and Child Health projects and dissemination of findings to the public health community, specifically constituents and leaders of the urban American Indian/Alaska Native health community.
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Northern Tier Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Project: The purpose of this project is to develop a culturally tailored implementation approach for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome prevention in the five Northern Tier Indian Health Service Areas (i.e.,
American Indian/Alaska Native Pediatric Dental Care: American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest rate of dental disease of any cohort in the U.S. with 68% of American Indians and Alaska Natives children having untreated dental caries, five times the average for children ages two through four nationwide. The purpose of this project is to determine if there is an increased likelihood of children age 4 years and younger having a preventive dental visit if their mother had a dental visit during pregnancy. This research will characterize the current status of preventive dental care utilization among women during pregnancy and young children who receive health care through an urban American Indians and Alaska Natives health organization over a five year time period. The results of the study will provide the building blocks towards developing interventions to improve preventive dental care utilization for pregnant women and in turn their children.Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System: The Urban Indian Health Institute has been involved with state and county health departments and other partners to improve data collection, sampling techniques and increasing response rate, which would allow for meaningful analysis of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data for the urban American Indian/Alaska Native population. In collaboration with project partners, the Urban Indian Health Institute is working on Risk Assessment Monitoring System informational brochures, posters and a cover letter from American Indian/Alaska Native organizations to include with the survey mailing targeted at American Indian/Alaska Native women to encourage participation.
Partners: Washington State Department of Health and Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Tribal Epidemiology Center
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Tobacco Survey: The Urban Indian Health Institute conducted a pilot project to provide baseline data on tobacco use prevalence, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among American Indian/Alaska Native clients of two urban Indian health organizations. The urban American Indian/Alaska Native adult tobacco survey was conducted with 224 adults in the
Partners: Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest
Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth Project: A report on urban American Indian/Alaska Native youth is currently in draft form and is expected to be released in early 2007. This report includes findings from 4 national data sources, including Youth Risk Behavioral Survey data, and examines disparities in health risk behaviors between urban American Indian/Alaska Native youth and urban white youth. A manuscript describing the findings of a comprehensive analysis of Youth Risk Behavioral Survey data from 1997 to 2003 was accepted for publication in a special issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal. The findings of this study were presented at the American Public Health Association meeting in
Contact: Shira Rutman, phone 415-374-7868
Health Status of American Indian/Alaska Natives living in non-Urban Indian Health Organization Areas: Much of the health disparities analyses accomplished by Urban Indian Health Institute have been focused on those areas that currently have services provided by an urban Indian health organization. There are other cities in the country with significant American Indian/Alaska Native populations who do not have access to such services but who potentially could benefit from them. This project will identify some areas that potentially could sustain a new Indian Health Service-sponsored urban health organization, and additionally will assess some key social and health issues of American Indian/Alaska Natives in those areas.
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
Urban Indian Needs Assessment: The primary goal of this project is to provide characterizing information about the health needs of urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) living in the Bemidji area. This information may then be used for program planning and priority setting. The lack of data on urban AI/AN impedes the ability to raise funds to support or expand services, and to make the case to local policy-makers and legislators that AI/AN health is an important issue in urgent need of attention and investment. It is anticipated that approximately 2,400 interviews (400 at each of six urban sites) will be conducted either by telephone or in person. The six urban sites will include the five urban Indian health organizations in the
Partners: Bemidji Indian Health Service, Great Lakes Tribal Epidemiology Center, urban Indian health organizations in Bemidji area, Bemidji Advisory Committee.
Contact: Alice Park, phone 206-812-3034
Viral Hepatitis Training: Viral hepatitis is a serious public health concern, but one that is largely preventable. The Urban Indian Health Institute has received grant funding from the Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control to provide free training to urban Indian health organization staff on viral hepatitis and how to integrate prevention services into current organizational structure. The Urban Indian Health Institute viral hepatitis prevention trainings include critical information about disease transmission and risk groups, recommendations for patient screenings and vaccination, exploring collaborations with other local community providers, as well as a discussion of harm reduction and risk assessment. Integrating viral hepatitis issues into an existing urban Indian health organization program builds routine procedures into existing infrastructure, thus reducing barriers to service, meeting client needs, and complimenting services that target the same population.
Partners: New York State Department of Health – Viral Hepatitis Training Center and Indian Health Service
Contact: Rachel Brucker, phone 206-812-3042
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1 Bernard Miller // Nov 30, 2007 at 6:38 pm
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