Community Outreach

Empowering communities with information to more effectively participate in decision making about their health care is an important component of addressing health disparities. Minority community-based organizations, including faith-based groups, can be effective in conducting campaigns or outreach efforts that are culturally competent. These organizations are also well positioned to build communication networks that aim to reach minority communities. Public health messages must be consistent and credible and must take into account the specific characteristics of the targeted audience.

Community Health Mobilization Grants

The OMMH continues to provide leadership in addressing health disparities through the Community Health Mobilization Grants: Reducing Asthma and Diabetes Disparities awarded to minority community-based or faith-based organizations. These CBOs and FBOs work from within the community to improve self management and quality of care in diabetes and asthma treatment and prevention. Evidence based strategies including education, local outreach and self evaluation are implemented to (1) reduce pediatric emergency department visits and school absences for asthma in minority communities by reducing exposure to asthma triggers and by improving ability to self-manage asthma symptoms and (2) improve diabetes outcomes in minority communities by increasing diabetes awareness and screening, access to care, and available self-management resources.

Currently, eighty agencies participate in the grant program, and they target the African American, Latino and Asian American communities. Also, for the first time, an agency serving the American Indian community in New Jersey has received an award for this grant program. OMMH partners with the Division of Family Health Services to administer the grants.

Take Control of Your Health

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) Developed by Stanford University

The Office of Minority and Multicultural Health is proud to promote the Take Control of Your Health Program. This is a fun and practical course that can help people with chronic conditions overcome daily challenges, and maintain an active, fulfilling life.

Community Roundtable Discussion report [pdf 435kb]

The Department of Health and Senior Services recognizes the importance of community input in discussing issues around health disparities and policies that will improve the status of health in our communities. To that end, the Office of Minority and Multicultural Health hosted community roundtables to identify what the community viewed as barriers to living healthy lives and to understand what the community believes is needed to overcome those barriers. These “town-hall” style meetings were held in Newark and Atlantic City.

The community roundtables report tells us that the top areas of concern include:

• Increasing support to hospitals that care for the poor and medically underserved
• Passing legislation concerning affordable and accessible health care
• Allowing fitness programs in public schools
• Increasing access to nutritional foods through neighborhood grocery stores

The community roundtables gave the Department an opportunity to receive feedback from the public and find out what the concerns are and what the solutions might be.

New Jersey Resources

The South Asian Health Project is a clearinghouse for South Asian health and human services information. Please visit the website: http://www.southasianhealth.org/

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