The AmeriCorps member will be involved in a new project, providing parenting support and education to Healthy Start participants, during the upcoming year.  The need for this project has been identified by the Baker County Healthy Start Project based upon feedback that has been received by the Program Manager from the program team as well as statistical data generated on Florida CHARTS (Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set, 2009). 

Baker County is a small rural community with 14.7% of the residents living below the 100% poverty rate.  This is higher than the Florida state average of 12.5%.  There is a very high incidence of pregnancy to mothers between the ages of 15 and 19:  68.2 per 1000 females in this age range compared to the state rate of 40.4 per 1000.  High rates of single parent households may be prevalent based upon the low percentage of births with fathers acknowledged on the birth certificate:  84% in Baker County compared to the state rate of 86%.  There is also a high rate of births to mothers over the age of 18 who have not received a high school diploma or GED:  18% in Baker County compared to the state rate of 16%.  Poverty rates, teen pregnancies, single parent households and educational deficiencies are all risk factors that can compromise effective parenting techniques.

More statistical data that is of concern reveals that there is a higher than the state rate in Baker County of children ages 1-5 receiving mental health treatment services.  There is a much higher than the state average of children in this community that are injured by unintentional falls and motor vehicle accidents.  The public schools report a higher than average number of violent acts committed by children than the state average and the percentage of children that are absent from school more than 21 days per year is also extremely high. 

Perhaps the most alarming statistics reveal that children between the ages of 5 and 11 in Baker County are too often the victims of physical abuse and sexual violence.  The rate of child abuse in Baker County is 19.7 per 1000 compared to the state rate of 11.  The rate of children who are sexually abused in Baker County is 1.5 compared to the state rate of .6.  There is great concern about the safety and well being of the community’s most vulnerable residents.  Sadly, as of July1, 2010, Baker County is no longer served by the Healthy Families Florida Program. This was a child abuse and neglect prevention program that had been available to at risk families in the community since 1999. However, severe budget cutbacks led to the demise of the program in Baker County. It is for this reason as well as the disconcerting statistics listed above that it is strongly felt that intensified parenting services are much needed in Baker County.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to significantly impact our community in Duval and surrounding counties.  It disproportionately affects minorities and in fact, is the leading cause of death in Florida for both African American males and females between the ages of 25-44. The patients in our program who are traditionally underserved, face great obstacles in accessing and remaining in care due to multiple psychosocial and socioeconomic factors.  More resources and support are needed to help these underserved persons overcome these barriers and enable them to live more productive and longer lives. 

In this effort, the AmeriCorps Member will assess needs and develop HIV/AIDS educational and support programs for adolescents and adults receiving services at UF CARES.  As an education coordinator, the member would be responsible for establishing support groups for HIV infected adolescent and/or adult patients, developing a program for monthly educational workshops for both adolescent and adult patients, and providing adherence assessment, education and support to patients and their families who are referred for specific adherence follow-up.  The member may also be responsible for developing appropriate patient education materials such as brochures and handouts.

In addition to providing information, the goal for patient education and support group participation is to empower patients, build their confidence, and help instill the sense that they are in charge of their lives.  The member will access and utilize appropriate teaching tools and techniques to facilitate patient/family education and learning.  He/she will evaluate and document the effectiveness of the teaching plan and level of patient understanding, making modifications as necessary based on patient assessment and level of need.  Support group development will include facilitating regular group meetings and educational sessions and may include off-site activities and/or community project participation.

The Baker County Health Department is located in Macclenny, Florida, about 30 miles west of Jacksonville.  The county is entirely rural and it is composed of several towns including Glen St. Mary, Sanderson, Cuyler and Taylor, in addition to Macclenny which is the county seat.  The current county population is just over 26,000.  Many community residents commute to Jacksonville or other neighboring areas to work as there are limited employment opportunities locally. The Baker County Health Department is the hub of medical service, and it provides an array of programs and services that are used by over half of the community population. 

The AmeriCorps member will serve with the Health Education program staff to increase educational awareness and prevention services necessary to assist with eliminating health disparities and improving the quality and years of healthy life of residents in Baker County.  The member will be assigned projects to focus upon the community’s health care needs such as health and wellness education, tobacco education and child safety. 

The Health Education chronic disease projects that the member will be involved in include Tobacco Education, Diabetes Self-Management Education, Community Wellness Program, and Car Safety Seat Program.  

Tobacco Education classes will be provided for youth who receive citations for the underage possession or usage of tobacco products.  The member will provide Tobacco Education Group Instruction that will teach the dangers and negative consequences of tobacco use and encourage teens to adopt healthier lifestyles.  Support-Group Curriculum for the classes will be provided for the member to utilize to motivate young people to decrease their tobacco use, quit on their own or join a voluntary cessation program.  This is a new project that is being implemented at the Baker County Health Department.  All youth who receive citations for the underage possession or usage of tobacco products will be required to attend the class.  The classes will meet once a week for four weeks on an ongoing basis.

Clients are referred to Diabetes Self-Management Education classes that take place once a week for four weeks on a quarterly basis.  The member will assist with client health screenings, providing ongoing support and referrals to area resources, and tracking the clients’ progress after completion of the program to facilitate with the assessing and evaluation of the quality and impact of the program. Diabetes Self-Management education classes meet on a quarterly basis, and the number of participants vary with a minimum number typically being around ten.  The member will be responsible for providing Health Screenings which will include finger sticks to determine the A1C for clients enrolled in the classes.   Health Screenings will be conducted for each client at their first class as well as at follow up appointments.  Follow up health screenings will either take place at a scheduled follow up Diabetes Self-Management class or by appointment based on the client’s schedule.  Follow-up after completion of each course occurs quarterly over the course of a year.  Contacts are made by phone and by mailings.  Results are documented on a spread sheet to determine each client’s progress.

The Community Wellness Program is a project to improve the overall health of the community.  The project will focus on improving the health of residents in the community by providing Health Screenings and Health Education awareness and prevention presentations throughout the community.  The Health Screenings will include checking blood pressures, finger sticks, determining body mass index, etc. for individuals within the community.  Health Screenings will be conducted at the Health Department, different organizations, in conjunction with other projects and programs, and at community activities and events. The member will also develop and provide presentations at different agencies, organizations and businesses throughout the community to increase awareness, prevention and impact of health issues.  The member will also create and disseminate health and safety educational materials throughout the community.  Educational materials will be distributed at community events, activities, or as requested to meet the needs of the community.  The member will be responsible for creating unique ways to present information to individuals in the community that will increase awareness regarding the impact of health issues and prevention techniques.  The member will evaluate the program activities by researching improvements and changes in health outcomes and determining additional services that would be beneficial within the community.  Member will write reports regarding their results and impact of health education programs.

The member will work with Car Safety Seat Program delivering car safety seat education services, including assisting car seat technicians with planning community events, organizing equipment and distributing car seat educational materials.  If possible, (depending upon training locations and availability of funding) member will attend car seat technician class to obtain certification.

Additional task and activities may be assigned to the member based on the members individual skills and abilities and the approval of possible projects that are currently pending authorization for implementation.

Make a Noise, Make a Difference: The Make a Noise! Make a Difference! community education and awareness campaign was launched in September 2009 to bring attention to the prevalence of infant mortality and strategies to prevent it. Events reached a multitude of age groups and segments of the community. The Make a Noise, Make a Difference campaign was then adapted into a community intervention intended to increase awareness about infant mortality among African Americans and provide information about healthy pregnancies and babies. The intervention is a tool within this grassroots social movement that empowers women to improve the health and birth outcomes of their community. Several specific areas are covered in four different education sessions: healthy before pregnancy, healthy during pregnancy, healthy two and healthy baby.  Subjects include not only healthy habits, but also topics like the effects of stress, the role of fathers, the importance of vaccines and the threat of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The member will recruit women — called lay health advocates — to take part in the intervention, conduct the education sessions and track the number of people that the lay health advocates pass the message on to.

Teen Health Project: The Coalition identified teen pregnancy as a significant community issue and a contributor to poor birth outcomes in the region. A regional teen pregnancy task force was formed to develop strategies to address the issue. Seven focus groups were conducted as part of the task force, and helped to identify several areas teens want more information on: parent communication, birth control and STIs, dealing with peer pressure and setting goals. The Teen Health Project curriculum was selected by the Coalition as a program to pilot within several Jacksonville Housing Authority apartment complexes to cover the issues teens identified in the focus groups. The Project is an evidence-based comprehensive sex education program created specifically for apartment complexes and has been implemented throughout the country. The member will assist with the implementation of the curriculum — which includes six teen education sessions, two parent sessions, one teen-parent workshop and teen leadership council — at several of the apartment complexes.

The Healthy Start Coalition leads a cooperative community effort to improve the health outcomes of mothers and babies in Northeast Florida. The cornerstone of the Coalition is the oversight of the Healthy Start case management program. At-risk pregnant women and infants are identified through a screening process, at the first prenatal OB visit for women and at the delivering hospital after birth for infants. Once a mother or infant are determined to have risk factors, there is an initial contact that determines whether they are willing to participate in the Healthy Start program and what services they may need. Prior to 2009, there was no alternative means of entry into Healthy Start other than the traditional screen completed in a provider’s office. However, recognizing that many high-risk women were falling through the cracks, a new program was created in fall of 2009. Through this community-based effort, AmeriCorps members identify women who are interested in receiving assistance and complete a self referral into the program, provide referrals and assist with the Medicaid for Pregnancy application. Medicaid for Pregnancy is program that allows pregnant women to make up to 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and still qualify for free prenatal care and delivery. A special one-page application needs to be completed and returned to the Florida Department of Children and Families.

A key role of the Coalition is outreach and education to the community. The AmeriCorps member will represent the Coalition and provide healthy lifestyles and pregnancy information at health fairs, community meetings and apartment complex presentations. This will include information on key focuses of the Coalition, such as safe sleep practices, children’s health insurance and nutrition. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related deaths are a leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in Duval County and Northeast Florida, accounting for 15 percent of all infant deaths from 2005-2009. Inappropriate bedding, not on back to sleep, and not in an infant bed were among the top risk factors associated with these deaths. Comprehensive awareness and information campaigns have been credited with changing behavior and reducing sleep-related deaths. Florida KidCare is the state children’s health insurance program. Families with children from birth to age 19 and a household income of less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level could potentially be eligible for this government-subsidized health insurance program.

MHHCP is a Healthy Tomorrows project funded for 5 years by the Maternal/Child Health Bureau and administered by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The grant is a partnership between University of Florida, Duval County Health Department (DCHD) and CMS.  We are now in our second year under local funding through the 501c3 Partnership for Child Health, Inc.  We receive our funding through Baptist Health Foundation and The Lucy B. Gooding Charitable Trust.  Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of Jacksonville’s homeless children.  We accomplish this goal by breaking down existing barriers to care.  We provide nurse home visits at 9 shelters, nursing assessments, referrals into DCHD’s Kids ‘N Care Health Center, care coordination, taxi vouchers to medical visits, financial counseling by DCHD HSC, and health education classes at the shelters.  Kids ‘N Care becomes the children’s Medical Home, providing comprehensive child health including Acute Care visits, Well Child visits, vision and hearing screening, developmental and mental health screenings, and specialty referrals

River Region Human Services, Inc. (RRHS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that provides a comprehensive array of services—including housing and case management as well as assessment, treatment, intervention and prevention for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, substance abuse and co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness—to the citizens of Northeast Florida. The mission of RRHS is to improve the quality of life for individuals of Northeast Florida affected by substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, HIV/AIDS and other communicable illness through outreach, prevention, intervention treatment and housing services. The services focus on assisting persons in developing and maintaining a functional independent lifestyle free from: the use of dependency producing drugs, the debilitating effects of mental disorders, and the commission of anti-social and criminal activities, and the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases.

The AmeriCorps/NHC member will provide assistance within our substance abuse treatment services to help clients achieve greater access to care, participate in individual and group health education instruction, receive necessary testing and immunization for HIV/STDs and other communicable diseases (as provided by RRHS) as well as screenings for other diseases (as provided by RRHS partners in the community), and receive health education and outreach materials related to meeting their needs. Specifically, the AmeriCorps/NHC member will operate within our Methadone Treatment program that provides comprehensive services along with pharmacotherapy and in conjunction with a range of appropriate medical and rehabilitative services for individuals addicted to opioids.

The AmeriCorps member will facilitate or oversee 40 Life Skills classes per quarter and educate 180 residents per quarter on health related and non-health related issues.  Life Skills topics will include but are not limited to Anger Management, Smoking Cessation, Self Awareness, Safer Sex, Healthy Relationships, Self Esteem, and Resume Writing.  The AmeriCorps member will also be encouraged to grow the Life Skills program and curriculum by assessing resident needs and responding with pertinent Life Skills classes or activities.  The AmeriCorps member will also be helping homeless men, women, and children access community resources through online applications, such as applying for Food Stamps, Cash Assistance, and Medicaid.

During the year of services the AmeriCorps volunteer will provide education on healthy eating, nutrition and food sources to 480 adult residents and 320 child residents. The member will utilize the Sulzbacher Center Community Garden as a teaching tool. The member will serve with community partners to maintain the Sulzbacher Center community garden.

  Youth Fit for Life™ is a physical activity and healthy behaviors program specifically designed for elementary-aged children in after-school settings. Through an assortment of team building, life-skills exercises and physical activities that help build strength, endurance and flexibility, children will have fun developing healthy habits. Youth Fit for Life™ includes fitness testing and health screenings at the beginning and end of each 12 week cycle, and 12 weeks of fitness and nutrition education programming at YMCA after-school care sites and at Summer/Winter/Spring Break Camp settings. The AmeriCorps Member will help coordinate Youth Fit for Life™ program activities and will enhance the curriculum by planning and implementing fun special events and supplemental health education activities that will further engage the children and allow the Member to incorporate his or her own personal creativity.

The AmeriCorps Member’s role in the Youth Fit For Life Program includes the following:

•  Training program facilitators on the Youth Fit For Life curriculum. 
•  Monitoring the pre, mid and post evaluations on program participants
• Data collection for each school site involved in the Youth Fit For Life Program
• Assisting with program design and evaluation

The AmeriCorps member will serve as the Primary Prevention facilitator for the Hubbard House WAVE Program.  WAVE, Working Against Violence Everyday, Everywhere and Every Time, is our local primary prevention campaign, a youth- education initiative working with elementary and middle school youth in community-based after school programs, charter schools and other child-focused venues.  The program facilitator will administer the curriculum at the current sites, serve as a liaison between the school site(s) and the agency, develop new site relationships to expand curriculum delivery, train Hubbard House volunteers to assist with the program, complete necessary documentation and reports, and coordinate activities of the Community Action Team to support the initiative.

The Arc Jacksonville serves approximately 400 individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities (d/id) daily with four training sites and five community group homes.  The agency is concerned with the lack of health and wellness information, social isolation, and training provided to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.  Typically they lead a more sedentary and socially isolated lifestyle than others of comparable age and experience and often make poor choices resulting in serious and chronic medical conditions.  The AmeriCorps Wellness Coordinator(s) will provide on-going training and education in nutrition, exercise and the benefits of social stimulation.  The entire population served will benefit from general health and nutrition training and up to 50 individuals will have the opportunity to enroll for more individualized and structured training.

This program is intended as an enhancement to current services. The training and residential programs are limited in scope and funding and cannot, therefore, provide this important training. The member will serve as part of the team with very distinct responsibilities as the AmeriCorps Wellness Coordinators for The Arc Jacksonville and Club Arc. The member will be supported by the on-site mentor but will be responsible for research, planning and design of the curriculum and activities.

NOTE: This position requires a member who is fluent in Spanish.

The Beaches Family Health Center will utilize our member in several projects. Our member will be a critical member of our Easy Breathing program to survey patients at their well and follow-up visits for asthma symptoms and to help the team provide a better, educational environment for our asthma patients. 

Our member will help develop a program to make sure that all of our asthma patients receive their annual influenza vaccines.

Our member will be a major team player on our Medical Home Project. The member will work closely with the clinic’s Children’s Medical Services nurse to provide individual, specialized care plans and help with their special needs children.

Our member will also help to continue surveying patients and parents for developmental issues and maternal postpartum depression.

Our member will also help families complete forms for Medicaid applications and also help to update our Hispanic Resource Guide.

The member will be transitioning youth and young adults who are exiting the pediatric health care system and learning to navigate the adult health care system.  Transition guidance will be provided by the AmeriCorps member to all new clients who are requesting admission into the JaxHATS program.  The AmeriCorps member will become knowledgeable in all areas of health care and health care transition in order to be the best resource for all youth with special health care needs who wish to come to JaxHATS for services.

1. Promote access to comprehensive health care to underserved populations.
2. Enhance the readiness of consumers in the JaxHATS program to transition to adult health care services.  Specifically assess their abilities in the area of disease understanding and self management, independent interaction with the health care system and understanding of and access to adequate financing for health care services.
3. Assess individual barriers of persons in JaxHATS presented by chronic health problems to educational and vocational transition readiness.
4. Provide supports to remove health-related barriers and promote engagement in transition planning to meet their educational and vocational goals.
5. Assist with related studies. 

Beaches Community Healthcare, a Sulzbacher Clinic, offers primary medical, dental and mental health services to uninsured residents of the Beaches area whose family income is at or below 200 percent of the area poverty level.  The clinic sees over 500 patients a month, and each patient undergoes comprehensive medical assessment and treatment for any health issues that are discovered.  The NFHC member will manage the clinic’s Patient Assistance Program providing over $1 million in medications to patients.  The member will communicate with pharmaceutical companies and medical providers to enroll patients in Patient Assistance Programs to receive free medications.  Enrollment requires meeting individually with patients to complete and process necessary forms.  As Patient Advocate, the member may be required to instruct employees in use of new patient assistance forms, reports, and procedures.  The NFHC member will also facilitate the Smoking Cessation program.

The Sulzbacher Medical Center, a Federally Qualified Health Care Facility, offers a complete range of health-care services to homeless and transitional residents in the community. The clinic sees over 800 patients a month, and each patient undergoes comprehensive medical assessment and treatment for any health issues that are discovered.  Reclaiming good health gives an individual the ability to return to work and return to the community.

Our comprehensive care includes:

• Primary care

• Dental services

• Vision care/glasses

• Mental-health services

• Child-health services

• Substance abuse-rehabilitation linkage

• Asthma clinic

• Community outreach services

• HIV/STD testing

The NFHC member will manage the clinic’s Patient Assistance Program providing over $1 million in medications to patients.  The member will work with pharmaceutical companies and medical providers to enroll patients in Patient Assistance Programs to receive free medications.  Enrollment requires meeting individually with patients to complete and process the necessary forms.  As Patient Advocate, the member may be required to instruct employees in use of new patient assistance forms, reports, and procedures. The member will also facilitate the smoking cessation program.

The member will engage male teen program participants in education sessions promoting male family planning services including teen pregnancy prevention, abstinence, STI/HIV, Growing into Manhood, and Male Health Issues. The member will also assist in the administration of teen male Family Planning questionnaires to collect information on the awareness of and perceived access to family planning services within the Duval County health department; assist in the development, distribution, dissemination, and collection of the questionnaires; assist the Site Mentor in developing a community presentation, based on the survey results; develop public service announcements based on input from the program participants. In addition, the member will facilitate teen product development sessions and be responsible for providing community education through health fairs.

The projects and services for the division of nutrition & chronic disease prevention AmeriCorps members will include WIC nutrition education classes; follow up calls for reminder and rescheduling of WIC appointments (outreach); health fairs in the community; completing nutrition modules for education qualification; teaching Shape Up Jacksonville Classes (physical activity & nutrition to adults); teaching heart & stroke prevention classes (blood pressure, nutrition, current JNC guidelines, cholesterol, physical activity); teaching Raising Healthy Kids Club classes (nutrition & physical activity to kids); Read to WIC kids (StoryTime for preschool kids); and immunization verifications (monitoring charts and learning Florida Shots database process).