Wellshare International

Programs: Domestic programming eliminating health disparities initiative (ehdi) wellshare international is working to reduce the risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke through ehdi program activities in order to reduce negative health outcomes. The program focuses on reducing unhealthy weight gain, as well as increasing the consumption of healthy food, increasing daily physical activity, and fostering an increased sense of wellbeing and trust through the services of community health workers (chws). The purpose of wellshare's ehdi program is to create sustainable, culturally appropriate approaches and tools to support at-risk individuals and communities in the twin cities. Wellshare chws work with the community to promote behavior changes that will reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Activities in 2017 included conducting four full-day health-coaching trainings for chws. A six-week series of chronic disease self-management workshops (a stanford university evidence-based curriculum) was offered three times to adults in the somali community. Another evidence-based class, matter of balance, was offered twice to somali elders to help reduce the risk of falls. Other ehdi activities included hypertension screening for east african adults. Over 220 adults have been screened for hypertension. The somali community is being disproportionately affected by diabetes, and wellshare is responding. To date, thirty-eight somali elders have gained knowledge and understanding of pre-diabetes and diabetes through wellshare's programs. The ehdi program also works with healthcare providers to build capacity for supporting patients along their path to optimal health. By offering training to physicians and community health workers, wellshare's ehdi program is helping to build the workforce capacity needed to reduce health disparities and improve culturally competent care. Another component of the eliminating health disparities initiative, funded by the minnesota department of health center for health equity, is the minnesota community health worker peer network (see below for more information). Community health workers - bridging the cultural divide in 2017, wellshare continued to expand its work through the chw peer network program. The chw peer network was created by wellshare in 2005 and reaches a statewide group of community health workers serving diverse communities. Wellshare hosts a moderated network mailing list and provides in-service professional development training opportunities to chws. The network sends out electronic (email) updates including chw job announcements, training information, and advocacy opportunities provided by chws and other stakeholders. Each year, wellshare surveys chw members about their educational needs in order to determine trainings that are most relevant to their work. Based on survey results, wellshare hosts bi-monthly professional development trainings for chws in the peer network. Currently, the network reaches over 500 chws, employers, and key stakeholders. Most trainings are recorded, archived, and posted online for later viewing by chws and other stakeholders who live in greater minnesota. Hypertension program in 2017, wellshare received an extension grant from the minnesota department of health for the pilot program that was started in 2015. The hypertension program promotes linkages between health systems and community resources. Wellshare community health workers reached out to the somali community to provide screening for high blood pressure, identifying those who may have hypertension and referring them to primary care. Of the 240 individuals screened, 26% were hypertensive and were referred to primary care. Wellshare has been working to develop an in-home follow-up program for somali adults who have unmanaged hypertension. This has included building relationships with clinics, creating standing orders, and creating an electronic health records system. Communities eliminating tobacco inequities: karen tobacco-free program wellshare received a grant from the center for prevention at blue cross blue shield of minnesota to educate the karen community on the harms of tobacco and to eliminate the use of tobacco in indoor and outdoor settings. The karen tobacco-free program (ktfp) is a partnership with the karen organization of minnesota and engages the entire community. Two karen community health workers and a program manager consult with karen religious leaders and community members to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Activities include conducting community outreach at karen grocery stores, community events, and religious centers; increasing culturally relevant community education to support tobacco-free policies; and delivering a uniform message about the harms of chewing betel nut and smoking tobacco, including secondhand smoke. In 2017, wellshare's 10-hour tobacco education curriculum was delivered to 127 adults and 63 youth. Additionally, nearly 100 tobacco education dvds were distributed to places such as karen churches, which further extended the reach into the karen community. East african smoke-free program wellshare international's tobacco-free communities east african smoke-free program, funded by the minnesota department of health, aims to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and secondhand smoke among somali and east african children, youth, and young adults. Established in 2013, the program's objectives are to: 1) complete a community-based assessment to strengthen minnesota somali and east african community capacity and involvement around tobacco control through community engagement and establish a community advisory committee; 2) implement innovative community awareness and health education activities to decrease secondhand smoke exposure and change social norms around tobacco use and exposure among somali and east african children, youth, and young adults; 3) assist in the adoption and implementation of tobacco-free grounds policies at somali- or east- african-owned businesses and events to decrease secondhand smoke exposure and change social norms around tobacco use and exposure among somali and east african children, youth, and young adults; and 4) increase culturally appropriate referrals for somali and east african community members in minneapolis to cessation services and develop relationships for integrating cultural support into existing community services, programs, and networks. The program is in the second year of its second grant cycle and since 2013 has directly reached more than 77,800 individuals through innovative community outreach activities. The program reached 2,747 individuals in 2017 through 68 outreach activities. An active facebook and twitter presence has over 344 followers and 54 distinct tobacco and smoke-free policy messages were created with a reach of over 11,330 impressions on facebook and 5,269 on twitter. The east african smoke-free program team also worked with religious leaders, business owners, and event managers to explore and adopt smoke-free policies at three major somali/east african events. In response to community and partner interest, wellshare developed a flyer on the harms of hookah in 2017, which has been distributed broadly. Additionally in 2017, wellshare undertook additional research to understand how hookah is perceived in the somali community, and will complete that research in 2018. The program provided tobacco-specific and interactive education directly to middle-school and high-school youth through metro school college prep (a somali charter school) and the wellshare international young achievers after-school somali youth program. In 2017, the program reached 227 east african youth through these programs. After-school programming for east african youth - 'the young achievers' the young achievers, a wellshare after-school program for east african youth, offers a constructive environment for somali youth to learn, be creative, interact with positive adults, and prepare for higher education while serving their community by working on public health campaigns. This program is conducted in partnership with minneapolis public schools and franklin library. The group is youth led, and wellshare's somali staff works with the youth to develop creative projects in order to send positive messages to their east african peers. The young achievers program served 102 youth in 2017. At the end of the program, close to 80% of youth maintained or improved positive behaviors through the program (behaviors included increased cooperation, volunteering, self-management, and empathy) and displayed improved social skills (better conflict resolution, increased communication, and teamwork). A majority of the youth reported that they developed positive relationships with caring adults, felt a sense of belonging in the program, were actively engaged in learning, and participated in the young achievers program on a consisten

international programming tanzania 'survive and thrive' groups for young mothers wellshare international continued its work with young, single mothers in bariadi district, tanzania, in 2017. With individual contributions and a generous donation from the lafferty family foundation, wellshare supported 484 survive and thrive group members in 17 villages. Women received health education and small-business skills training along with technical support to implement a village community-banking model. Health topics covered included malaria and anemia, cholera, amoebic dysentery, acquisition and prevention of worms, safe motherhood, sanitation (use of toilets), family planning, and healthcare-seeking behavior for mothers and children. Participants also learned how to make tie-dye cloth and batik for sale and to prepare homemade bar soap, liquid soap, bathing soap, and oil jelly (lotion). They also learned how to prepare high-nutrient flour. As noted above, a high-quality video of the project was created and posted on the wellshare website. Uganda family planning program wellshare international continued its long-term work in reproductive health in uganda in 2017. Advancing community-based access to injectable contraceptives, funded by usaid/jsi through advancing partners & communities (apc), worked to scale up access to counseling and contraceptive choice in the iganga and kumi districts of uganda. The project supports women and men of reproductive age (15-49 and 15-45, respectively), as well as primary beneficiaries, including the district health team, health center staff, and village health teams (vhts), who received capacity-building education and training around community-based family planning and access to injectable contraceptives (cba2i) using depo im and sayana press (sp), emergency contraceptive pills (ecps), and adolescent sexual and reproductive health (asrh). In 2017, key achievements included: conducting an end-line (final) assessment on youth-friendly health services provision. A total of 82% of health centers in iganga district and 75% of health centers in kumi district were assessed as providing "very youth- friendly service" at end-line, a significant improvement over baseline. Hosted a national-level stakeholders meeting on emergency contraceptive pills (ecps) to share results from ecp services integration, and gave two presentations and hosted three abstracts at the community health workers symposium in february and the national family planning conference in september. Hosted two structured-learning visits for a team from world vision kenya, world vision uganda, world vision us, and the ministry of health kenya and uganda around community-based family planning (cbfp). As a result, world vision was able to integrate cbfp into its programming with the police forces in uganda. Held 212 community dialogues (81 in kumi and 131 in iganga) on barriers to family planning in the communities, led by wellshare-trained vhts.