| The morning panel
on Model Practices in Community Partnerships included
four presentations that provided strategies and
examples of organization building, mentoring and
community health promotion activities. The subsequent
discussions in the afternoon Community Health Workshop
coalesced the approaches of these efforts into a
set of specific findings and recommendations.
How to Look Attractive
to a New Generation of Ethnic Physicians
Armen Cherik, MD, MBA, Armenian American Medical
Society
Dr. Cherik addressed an important issue facing many
ethnic physician organizations that were started
by immigrant physicians. In many cases, these organizations
initially focused on assisting their members to
maintain links with their countries of origin through
health missions and by providing a cultural oasis
in the United States. Dr. Cherik pointed out that,
if these organizations are to maintain their numbers
and grow, they must also attract younger physicians.
He recommended that ethnic physician organizations
adopt the following strategies:
- Change communications methods by communicating
in English, publishing a newsletter, using TV
and radio, and creating a website.
- Elect young doctors to their Boards of Directors.
- Reach out to ethnic medical students and residents,
allowing them to join the organization without
membership fees.
| Community
Health Workshop Defines Keys to Successful Collaborations |
The keys to
building effective community health partnerships
by Ethnic Physician Organizations are:
- Involve community partners from the beginning
in order to build trust and establish a
true partnership.
- Involve ethnic media as partners - not
just as information disseminators. Ethnic
newspaper, radio and TV outlets can act
as co-sponsors of events and full partners
in community education efforts.
- Hospitals can be especially effective
partners - they have both the resources
and the expertise to make significant contributions
to community health promotion efforts.
- Physician organizations engaged in community
health should be prepared for the long haul
- it takes time to build partnerships and
long-term relationships are the most effective.
|
Dr. Cherik expanded on his approach to communications.
- An organization newsletter should be published
3 - 4 times a year and convey to the membership
what the organization is doing. It should also
include pictures of meetings and gatherings and
communicate fun. The newsletter is also a good
vehicle to announce new members, their specialties,
and contact information
- A website for the organization is essential
and relatively inexpensive. It is useful to advertise
the practice of members, announce events, and
recruit new members. It can also be used to establish
links with organizations nationally and internationally.
- Ethnic TV and radio media can help to communicate
health information to the organization's community.
It can also introduce new physicians to the community
through interviews and advertising.
Dr. Cherik advised all organizations to support
their young physicians to advance in their field;
to mentor students, residents and young physicians;
and, to assist them when they face difficulties
with medical boards and hospitals. Organizations
should also offer CME courses and publish a membership
directory.
To summarize Dr. Cherik's message: An EPO will
grow only if its members find their memberships
to be valuable. Therefore, EPOs must remember that
"members come first."
Linking Up with Community
Partners
Ton Tran, MD, San Diego Vietnamese Physician Association
Dr. Tran of the San Diego Vietnamese Physician
Association reported on a project to promote Hepatitis
B prevention and reduce resulting liver cancer in
the Vietnamese community. The project had four objectives:
- Increase community awareness of the importance
of Hepatitis B Immunization.
- Improve the knowledge of physicians and other
health professionals about Hep B.
- Test 2,000 API youth ages 12 to 25 and immunize
those who are susceptible to Hep B.
- Refer infected persons for treatment and health
education.
|
Panel 1: Model
Practices in Community Partnerships