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Past Projects
Read below to learn more about our intensive experiences.
A-NARCH Program Evaluation
The California Native American Research Center for Health (CA-NARCH) seeks to identify, recruit, place, and retain Native American students into two and four year universities and graduate programs using both existing minority student support programs and by creating a new initiative to supplement the existing programs. The IPH assisted in the overall evaluation of the NARCH program and development of a tracking system used for the data collection and monitoring of students who participate in the NARCH program. IPH activities included the development of data collection forms, conducting the implementation, design, training, and maintenance and support of a web-based data collection solution.
API (San Diego Asian/Pacific Islander ) Community Health Network
The Asian Pacific Islander Community Health Network (API-CHN) aims to improve API health outcomes and community voice through improved research and accessible information and resources. The IPH helped conduct focus groups, develop a resource directory of services and academic research articles in San Diego, improve measurement tools to collect data and, provide technical assistance in community-based participatory research (CBPR) practices.
Adolescent Family Life Care Program
IPH provided technical assistance and evaluation services for implementing the evaluation component of the San Diego Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program's Adolescent Family Life Care Project - a teen pregnancy prevention program that offers intensive case management to pregnant and parenting teens. IPH services included that of developing data collection instruments, training staff to administer surveys, as well as data collection and analysis.
Alliance for Regional Solutions (ARS) Winter Shelter Analysis and Report 2012
The Alliance for Regional Solutions (ARS) operates a network of seasonal Homeless Winter Shelters in the Northern part of San Diego County each year. These emergency shelters are open to homeless men, women and families during the coldest winter months, usually December through March. The ARS commissioned the IPH to evaluate its services at the end of each season. Evaluation activities included analysis of the number of clients sheltered, the demographic characteristics of these clients, the reason for their homelessness, the number of shelter nights provided to these clients and what housing plans the clients had upon exiting the program. Client satisfaction with the services and the programs’ reasons for turning away prospective clients was also assessed.
American Association of Pediatrics (AAP)/ Healthy Development Services
AAP subcontracted with IPH to conduct four focus groups (two in English, two in Spanish) with parents who completed a 10-week parenting class with First 5. (First 5 promotes the health and well being of young children during their most critical years of development.) AAP is using a new curriculum (from Canada) and is interested in collecting feedback from participants regarding the curriculum and class experience. Focus group results will be used to inform an evidence-based curriculum.
The California Endowment Foundation MCHI Core Support (Formerly Reestablishment of the MCH Program)
The MCH Initiative was launched in 1999 with a grant to the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) from the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. In 2003 funding was received from the California Endowment to supplement the Alliance grant. The initial goal of this initiative was to reestablish a Division of Maternal and Child Health at the GSPH. However, the focus of the Initiative was subsequently broadened to include three primary activities: Community Engagement and Service, Research, and Education. The funding served as core support to expand IPH involvement in the MCH community.
Cancer Navigator
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors initiated Cancer Navigator with tobacco-settlement funds to serve as a central resource for linking to local cancer information and services. The IPH assisted Cancer Navigator in evaluating their two major components: a website and a call center. The Web site serves as a central repository of links to cancer information and services in San Diego County and includes links to national websites. The HelpLine provides personalized support, available in English and Spanish, for those who do not have Internet access or those who would rather speak with a staff member.
Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA)
The IPH partnered with the Scripps Translational Science Institute to lead the Community Engagement Section of the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The mission of this section is to engage local health care practitioners and South Bay community members to collaborate on community-based participatory research and increase participation in clinical research. The IPH assisted in the creation of a comprehensive, participatory strategy to increase understanding of clinical research benefits and opportunities, facilitated the participation of traditionally underrepresented communities in clinical research, and increased community members’ awareness of local research outcomes.
Community Information Exchange (CIE)
The Community Information Exchange was established to address the needs of vulnerable populations that frequently have a significant number of life challenges and are often served by multiple service providers from many different disciplines (hospitals, housing, education, probation or parole, etc.). The hypothesis is that sharing relevant and timely client information across multiple service providers will allow for effective and efficient collaboration in the care of specific vulnerable individuals. In order to provide this opportunity for client-specific collaboration, the CIE has established an electronic platform that allows the sharing of relevant client information across disciplines to provide the best service for the client.
In July 2014, the CIE began consenting and enrolling its first population of vulnerable individuals into the CIE system. The CIE and the IPH created a collaborative partnership to evaluate the first cohort of vulnerable homeless persons to assess the value of information sharing, both for the clients served and for the professionals serving them. Results on the first cohort should be available Fall 2016.
Dad's Club
Dad's Club is a community-based program for fathers to engage with their children, develop positive parenting and leadership skills, and become more involved in their neighborhood as they find collaborative solutions to reducing community violence. IPH evaluation services included program development, survey design, and data analysis and reporting.
Data Navigator Project
The goal of the Data Navigator Project is to improve the collection and documentation of screening and diagnostic follow-up results for women with abnormal breast and cervical cancer screening in the state of California's Every Woman Counts program. This ensures that quality assurance reports more accurately reflect the cancer screening services provided to California's women. The IPH staffed and provided expertise to this California Department of Public Health initiative.
Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS) Project
In 2003 California began participating in the Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS) Project, a federal program created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From January 1, 2009 through October 31, 2011, the IPH had a contract with the California Department of Public Health to conduct and manage EWIDS activities.
The purpose of EWIDS is to provide border states with the capability to conduct surveillance for infectious diseases associated with potential bioterrorist agents or other major threats to public health. California-EWIDS is based in San Diego and has a jurisdiction that covers 100 kilometers north and south of the U.S.-Mexico border, extending from Imperial and Riverside Counties down to the Mexican town of Ensenada in Baja California. The program's main objectives are: to conduct surveillance for the early detection of emerging infectious disease, build and sustain communication between public health officials both in the U.S. and Mexico, and provide training for staff that will enhance surveillance for both sides. Given that San Diego and Baja California share a porous border, it is critical that a relationship exists between the two regions in the event of a public health emergency necessitating immediate action from both jurisdictions.
Elder Health Needs Assessment
San Diego encompasses the second largest Somali community in the nation and faces many issues and challenges associated with refugee resettlement and acculturation. Somali Family Service seeks to rebuild lives through education, economic development, and contributions to the community at large. The IPH assisted Somali Family Service in conducting a health needs assessment of the elders in the San Diego Somali community. As a team, Somali Family Service and the IPH staff developed gender specific needs assessment tools for social service and health care providers. This team worked closely with community elders to ensure that the tools developed were appropriate to the population and were piloted in several community focus groups.
The Every Woman Counts Training Center (formerly The Quality Assurance Project [QAP]) 1999-2018
Please see Featured Project the EWC Training Center.
Healthcare Education Program for San Diego Somali Community
The overall goals of the Comprehensive SDSU-UCSD Cancer Partnership are to enhance cancer research and research training at SDSU; increase the effectiveness of the UCSD Cancer Center (UCSD-CC) in research, research training and career development related to minorities; and to continue the development of effective research, education, and outreach programs that will have an impact on the elimination of cancer disparities.
The IPH is currently collaborating with the Cancer Partnership on a project entitled Healthcare Education Program for San Diego Somali Community. Non-native English speakers face exceptional challenges when navigating the U.S. health care system. Despite research highlighting limited knowledge of cancer, low rates of participation in cancer screening programs, and cancer disparities for underserved populations, there are few culturally adapted prevention programs to enhance cancer screening among non-native English speakers. One of the major concerns for some recent immigrant and refugee communities includes limited literacy in English and/or their native language. Therefore, there is a need for interventions that employ novel formats to address the linguistic and literacy barriers to health education.
The use of video technology provides a cost-effective method for reaching widespread audiences; however, there is limited information on the effectiveness of such methodologies as an intervention tool. The current collaboration includes formative research through focus groups and key informant interviews to better understand the feasibility and acceptability of video health education materials for development and distribution within the Somali community, one of the largest, underserved refugee communities in San Diego.
Healthy Environments Against Tobacco (H.E.A.T.) - Multi-Unit Housing Project
Vista Community Clinic's HEAT Team focused on policy making that would ban smoking in multi unit housing complexes. IPH services included modifying and/or creating data collection instruments, consulting on data collection techniques and processes, creating a database for entry of public opinion poll data, and analyzing the aggregate data.
Healthy Environments Against Tobacco (H.E.A.T.) - North County Transit Project
Vista Community Clinic's HEAT Team was awarded a grant by the State of California's Tobacco Control Section to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in North San Diego County. The project focused on the North County Transit District (NCTD) (including the Breeze bus, Coaster train, and Sprinter light rail system). The IPH was responsible for creating an evaluation strategy, modifying and/or creating data collection instruments, consulting on data collection techniques and processes, as well as analyzing data to create reports for multiple audiences.
Healthy Steps
Healthy Steps provided physical activity classes, nutrition classes, and support groups to women at risk for postpartum depression in the Logan Heights community of San Diego. The IPH conduced an evaluation for the program.
Healthy WorksSM - Communities Putting Prevention to Work
In 2010 the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) was awarded a $16.1 million dollar grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The purpose of this grant was to provide community based prevention projects that target the rising rate of obesity and other related chronic diseases. An important objective of this grant was the systematic and ongoing evaluation of the projects implemented, as well as their impact on the community. The IPH was contracted to carry out the evaluation process for the Healthy WorksSM interventions.
HHSA in conjunction with San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), University of California San Diego (UCSD), the IPH, San Diego Office of Education, and Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP), along with various other community partners, focused on reducing obesity in San Diego County communities in three focus areas: Healthy Places, Healthy Foods, and Healthy Schools. The IPH at SDSU was an integral part of this effort as its evaluators worked collaboratively with all entities involved. Evaluations will not only provide the measurable health outcomes for the various initiatives taking place, but also outline areas for future funding, research, and policy change.
The project is part of San Diego County’s “Live Well, San Diego! Building Better Health” initiative, a 10-year vision for healthy communities. For additional information on Healthy WorksSM in San Diego please visit www.healthyworks.org
Hepatitis C Testing Program
Family Health Centers provided Hepatitis C testing and case management to high risk individuals. IPH will conducted an evaluation of the program.
Hunger-Free Communities - Planning and Assessment 2011
In 2011 the Alliance for Regional Solutions, Interfaith Community Services, North County Community Services, the Tierra Miguel Foundation and the Institute for Public Health (IPH) received funding for a one-year project aimed at ending hunger in North San Diego County. Specifically, the group aimed to establish a food policy council and gather data for informing a plan to improve food security in the region. The IPH role was that of gathering client and agency data, producing an evaluation report, conducting focus groups, performing a literature review, and producing a community resource guide.
Live Well San Diego
The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) is a full service alternative dispute resolution provider, based in San Diego, California since 1983. NCRC provides and promotes collaborative dispute resolution and conflict management to individuals, organizations, and society through education, training, and client services.
The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) provided communication, conflict management, and life skills training through the Live Well San Diego Initiative. The trainings targeted San Diego residents who are historically disadvantaged, homeless, refugees, veterans, and youth. Participants for the trainings were recruited through community-based organizations serving the target populations. Training sessions were provided to participants from thirteen organizations between September 2014 and December 2014.
The Institute for Public Health (IPH), in collaboration with NCRC, conducted an evaluation of the trainings. Participants from ten organizations completed pre- and post-tests for the evaluation.
Male Sexual Health Services
The goal of the project is to increase male participation in reproductive health services. Project activities include community outreach and education, physical changes to the clinic environment to be more male-friendly, provider/staff education, and an increased presence in social media outlets. The IPH is the local evaluator for the project. There were five sites funded nationwide. Center for Health Training is overseeing national and local evaluation efforts.
MESA Step - SDSU
MESA Step Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) is nationally recognized for its innovative and effective academic development program. MESA engages thousands of educationally disadvantaged students so they excel in math and science and graduate with math-based degrees. The IPH provided the evaluation support for the MESA Step program at San Diego State University.
NARCH Periodontal Study, Oral Flora, Periodontitis, and Vascular Dysfunction in Young Native Americans Program
NARCH Periodontal Study, a NIH-funded study, was a collaborative project with the Indian Health Council (IHC), San Diego State University (SDSU), University of California San Diego (UCSD) and the Institute for Public Health (IPH). The study looked at the relationship between oral flora, periodontal disease and vascular function in young American Natives. The IPH was involved since the beginning and worked collaboratively with the IHC to ensure that this community-based research project offersed culturally competent and linguistically appropriate research materials to the young Native American population being served. The IPH interfaced with the Review Committees at the IHC and SDSU and established protocols for quality assurance of the data. A database was created to ensure appropriate confidential mechanisms for data storage. The IPH trained staff for the recruitment process as well as data entry. The IHC providesed oversight to the coordination of data collection with the IHC. Other responsibilities involved analysis and report writing on an on-going basis. (Funded by California Native American Research Centers for Health.)
National Children’s Study (NCS)
The National Children’s Study (NCS) is a landmark prospective cohort study that will follow 100,000 children and their families from before birth to 21 years of age. It is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with several other national public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of this study is to identify both genetic and environmental influences on children’s health and development.
NCS will provide a rich resource of information to look at important health issues such as autism, obesity, asthma, and diabetes. Data will be collected from the time a mother is pregnant and throughout the child’s life including air, dust, water, nutrition, medical care, chemicals, and stress. With the information gained from this study, public health practitioners will be able to outline prevention guidelines for child health, inform public health policy, and implement interventions.
The IPH played a leadership role initially in directing community outreach and engagement efforts to increase awareness about the study. The San Diego County study sample seeks to recruit over 1,000 women, age 18-49, from 14 randomly selected neighborhoods across the county. The IPH in conjunction with University California San Diego (UCSD) has implemented a multipronged approach to outreach in these 14 communities. In January of 2011 recruitment began and will continue via door-to-door visits from study staff.
National Resource Center for Safe Aging (NRCSA)
The IPH collaborated with SDSU’s Department of Gerontology and the CDC for the purpose of creating and sustaining an online community of public health and senior care professionals whose work involves teaching and promoting safety and safe practices among the elderly. The effort was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention and Division of Violence Prevention) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Neonatal Quality Improvement Initiative Planning and Implementation
Children’s Medical Services (CMS) Branch and California Children’s Hospital Association (CCHA) jointly sponsored a statewide Neonatal Quality Improvement Initiative (NQI) that included an experienced multidisciplinary project team to improve neonatal care. IPH contributed to the design, implementation, and evaluation of this quality initiative to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections and improve clinical care for neonates.
Neonatal Infection Reduction Program
In 2006, Marian Dalsey M.D., Director of California’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, posed a critical question. How can the California Children's Services' (CCS) Program become more than a standard setter, regulator and payer of health care services for chronically ill children? How can it play an active role in actually improving the quality of those services and the clinical and financial outcomes of care?
Thus began, what came to its conclusion in September 2014, a 7 year journey to improve the quality and safety of care in neonatal intensive care units throughout the state. We selected neonatal intensive care units as the place to start our improvement work because the CCS Program spends nearly a billion dollars/year on NICU care.
We utilized the IHI Collaborative Model of Improvement to achieve our desired aim of reduced rates of infection. All 22 ‘regional’ NICUs in the state have participated as well as 18 other large NICUs. Since we began our work, 15 other states have initiated similar programs. California now leads the way in improving care for America’s sickest babies.
Dr. Paul Kurtin, IPH Faculty Associate, Directed the NICU Improvement Collaborative, a very ambitious and successful IPH project.
North Inland Healthy Development Services (HDS) Evaluation
Palomar Health (formerly, Palomar Pomerado Hospital), as the North Inland HDS lead agency, oversees and manages all 5 subcontractors that provide behavioral health services and vision/hearing screenings for children 0-5 years of age. In addition, Palomar Health provides both developmental services and parenting classes under HDS. HDS is a county wide program that provides an array of health services for expectant families and families with children 0-5 years, is managed by a lead agency in each of the 6 San Diego County regions, and is funded by First 5 of San Diego. IPH provided evaluation support and analysis for the entire North Inland HDS project.
Nutrition and Physical Activity Program
The Imperial Beach Health Center (IBHC) Nutrition and Physical Activity Program was created by IBHC to treat childhood overweight and obesity. The program aimed to help children become physically active, eat healthy foods, and develop healthy lifestyles for lifelong fitness. IPH developed the evaluation framework; helped design data collection instruments in conjunction with each topical expert (exercise physiologist, pediatrician, health educator, nutritionist, and behaviorist); analyzed data; and prepared reports.
One Border One Health
The IPH played a leadership role in developing the One Border One Health (OBOH) collaborative, a regional collaborative established in 2011 to facilitate networking and sharing of information and resources to improve disease surveillance, coordination, and communication among over 30 Mexican and 60 U.S. partners in the California-Baja California region. This project aimed to 1) design, implement, and disseminate educational modules that build common language and understanding of the One Health paradigm across sectors and disciplines to enhance the OBOH collaborative process, and 2) create an integrated regional biosurveillance system to improve early warning and detection of infectious disease threats through better coordination and communication and data sharing.
Operation Samahan Oral Health Initiative
Operation Samahan, a community health center that serves low-income and/or uninsured persons in San Diego, was one of the twenty sites selected by National Assembly of School Based Health Centers (NASBHC) to better understand the role that school-based health centers could play in eliminating disparities in access to care. As part of the grant, Operation Samahan conducted oral health visual screenings, fluoride varnish applications, oral health risk assessments, and general education on maintaining good oral health to local students 12-18 years of age. The IPH was selected to evaluate the visual screenings and self-report survey data collected from January-February 2012 by Operation Samahan. In addition to evaluation, the IPH also conducted a literature review on the oral health status of Asian and Pacific Islander school-aged youth, and shared these findings at the San Diego Asian Pacific Islander Community Health Network’s (SDAPI) Research Advisory Council meeting.
Pacific Public Health Training Center
The Pacific Public Health Training Center combined the effort of four accredited Schools of Public Health in California (UC Berkeley, UCLA, SDSU, U of Hawaii) and the University of Hawaii’s School of Nursing and dental Hygiene. The Center’s mission was to develop and maintain a skilled public health workforce in California, Hawaii and the US Associated Pacific Islands in order to support and enhance individual community health. In collaboration with the strategic partners, the IPH assisted with the development of innovative and effective training products.
Peer Abuse Prevention Program
The Peer Abuse Prevention Program, which is designed to reduce the incidence of bullying and improve students' feelings of safety and support, has been implemented at several middle schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District. The program aims to fight bullying with comprehensive education and training measures ranging from school-wide assemblies to parent and teacher training sessions to individual lessons for bullies and victims alike. The IPH assisted with developing an evaluation strategy, validating tools to assess attitudes, behaviors and knowledge about bullying, coordinating data collection and entry efforts, in addition to report writing and manuscript preparation.
POMS (Performance Outcomes Measurement System) On-Call Evaluators
The Children and Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC) was established in 1999 to administer funds that promote, support and improve the early development of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age. The CFCOC contracts with a number of independent "on-call" evaluators to evaluate specific programs they fund to learn about the operations and outcomes of these initiatives and to guide program design. The IPH was approved as an "on-call" evaluator through 2009 and completed two CFCOC program evaluations as described below:
Asthma and Chronic Lung Disease (ACLD) Program: The Asthma and Chronic Lung Disease (ACLD) Program is a joint effort of the Children's Hospital of Orange County and the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. The mission of the ACLD Program is to optimize the health, well-being, physical performance and school readiness of children age 0-5 years in Orange County with asthma and chronic lung disease. The IPH conducted a one-time evaluation of this program in 2007 in order to describe the program operation and outcomes.
Metabolic Disorders Program (MDP): Children's Hospital of Orange County and the University of California, Irvine Medical Center collaboratively coordinate the care of children aged 0-5 with metabolic disorders in Orange County through the Metabolic Disorders Program (MDP). The IPH conducted a one-time evaluation of the MDP program in 2007 in order to describe the program operation and outcomes.
Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) Evaluation
Jewish Family Service of San Diego provides Triple P, an evidenced-based program to provide mental health prevention and early intervention services to promote social and emotional wellness for children and their families at high risk. IPH provided evaluation support and analysis for the program.
Prevention Services- POD (Program Outcome Database)
Each year, the IPH merged the PODs and analyzed data from all HHSB-funded HIV Education and Prevention providers in San Diego County. Other yearly activities included updating the PODs for each provider, producing two TLC reports (one from the POD and the other from a State Office of AIDS database download), providing technical assistance to the HSHB providers, and presenting findings.
Project Basta!
Planning an Incest/Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative in San Diego's Logan Community Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD), in conjunction with resident and organizational partners, developed and implemented an incest/sexual violence prevention project in San Diego's Barrio Logan/Logan Heights community, with a focus on system and social/cultural norms change to reduce sexual violence and improve family and community health. The IPH provided the academic resources for a variety of activities some of which were the review of the then current clinical practices regarding child abuse education, prevention and treatment, identifying new curricula, protocols and other guidelines for education and support groups that needed to be developed, preparing a policy/issue paper on those clinical practices and the review of existing child welfare and criminal justice system policies and practices related to identification of potential child sexual abuse.
Project Empower
The IPH provided evaluation services to this prevention program designed to increase child safety, improve child well-being, and decrease child abuse and neglect among teen moms. Developed by a local collaborative (San Diego Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program (SANDAPP), The Salvation Army Haven, Home Start, Inc., the IPH, and teens served by SANDAPP) key strategies involved improving bonding and attachment skills and providing long-term case management support.
Proyecto, Salud y Esperanza
Family Health Centers of San Diego was awarded a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an obesity reduction project: Proyecto Salud y Esperanza. The project focused on Latina women of childbearing age with a BMI of 25 or higher. The primary objective was to involve women in a program consisting of three major components: a physical activity (Zumba) component, a health and wellness component (yoga), and a health and well-being class component. As the independent evaluator, the IPH created the final evaluation plan, developed evaluation tools for each component of the project (logs, surveys, intake forms, questionnaires, etc.), created a project database to track all participants, trained project staff on data collection and entry, and monitored as well as analyzed data.
Quality of Life Survey
The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) was launched in 1995 by the Jacobs Family Foundation to develop and implement new and collaborative ways of creating community change through entrepreneurial projects, hands-on learning relationships, and the creative investment of resources. In 2001 and 2007, JCNI conducted a large scale door-to-door data collection effort to assess the quality of life of community residents living in the Diamond Neighborhoods of southeastern San Diego. The IPH provided advanced statistical analysis of these data which were presented through comprehensive reports to the agency and community members.
Rescue Mission Outpatient Clinic Evaluation
The mission of the San Diego Rescue Mission (SDRM) is to provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, rest for the weary and hope, love and faith to those seeking a different way of life. The Rescue Mission has an Outpatient Therapy Clinic that provides outpatient therapy for clients who are homeless or nearly homeless. The IPH will conducted a literature review and implemented an evaluation of the clinic.
Ryan White
Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) has worked together with the IPH to conduct quality improvement activities for the Ryan White Substance Abuse Outpatient Treatment Program. Major activities have included a program needs assessment and program tracking method updates.
Safe Schools Unit
The IPH assisted the Safe Schools Unit of the San Diego County Office of Education with the evaluation of their youth mentoring and violence prevention programs. Services included database development and technical assistance.
San Diego Community Outreach & Engagement National Children's Study
As the NCS San Diego Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, IPH Research Associate Ms. Diana Simmes coordinated efforts to increase awareness and support for the study in San Diego, building upon established relationships with community-based organizations and key stakeholders from across the county. The National Children's Study (NCS) is a landmark 20+ year nationwide longitudinal study examining the effects of environmental influences on children's health and development. The study is funded by a consortium of federal agencies and will follow more than 100,000 children across the US from before birth to age 21.
San Diego County Homeless Data Advisory Board Consultation
The Regional Task Force on the Homeless has developed a centralized system for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on homelessness; published plans and special reports on a wide variety of topics relating to the causes, conditions, and responses to homelessness; and assisted homeless agencies and facilities in obtaining public and private funds and non-cash resources. IPH assisted the Task Force in developing a standardized data collection system for tracking homeless clients. The project had the consensus of the major stakeholders in San Diego County, including homeless service providers, funding sources, city and county representatives, as well as homeless persons themselves.
San Diego County Office of Violence Prevention
The Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) was established in 1994 by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors with the mission of promoting healthy individuals and families through the development of violence prevention programs. The IPH was awarded a multi-year contract to support OVP programs, including the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, school-based teen relationship violence programming, and preventing children's exposure to violence. Raising the Bar was one component of the IPH’s Office of Violence Prevention contract. Dedicated to the development of a county-wide system of care to serve children exposed to violence, Raising the Bar utilized a public health model that emphasized the elements of awareness, prevention, identification, screening, assessment, treatment/intervention, and evaluation.
San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless Data Management Improvement Project
The San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) is the lead administrator for the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), providing data management support and utilization reports to service provider programs and funding agencies. The HMIS enables service providers to track shelter usage and other services provided to our region’s homeless persons. Two primary database systems comprise the HMIS and data from each must be integrated into a single database in order to count the number of unduplicated individuals accessing services throughout the city and county. These data can then be used for local and federal reporting to help assess need and drive policy decisions. Toward this end, the IPH partnered with the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) and Father Joe’s Villages to complete tasks related to providing HMIS data integration, data management, and ongoing data analysis.
Services for Survivors of Torture Program
Survivors of Torture (SOT) International has a carefully planned holistic model of health, mental health and social services. It offers many programs and encourages clients to choose the ones they need. In this way, the program empowers torture survivors and their families to reclaim their lives. Services for Survivors are offered through community partners, ensuring high quality, geographical convenience, diverse providers, specialty skills and a chance to integrate into the mainstream of community life. Services are free to clients, thanks to funders and supporters of SOT. The IPH worked with SOT in conducting an evaluation of the "Services for Survivors of Torture Program."
Sharp HealthCare 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment (Phase II)
In September 2012, the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties (HASD&IC) contracted with the IPH to conduct a collaborative community health needs assessment for San Diego County. The needs assessment was a collaboration with HASD&IC and seven local San Diego hospitals, and was officially called the HASD&IC 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Sharp HealthCare (Sharp) was among the representatives from the San Diego hospitals, and formed a collaborative group convened by HASD&IC called the CHNA Advisory Workgroup.
As part of their ongoing efforts to create stronger partnerships within San Diego communities, HASD&IC and the participating hospitals designed a collaborative follow-up process (Phase II) to review methodology and gain a deeper understanding of the 2013 CHNA results. The goal of Phase II was to ensure the results of the 2013 CHNA accurately reflected the health needs of the community. HASD&IC again contracted with the IPH to provide assistance with the implementation and interpretation of Phase II. The CHNA Advisory Group provided input throughout these processes.
In addition to the Phase II collaborative process, Sharp is contracting with the IPH to develop and implement a process specifically for community members served by Sharp. The goals of the Sharp HealthCare 2013 CHNA Phase II project are to collect and analyze community member feedback on Sharp programs and services intended to address community health needs identified in the 2013 CHNA. This project is modeled after the HASD&IC 2013 CHNA Phase II, and its results will help inform Sharp’s community benefit programs.
Somali Bantu Needs Assessment
The Somali Bantu Community of San Diego conducted a health needs assessment in the Somali Bantu community. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with community residents and social service and health care providers. In collaboration with community agencies, the IPH developed needs assessment tools for youth, adolescents, adults, and elders by gender and service providers. Additionally, the IPH conducted a literature review and trained volunteers to lead focus groups and assist with the data analysis.
Steps to Change
The Steps to Change project, initially a demonstration project funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), has been operated by Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) since 1998. Using a harm reduction model, the project provides outreach and prevention case management services to injection drug users and their families with the goal of reducing the transmission of HIV and STDs. The IPH worked with FHCSD since the program's inception to develop and modify the evaluation plan according to project needs. Evaluation activities included monitoring data entry in San Diego County Health and Human Services' web-based system, analyzing data from this system to produce numbers for quarterly reports, updating the data collection tools and systems as needed, and analyzing outcome data on a yearly basis. Additionally, the IPH trained staff in the evaluation system and provided on-going technical assistance for the data entry and collection process.
Student Team Empowerment Program (STEP)
The IPH, San Diego Youth & Community Services, Roosevelt Middle School, the YMCA Youth and Family Services, and Pacific Beach Middle School applied for and received a grant from the Office of Minority Health to implement a Youth Empowerment Program for children ages 11 through 13. The program targeted at-risk minority youth to address unhealthy behaviors and enhance their capacity to make healthy life and career choices. Annual cohorts of 30 to 40 youth entered the program as 6th graders and remained eligible for up to three years. Each youth was matched with an undergraduate student from SDSU and received one-on-one mentoring that included career exploration, tutoring, opportunities to engage in community service learning activities, and participate in enrichment activities on the SDSU campus.
Survivors of Torture, International
Survivors of Torture, International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for survivors of politically-motivated torture and their families who live in San Diego County. IPH activities included database development, staff training, coordination of data collection through community-based partners, data entry and analysis, and reporting of evaluation results.
Teaching Health Center for Graduate Medical Education Evaluation (THCGME)
Family Health Centers of San Diego was awarded a HRSA grant to become a Teaching Health Center for Graduate Medical Education and thereby provide medical residency training to 36 students over the course of 3 years. The IPH was hired to provide program evaluation and research services for this project. As part of the evaluation, the IPH interviewed and collected yearly surveys from the medical residents. The residents were asked about program satisfaction, training received, self-efficacy related to job performance, career goals, desire to work with under-served populations, and reason for wanting or not wanting to work with under-served populations. The IPH reviewed and linked performance data gathered by FHCSD to the interview and survey results in order to summarize the data into evaluation reports and aid FHCSD in the pursuit of publishing findings.
Terrorism Web-Based Training Modules
The IPH developed several sets of online multimedia training modules designed to increase public awareness and understanding of terrorism threats in today's communities, and encourage appropriate preventive and reactive actions. San Diego County Office of Emergency Services worked with IPH to produce training modules customized to the County's needs. The modules are offered in both English and Spanish languages. These training modules were later adapted to meet the needs of Santa Barbara County. The IPH also worked with Orange County to develop these modules for the City of Anaheim and the surrounding area.
United Women East African Support Team (UWEAST)
The United Women East African Support Team was recently funded by the California Wellness Foundation to develop and implement a program focusing on mental health in the East African community of San Diego. During the first program year, a community needs assessment will be conducted. During year two, the program will develop community education and other programming to support emotional wellbeing among East African women based on results from the needs assessment. Programming will be implemented during years two and three. The IPH will provide technical assistance to UWEAST staff on instrument development, interviewing skills, data analysis, program development and evaluation.
Welcome Home Baby (WHB)
Welcome Home Baby (WHB)is a no-cost maternal infant home visitation program for all first time parents and infants in the North Inland, North Central, North Coastal, Central, and East regions of San Diego County. Initiated in 2001, WHB is grant-funded, receiving monies from revenues of Proposition 10, a California ballot initiative that taxes tobacco products. The over arching and long-range goal of Proposition 10 and WHB is to ensure that children enter school ready to learn. WHB’s more immediate goal is to ensure the health and well-being of all first time parents and infants during the infants’ critical first year of life. This unique and innovative program serves all first time parents, regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnicity, recognizing that all new parents are a particularly vulnerable population. Through the regular monitoring of key programmatic outcomes and conducting focus groups of participants, the IPH assisted WHB with quality improvement, documenting the programs successes, and obtaining additional funding.
WISEWOMAN
WISEWOMAN provides individual, group and phone consultations to women in California who are at risk for cardiovascular disease and are interested in adopting healthier behaviors. The program provides education on physical activity and healthier eating behaviors through Lifestyle Intervention Sessions. The IPH evaluated program activities, including interviews with women at various levels of program completion and analysis of existing baseline and follow-up surveys.
Last Updated: 10/20/2016