Development of An Enabling Services Database at CHCs

New York Academy Of Medicine, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this study is to develop a method for collecting data on the services that community health centers provide to improve access to care, or enabling services, for their Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) patients. This project will specifically focus on developing strategies at health centers for collecting data on enabling services that is currently unavailable. In addition, this study will elucidate the factors that influence access to primary care services by an ethnically and culturally diverse group. As these services are largely non-reimbursable, but are essential for delivering appropriate care for their ethnically and culturally diverse patient population, these data will be useful for developing interventions aimed to eliminate health disparities and to utilize health center resources to target the needs of their patients. This is a timely and important issue, as the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. is Asian Pacific Islanders. Labeled as the "model minority," the AAPI population has largely been ignored in policy debates. However, their health needs vary widely by socioeconomic status, immigrant status, and country of origin. This pilot project will entail collaboration between research staff, the Association of Asian Pacific Islander Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) and their member health centers, resulting in a community-based participatory research project. AAPCHO will act as the liaison between research staff and their community health centers to achieve the following aims: 1) to implement a new model for collecting data and to create a database on enabling services, 2) to describe enabling services and the techniques used to provide them, 3) to use this database to examine the utilization of enabling services, and 4) to develop plans for expanding the project to include other AAPCHO health centers and to disseminate results to policy makers and the research community about the health needs of the AAPI population. In order to achieve these aims, a new process for data collection will be developed at 4 health centers nationwide. A new database from all 4 health centers that will include enabling services information supplemented with other administrative data will be created. Interviews with key individuals and site visits will provide more in-depth information about enabling services at each health center. The qualitative and quantitative data collected from the project will provide descriptive information about enabling services, the extent to which they are utilized, and patients who rely on them to get the care they need.