The National Institutes of Health has announced this funding oppportunity: "Behavioral Interventions to Address Multiple Chronic Health Conditions in Primary Care (R01)".  Seeks Research Project Grant applications that propose to use a common conceptual model to develop behavioral interventions to modify health behaviors and improve health outcomes in patients with comorbid chronic diseases and health conditions.  The proposed approach must modify behaviors using a common approach rather than administering a distinct intervention for each targeted behavior and/or condition. Diseases and health conditions can include, but are not limited to: mental health disorders (e.g., depression), diabetes, smoking, obesity, chronic pain, alcohol and substance abuse and dependence, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, cancer and hypertension.  For more information please visit the NIH website.

The National Institutes of Health has announced this funding oppportunity: " Research Dissemination and Implementation Grants (R18)".  This funding opportunity is to support dissemination and implementation studies to 1) develop innovative approaches to translating efficacious treatments and effective prevention modalities for heart, lung and blood diseases and sleep disorders to the clinic, community and/or other real-world settings; 2) test the effectiveness, sustainability, determinants, and cost-effectiveness of these approaches in real-world seetings; and 3) examine the effectiveness of interventions as they are disseminated and implemented in real-world settings to reduce risk factors for and enhance prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.  PAR-12-063

The California Breast Cancer Research Program is accepting applications through Feb 15 for Cycle 18 Community Research Collaboration (CRC) Awards. They intend to invest up to $2.0 million dollars in CRC awards.  Funded awards will begin August 1, 2012.

Funding is available for two types of CRC awards:

CRC Pilot award

 The CRC Pilot award supports the initial phase of the project, which includes strengthening collaborations, developing feasible methods and tools, and collecting pilot data. (18 months maximum duration / Budget cap for total project direct costs is $150,000.)

CRC Full award

The CRC Full award funds projects with a fully developed research plan and supporting preliminary data, carried out by a well-integrated, experienced team of scientists and community members. (3 years maximum duration/Budget cap for total project direct costs is $600,000.)

For more information, visit CBCRP Events.

In collaboration with the director of OCE and with support from Pacific Clinics CEO, Susan Mandel and Senior Vice President, Sue Shearer, Laura worked with Dr. Brekke and his team to create and test a Peer Health Navigator Pilot Project designed to train mental health consumers to help other mental health consumers "navigate" the physical health care system. The goal was to improve consumer's utilization of appropriate levels of physical health care (using more cost effective clinics or urgent care offices instead of more expensive emergency rooms), improve health status, improve efficacy related to accessing and utilizing health care services, and empower consumers to learn skills for navigating their health care needs and service use on their own over time.

Why was it needed? 

There is increasing evidence that the physical health of the severely mentally ill (SMI) in the United States is seriously compromised. Recent reports have found that individuals with SMI die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population, predominantly due to treatable medical conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes. In addition to the individual consequences there are major financial implications for our local, state and national health and mental health systems as mental health consumers often over utilize the most expensive and least effective care services such as emergency rooms.

What is the role of the Peer Health Navigator?

A peer health navigator is an individual who has had experience with the health and mental health system and who has been trained to help people with a serious mental illness with their physical health care and wellness needs. A trained health navigator can help make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with serious mental illness.

How many consumers participated in the pilot study?

Twenty-four consumers diagnosed with severe mental illness who were receiving mental health services at Pacific Clinics were randomized to either immediate navigation or to a wait-list condition with navigation beginning after 6 months. Within and between group analyses were conducted. Immediate outcomes included self-reported measures of health status, satisfaction with health care, service utilization, and health care efficacy. More distal outcomes included measures of functional level, satisfaction with life, internal and external stigma.

What did they learn?    

The pilot study showed many positive trends in favor of the treatment group, including a 50% reduction in all symptoms, drops of 80% in chest pain, a 50% decrease in headaches, 60% less nausea and abdominal pain, and a 35-45% decrease in dizziness and easy bruising. Other worrying conditions that were reduced included difficulties with hearing, allergies, hay fever, muscle/joint pain, fever/sweats and loss of coordination. There was also a significant shift in the chosen location of services away from the hospital emergency room and urgent care, and towards outpatient medical services.

Based on the success of the pilot Peer Health Navigator Project (now called the "Bridge") the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has invited Dr. Brekke and his team, assisted by his Health Navigator partners from Pacific Clinics, to help the Department train 80 people from their own staff and other mental health contractors in health navigation during the next several months.

"One of the most promising practice-based approaches in public health is the development of inter-organizational partnerships as a way to attain resources, share knowledge, and thus improve population health outcomes. Partnerships of community agencies, public and private institutions, and concerned citizens have formed around many public health issues. These partnerships are built on the principle that poor health stems from many factors and that amelioration requires a multi-systemic approach. Considered to be one of the 10 essential public health services, the mobilization of community partnerships that identify and address health problems has become a critical function of successful health departments. "

Urban Youths Go 3000 Miles: Engaging and Supporting Young Residents to Conduct Neighborhood Asset Mapping

by:  Alycia Santilli, MSW, Amy Carroll-Scott, PhD, MPH, Fiona Wong, MPH, and Jeannette Ickovics, PhD