To educate the underserved populations in our communities about the various resources that are available to assist the survivors of sexual assault and trauma prior to the onset of harmful coping mechanisms, as well as, eliminate the chains of generational repetition that has a tendency to occur.

About Addiction is committed to challenging harmful stereotypes surrounding addiction and recovery. In today's world, "the addict" is often depicted as someone who is lazy, weak-willed, and even dangerous to our communities. Individuals battling substance use disorders are consistently portrayed in this inaccurate and unfair light, leaving many stranded in a world of overwhelming stigma and cyclic abuse. 

The reality of addiction is that it knows no boundaries. Addiction affects people from all walks of life, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Addiction is not a lack of moral judgment, nor is it a lack of willpower. Addiction is a mental illness, a heavily-researched disruption of the body's normal physiological processes.

We, as a nation, are currently facing an epidemic of prescription drug misuse, abuse, and addiction. The number of Americans battling substance use disorders is growing exponentially, with over 100 lives lost to drug overdoses every single day. 

Thankfully, we are beginning to see increased recognition and concern for this problem. Across the nation, communities are mobilizing to create new resources for treatment and recovery. But all of these efforts can only do so much good if we continue to allow harsh and inaccurate stereotypes to propogate. It is paramount that while we continue to build these resources, we simultaneously shift public opinion about addiction away from judgment and discomfort and toward understanding, support, and acceptance. 

About Addiction believes that we must create a world where individuals with substance use disorders are first recognized for who they truly are: human beings, each unique and valuable, who have fallen on difficult times. We must make a conscious effort to learn and to understand the process of this disease and how we can help those affected. We must support our neighbors in their recovery, both short- and long-term, and empower them to re-build their lives and pursue healthy, successful futures. Re-shaping perspectives of addiction is truly the first step on the road to recovery.  

Stigma related to substance use  is considered a main barrier to the early identification, diagnosis and access to treatment. Decreasing stigma related to substance use among healthcare providers can help enhance early access to treatment and improve patients' health outcomes. 

Care coordination mistakes are costly... and not just in terms of financial expenses. Some of the most common care coordination mistakes are also major culprits for death and exacerbated patient health problems. U.S. News & World Reportindicates, “Medical errors are [the] third leading cause of death in the U.S. 10 percent of U.S. deaths are due to preventable medical mistakes" such as: Documentation errors  Communication Disconnects Lack of Coordination Neglecting Follow-ups Delays

We have record high numbers of people in Pittsburgh that do not have adequate access to health care services. Conservatively 20% of Pittsburgh neighbors are living below the poverty line. Sadly, Pittsburgh is above the national average for metropolitan cities. Transportation and cost are barriers to even the most basic medical care as health systems in these less fortunate areas continue to close and relocate to more affluent suburban locations.

Our goal is to close the health insurance coverage gap by providing health care free of charge for Pittsburgh’s underserved population in our neighborhoods.

The use of medical “pop-up” clinics strive to fill in the “health insurance coverage gap” in providing health care to meet the immediate needs of patients. In addition, “pop-up” clinics provide quality health care and are instrumental in connecting patients to much needed access to preventive services, disease management services, dental, vision, health education, and resources.

The West Virginia Partnership for Health Innovation (WVPHI) is a non-profit called for by the West Virginia State Innovation Model plan to catalyze health care improvement in West Virginia. WVPHI is available as a resource to assist Governor Jim Justice, the state legislature and state agencies—namely the Department of Health and Human Resources and PEIA—as they evaluate and develop policies for health care transformation. The mission of WVPHI is to assist the state, particularly, in moving it toward a health care system that is value-based. A value-based health care system is one where there is a commitment to achieving three key outcomes: better quality of care, lower overall costs and better population health outcomes.

Value-based health care is a key way to improve West Virginia's terrible population health status. Until the state's population health improves, West Virginia cannot hope to achieve economic diversity and vitality.

Connect 4 Care calls on heathcare leaders to adopt one system-wide electronic health record (EHR) platform within thier healthcare system in order to alleviate burnout among healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes.  

The World Health Organization defines The Social Determinates of Health (SDH) as the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age, along with the systems put in place to deal with illness. These are in turn shaped by a wider set of forces that include the local environment, economics, education, social and community context, and access to healthcare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we know that poverty limits access to healthy foods and safe neighborhoods and that more education is a predictor of better health. We also know that differences in health are striking in communities with poor SDOH such as unstable housing, low income, unsafe neighborhoods, or substandard education. By applying what we know about SDOH, we can not only improve individual and population health but also advance health equity.

Addressing these factors are vital to improve the overall health of the population. The SDH are ultimately influenced by the money, power, and resources at the local, state, and international level which has a large influence in health inequities.

Educating health professionals about the social determinants of health generates awareness among those professionals about the potential root causes of ill health and the importance of addressing them in and with communities, contributing to more effective strategies for improving health and health care for underserved individuals, communities, and populations.

This Fellowship takes on a key challenge: the reality that professionals are not well prepared to deal with or talk about death, dying, and grieving families, especially during an era of COVID-19. The Fellowship allows participants to learn, confront, and discuss the legal, medical, social, cultural, familial, and spiritual aspects of death and dying within a multi-disciplinary group in a low-pressure environment. The sessions include opportunities to practice conversation skills, facilitated conversations, and virtual site visits.

Achieve the Triple Aim of healthcare quality improvement by providing patients with the information  on their care plans but encouraging them to ask “why?” In regards to physician orders. Additionally, encourage providers to be smarter with the care plans created for their patients by thinking more critically about what they are ordering.  

Transportation to medical appointments is a huge issue. People living in rural areas that do not have transportation to their medical appointments is an even bigger issue. By working with the health insurance companies, transportation companies and individuals from the community, I hope to combat and reduce this issue. Working on this issue will reduce not only health care costs but make individuals more healthy by being able to attend their medical appointments. With your help, we can work towards resolving this issue!

The flu is a common disease, affecting all ages, which can lead to serious illness and even death. Many people percieve the flu as something similar to a cold: It's not going to kill me. I'll be fine. I don't need my flu shot. Faces of the Flu allows people to tell their flu stories to show others how bad the disease can really be. Through this project, Faces of the Flu aims to increase the utilization of flu shots to prevent further morbidity and mortality from influenza.

I dream of a world where assault by providers in birth doesn't occur, and every procedure is done with genuinely informed consent. Until that time people are suffering at the hands of providers who are physically assaulting them, not asking for consent, mocking, and terrorizing laboring people. When people find the courage to speak out, they are silenced and told to be grateful for having birthed a child. The trauma and PTSD they suffer carries into their lives long past that one day. We must acknowledge that assault during birth is sexual assault and that no means no when it is said to anyone anywhere even in a hospital, even if you are in labor. Providers must be held accountable, but they won't be until as a country we can say medical sexual assault and be taken seriously

In an attempt to de-stigmatize drug use and promote access to care, an intiative to educate on the benefits of harm reduction methods, with an emphasis on access to syringe exchange programs, will be implemented. Using testimonials, infographics, and other promotional materials, myths and misconceptions of needle exchanges will be debunked. In addition, participants will be encourage to write their representatives to 1. decriminalize syringes, and 2. promote the legalization of needle exchanges statewide for Pennsylvania.

I believe that an interdisciplinary, multilevel intervention is essential for the transformation of health care from a system that is reactive and medically focused to one that is proactive and holistically based. Each of us fellows will have experience working at different levels of the health care systems, including the interpersonal, organizational, communal, and public policy. Multilevel change can be achieved by working together and building upon the strengths and expertise that my colleagues and I bring to the table.   

Although many aspects of the social work and public health fields inspire me, I am especially passionate about helping the uninsured and underinsured understand how to utilize their health insurance and how to be consumer advocates for health care reform. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny County has an uninsured rate of 9.9%. Individuals who are uninsured experience worse health outcomes than insured adults do. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that uninsured individuals are less likely to receive care for chronic diseases and health conditions (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2016). Moreover, many individuals are not aware of how to access available health care or what benefits they are due once they have health insurance.  

As an individual who has social capital, I often find the health care system complex and arduous to comprehend. Therefore, I care deeply about empowering those who need health care and who lack the knowledge that will allow them to successfully maneuver through the intricacies of the health care system. While I recognize that existing organizations already address this population and their needs, I hope that the interdisciplinary approach endorsed by the Salk Fellowship will build upon and expand the current work being done. In addition, current policies are looking to undermine and spread misinformation about the United States’ health care system (“The Same Agency That Runs Obamacare Is Using Taxpayer Money to Undermine It,” New York Times, 2017). Therefore, it is imperative that health care activists work together to thwart policies that undermine and confuse health care consumers.

Your voice matters and understanding how the health care system works can help you become a better advocate. 

Older adults can be easily overwhelmed with the name and amounts of medication required during hospitalization and in the community. I hope to create a tool to serve elderly adults through hospitalization and medication management at home. From first hand experience, sometimes just knowing the right questions can go a long way!

The aim of this project is to establish a maternal care collaborative similar to and modeled after the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC). This collaborative will differ in that it will be run for and by hospitals that primarily service neighborhoods with a large black population (there is evidence that points to the quality of care at hospitals where a disproportionate number of black women deliver as a contributing factor as to why black mothers are dying at a rate that is higher than white moms). 

Key elements of the collaborative:

- All hospitals in the collaborative will work to submit data to the MMRIA (Maternal Mortality Review Information Application) a free data system that allows users to develop quality improvement plans based on the reports generated by MMRIA (CMQCC has their maternal data center. This collaborative will utilize an existing free one to cut costs at least in the beginning). 

- Create and share development of evidence-based quality improvement toolkits that address the leading causes of preventable complications and deaths 

- Physician education: provide patient first continuing medical education for providers that address the common issues black women face in their pregnancies; physician and hospital administration education on new protocols for rare situations

- Use of predictive analytics to develop a risk score for pregnancy related complications and maternal mortality that will be available for all providers to see in the patient's EHR. (Major difference between this collaborative and CMQCC). 

- Development or outsourcing of a doula program similar to the use of case/disease managers for women who were identified as high risk through the risk score analysis mentioned above 

- Development and distribution of a patient satisfaction survey. Dedicated Committee to review all surveys and address issues