Community Outreach in Jacksonville

Community outreach is defined as “the practice of conducting local public awareness activities through targeted community interaction.” Community outreach might be a team conducting HIV tests in a bus in neighborhoods, students handing out condoms on college campuses, or distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to food deserts. The purpose of community outreach is to empower and educate under-served communities, where many people struggle with poverty, a lack of education, and poor health outcomes, all of which are inter-related. For example, studies have shown that the less education a mother has, the higher the risk of infant mortality. This chart (below) from a study done by the University of California shows the correlation. 

Community outreach like the efforts of public health professionals and North Florida Health Corps members like me play a crucial role in protecting and improving the health of under-served communities in Jacksonville, where the high school graduation rate is only 74%, and where approximately 184,000 people are living below the poverty line.

I serve as a Community Outreach Coordinator at the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, an organization working to decrease infant mortality and poor birth outcomes in the Jacksonville area. In addition to educating pregnant mothers, the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition connects clients with agencies that provide any   maternity and baby items they may need.

There are three ways that I perform community outreach in my service position with Healthy Start. The first is through provider visits. OB/GYNs in the state of Florida are required to give out a Healthy Start prenatal screen to every pregnant patient. The Healthy Start screen (pictured to the right) is a tool designed to score how much a mother is at risk for infant mortality. The providers are educated on how to help their patients properly fill out the Healthy Start screens. During my provider visits I go to physician offices in Jacksonville to pick up the completed Healthy Start screens. I then review them for accuracy, and send them to the Florida Department of Health in Duval County to be processed.

The second way that I perform outreach is by reaching out to community organizations that serve pregnant women. I meet with these organizations and explain the services that Healthy Start provides. I also provide the organizations with fliers to give to any pregnant client who could benefit from services. The pregnant women then contact me, and we set up an appointment to meet and discuss her pregnancy and go over education on things like Shaken Baby Syndrome, the signs and symptoms of preterm labor, and how to create a safe sleep environment for the baby when it is born. One of the most beneficial parts of my service position is that I can meet women in their neighborhoods. This means that a lack of transportation will not prevent a woman from  receiving our services.

The third way that I perform community outreach is by attending community events. I attend apartment complex presentations and health fairs across Jacksonville. At these events I am able to speak to people about Healthy Start services and provide education on safe sleep for babies to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. For example, at the apartment complexes I give an interactive presentation using a Pack N’ Play baby crib to demonstrate the proper way to put a baby to sleep.

My term as an AmeriCorps member has taught me that community outreach plays a vital role in improving the lives of people in Jacksonville’s under-served communities. Whether a person is interested in education, maternity and child health, teen health, construction work, counseling, drug addiction, engineering, or anything else, he or she can do community outreach to spread awareness about safety, prevention, and community resources. It is important for passionate volunteers, professionals, and NFHC members like me to continue to serve as liaisons in communities where people may lack access to information that can save or change a life. Community outreach plants seeds that will one day grow into healthier, happier communities in the Jacksonville area.

References
http://www.italladdsup.gov/tools/resourcetoolkit/ResourceToolKit_J_Outre... 1
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-12-18/story/duval-county-northea... 2
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12031.html 3
http://www.news4jax.com/news/jacksonvilles-povery-level-growing/27311860 (3)

This blog post was written by NFHC member Jamiecia Love.

Jamiecia serves at Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition as an Outreach Specialist.