Health Disparities Task Force Meeting Minutes

September 21, 2006

Attendance:  Marva Bohen, co-chair,  Abraham Dalu, co-chair, Anne Willaert, Mary Winnett, Benita Robinson, Carlos Gallego, Elisabeth Atherly, Dai Vu, Marie Tran,  Lisa Stephens,  Gay Lynn Richards, Beverly Propes, Niccu Tafarrodi, Laila Gulzar, Makeisha Nesbitt, Reona Berry, Betty Sanders, Jose William Castellanos, Kate Onyeneho, Janet Yee, Dr. Kola Okuyemi, Margee Brown, Nicole Bennett Engler, Pam DeShaw, Vicky Mendez, Pam White, Pam Cosby, David Perdue, Roshan Paudel.

1. Introduction and Welcome:  Marva Bohen opened the meeting, and individuals introduced themselves.
2. Reports from Work Groups: 

·         Pastors’ Wives Project:  Gay Lynn Richards reported that they have completed seven interventions and have reached about 126 women.  They are telephoning women who agreed to be contacted to do additional follow-up.  They are finding that women are reporting completion of screening without using the gift certificate incentive.  Because of the closure of WCRC funding was a concern.  Jane Korn has stepped forward with a loan to keep the program moving forward.  Marva has also set aside about $5000 for program expansion in the coming year.  We do intend to expand to 3 additional communities in 2007.

·         Saint Cloud Initiatives:  The Building Bridges group which includes Gay Lynn, Lisa Stephens and representatives from MIHV and VSS, are making efforts to educate Latino, Somali and Vietamese women in St. Cloud.  After a year of effort they were able to establish a foothold within a corporation employing many VietNamese women.  There first presentation they had expected 20 women and had 45 attend.  They will be looking at incorporating screening with these educational programs.  Centro Hispano has been used to reach Latinas in the St. Cloud area.  This is a church based group, led by Sister Carol Virnig.  With two recent programs breast and cervical cancer screening in Stearns County has doubled this past year.  Somali women will be contacted with small tea party settings by a Somali woman working through Minnesota International Health Volunteers (Halimo).  Her program will be called Halimo’s aunts.  We will have additional reports on this program as it unfolds.  Building Bridges wishes to be included as an MCA work group under the Health Disparities Task Force.  The Task Force was unanimously in favor of this proposal and Lisa Stephens will take it up with the MCA steering committee.

·         Community Health Worker Curriculum:  Marva Bohen reported for Andrea Leinberger-Jabari who was unable to attend.  There will be a second pilot of the CHW cancer curriculum on Oct 31, 2006.  This will be a full day program, and is limited to 30 people.  The session is free and lunch will be provided.  There will be new content on prostate cancer, and more information on cervical cancer.  Registration should available very soon.  Please check the MIHV web site at www. mihv.org/chwnetwork .   If you have questions you can contact Andrea at 612-230-3254 or aleinberger@mihv.org .  Jose Castellanos said he had heard that the certification program at Hennepin County Community was no longer going to be offered because of issues around employment of CHWs.  He is concerned about this because he has CHWs they want to certify.  Anne Willaert clarified that the program will be rotated between Inver Grove and Hennepin County.  This year it will be at Inver Grove, so CHWs can still be certified through this course though may not be as convenient for everyone.

·         Dialogue for Action-Colorectal Cancer in American Indians in Minnesota:  David Perdue reported that this program was now in the process of trying to organize a Tribal Advisory Board.  The role of the board will be to help set the structure and content of the Dialogue which is scheduled to take place in September, 2007.  While the statistics demonstrate extreme disparities in colorectal cancer for Northern Plains American Indians there are many competing health issues and limited tribal dollars.  We would like this project to lead to a coordinated plan for dealing with colorectal cancer in American Indians in Minnesota and eventually expand this to include other cancers.

·         Cancer In Women-North Minneapolis Educational Program:  We held a program at the Center for Families in North Minneapolis on August 19.  We had a full room and many questions.  Evaluations were excellent, and we have received additional requests for programs.  We are planning to do a similar program in St. Paul for Cancer Awareness week in April.  This suggestion was put forward by Makeisha Nesbitt and all of the physicians who participated in the North Minneapolis program are interested in doing one in the spring.  A list of African American physicians and Nurse Practitioners who provide women’s health in the metro area has also been developed as a result of that program.  If you want a copy or have suggestions about names to add to the list please contact Marva Bohen at 612-624-2623 or bohen001@umn.edu

Next Meeting:  December 21, 2006 in Snelling Office Park  Building of MDH, Red River Room.