Community Health & Equity

CPDE partners with regional and national programs to improve community health and address health and healthcare disparities. In these collaborations, CPDE has contributed to instrument development to collect and study constituents’ quality of life, researched provider shortages and solutions, and evaluated regional and statewide system transformation efforts to improve access and quality of behavioral health services.

Current Community Health and Healthcare Disparities projects include:

Arthritis Foundation Live Yes! Arthritis Network - INSIGHTS Programs

CPDE has partnered with the Arthritis Foundation to shape the development of the Adult and Juvenile Arthritis INSIGHTS programs, analyze data, and disseminate findings. The INSIGHTS programs longitudinally track the burden of disease and empowerment among people living with arthritis. INSIGHTS measures patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in three areas: physical health, social and emotional health, and patient empowerment. In addition to contributing to the body of knowledge of PROs for people with arthritis, INSIGHTS guides and informs the Foundation’s programming efforts. These include: volunteer networks for education and support, advocacy efforts, and research. (Funder: Arthritis Foundation)

Variation in Cancer Centers’ End-of-Life Quality - Role of Norms

CPDE has partnered with Amber Barnato, MD, MPH, MS to conduct case studies of minority-serving cancer centers to understand the relationship between organizational practice norms, physician decision making heuristics, and patient and family expectations and their role in observed variations in end-of-life quality among minority patients. CPDE collaborated on the research design and implementation and is leading the qualitative data analysis using linked coding to assess findings across provider and patient interviews, observations, and clinical vignettes. (Funder: American Cancer Society)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Rural Health

CPDE partnered with the Newport Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic to update their evaluation plan for their Health Care Share (HCS) program using a mix of validated and novel outcome and process measures. The HCS program aims to improve the health of low-income families through increased access to fresh, locally grown produce. Participating families receive weekly HCS produce boxes, recipes, and nutrition resources for 12 weeks in the summer and fall (Funder: Veteran Affairs - Office of Rural Health).

NHRR Program (New Hampshire Rapid Response)

CPDE is working with the Dartmouth Health Department of Psychiatry and Integration Science to evaluate and provide technical assistance to NHRR. NHRR provides individuals in NH who are experiencing behavioral health crises (mental health and/or substance misuse) with 24/7 access to phone, text, or chat support provided by behavioral health professionals at the Rapid Response Access Point, 24/7 access to mobile crisis Rapid Response teams from the state’s 10 Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), and referrals to behavioral health services. CPDE is providing a comprehensive multi-year evaluation of the NHRR program, advising the State on data systems and dashboards, and providing the technical assistance team with data monitoring and evaluation support. (Funder: State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services)

Better Behavioral Health Outcomes (BBHO)

Our team is partnering with Drs. Kay Jankowski and Sue Tanski on the Partnership for Better Behavioral Health Outcomes (BBHO) grant, which aims to support the behavioral health needs of youth in rural New Hampshire. We are conducting mixed methods evaluation to support them across multiple areas of implementation. (Funder: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Rural Communities Opioid Response Program)

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD)

CPDE is collaborating with the NACDD and CDC to evaluate and support the quality improvement of the pilot implementation of the Public Health Framework for Collaborative Arthritis Management and Wellbeing. This intervention includes screening and counseling patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis during their primary care visits, followed by referral to a community care hub. At the hub, patients meet with a navigator who helps identify the most appropriate Arthritis Appropriate Evidence-Based Interventions (AAEBIs) tailored to their needs and interests. CPDE is conducting a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation, which includes analyzing longitudinal patient data from the clinic and the hub, and qualitative data from those involved in the implementation process. We are providing data visualizations, analysis, and interpretation to support quality improvement efforts throughout the pilot. (Funder: NACDD)