There are currently 16 Community Health Centers throughout West Virginia who are participants of the Health Disparities Collaborative.  They are:

Bluestone Health Association
Cabin Creek Health Systems               
Camden-On-Gauley Medical Center
Lincoln Primary Care Center                         
Minnie Hamilton Health System           
Monongahela Valley Assoc. of Health Centers
Monroe County Health Center                      
New River Health Association             
Northern Greenbrier Health Clinic
Rainelle Medical Center                               
Ritchie County Primary Care Assoc.    
Roane County Family Health Care
Shenandoah Valley Medical System, Inc.     
Valley Health Systems                       
Wirt County Health Services Assoc.
WomenCare/FamilyCare

A brief history of the Health Disparities Collaborative:

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.  To achieve this mission, HRSA provides leadership and financial support to health care providers in every state and U.S. territory. HRSA grantees provide health care to uninsured people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women, mothers and children. They train health professionals and improve systems of care in rural communities.

The HRSA Health Disparities Collaboratives (HDC) were developed to transform primary health care practices in order to improve the health care provided to everyone and to eliminate health disparities. In 1998, HRSA funded one Primary Care Association/Clinical Network team in each of five regional clusters, in addition to National Clinical Networks focused on oral health, migrant farm worker health care, and homeless health care to work together to develop the infrastructure support for the HDC.

The HRSA Health Disparities Collaboratives (HDC) were developed to transform primary health care practices in order to improve the health care provided to everyone and to eliminate health disparities. In 1998, HRSA funded one Primary Care Association/Clinical Network team in each of five regional clusters, in addition to National Clinical Networks focused on oral health, migrant farm worker health care, and homeless health care to work together to develop the infrastructure support for the HDC.

State-based partners include state Primary Care Associations, Clinical Networks, agencies within states’ Departments of Public Health and state legislators.

The HRSA Health Disparities Collaboratives strive to achieve excellence in practice through the following goals:

*Generate and document improved health outcomes for underserved populations;

*Transform clinical, financial, and operational practice through models of care, improvement and learning in the context of Community Oriented Primary Care;

*Develop infrastructure, expertise and multi-disciplinary leadership to support and drive improved health status; and

*Build strategic partnerships.

The Health Disparities Models for Changing Practice

Planned Care Model

Knowing what you should do and actually being able to consistently do it has proven to be a challenge in today’s busy practices. So part of every collaborative is a “change package”, which is designed by the experts to help teams eliminate the gap. These ideas guide participants to focus on key areas that have been demonstrated to create positive change.

The HRSA Health Disparities Collaboratives use the structure of the Planned Care Model. This model identifies 6 major categories that must be addressed to achieve substantial change:

1. The health care organization
2. Community resources and policies
3. Self-management support
4. Decision support
5. Delivery system design
6. Clinical information systems

Model for Improvement

Participants learn about specific changes that can be made within each area. Changes are then “tested” at each site, guided by the Model for Improvement designed by Associates in Process Improvement, Inc (API). Part of the learning of the collaborative is the art of making small changes and learning from each change – the PDSA process. Changes that are effective are expanded. Multiple changes in high leverage areas result in transformational change. This is the “execution” part of the equation.

Learning Model

The “ideas” come from a variety of sources that appeal to adult learners. The Learning Model adopted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) uses a process of pre-work, learning and action periods designed to effect organizational change.

                                          (3-6 month time frame)

Expert faculty guidance, sharing among participants and application of the learning in individual settings provide a rich supportive environment for participants.  Following the initial learning phase, participants continue to sustain and spread the improvement methods with an aim of total system transformation as part of the national HDC community.

Used together, these three models have a proven track record of leveraging healthcare improvements that have helped hundreds of thousands of patients across the nation.

For more information regarding West Virginia's Health Disparities Collaboratives, contact Hope R. Duncan, the WVPCA's HDC Coordinator/Clinical Quality Coordinator at (304) 346-0032 or by email.