News Story

Center for HOPES undertakes project to benefit Latino workers

Posted 09/21/2009

The Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies is the lead organization for evaluating the Employed Latino Health Initiative, a two-year project launched in December 2007. The project strives to improve the health of employed Latinos in central Ohio.

Allard DembeAllard Dembe, associate professor and chair of the Division of Health Services Management and Policy, is performing the evaluation along with Eric Seiber, assistant professor in the division.

"This project involves an innovative approach in which employers and their Latino workers cooperate with local health care organizations to ensure basic health screening services for the employees," said Dembe, who also is the director of the Center for HOPES. "In the absence of this kind of assertive outreach effort, many Latino workers might face difficulties in obtaining basic health care services."

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and implemented by Access HealthColumbus and Health Management Associates, the project uses case managers and community health navigators to help workers obtain health screenings, health education, and personalized support services such as referrals, transportation, and assistance with applying for the state Medicaid program. The health screenings are provided by Managed Health Care System, a unit of The Ohio State University.

"Our role is to help design the intervention and then evaluate its effectiveness in terms of costs, improved health status, and ability of the workers to stay productively employed. If shown to be successful, this program will likely be replicated nationally," Dembe said.

 

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The Ohio State University's College Public Health is an integral part of the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the nation. The college was created in February 2007 by the University Board of Trustees. First established in 1995 as part of the College of Medicine, we are the first and only accredited school of public health in the state of Ohio. Specializations within the college include biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, environmental health sciences, health services management and policy, veterinary public health and clinical investigations. The college is currently ranked 21st in public health graduate schools by US News & World Report. Its Master of Health Administration program is ranked 12th.