This project seeks to create an infrastructure for a collaborative community-academic health center (AHC) partnership to enhance health status and optimize full community participation of people with developmental disabilities (DD) across the lifespan. While the value of community-academic partnerships to AHCs continues to be viewed with skepticism in the academic community, studies continue to demonstrate the benefits of community-academic partnerships (CAP) to develop and strengthen community capacity for the provision of culturally relevant health care in local settings while simultaneously enhancing the AHC's mission of research, education, and health care practice. Currently, for people aging with DD, little data exists regarding the translation of health promotion research into public health practice with an emphasis on achieving health equity. The lack of experience in working with people with DD and the limitations related to the translation of knowledge and best practices for caregivers and health professionals often translates into negative attitudes and implementation barriers that compromise the provision of proven culturally appropriate, accessible, acceptable, and equitable health care. This project is exceptionally relevant to public health because it seeks to improve health and functioning outcomes in a poor, underserved population that experiences significant health disparities using a community-academic partnership that assists community-based organizations in formulating research as a foundation for quality service delivery. Because community based organizations (CBOs) have a wealth of experience providing day-to- day services, they can facilitate the bi-directionality of the research to practice process by participating in the development of culturally relevant research questions and being more directly committed to the translation and dissemination of evidence-based practice. A strong CAP infrastructure will ensure the culturally and linguistically appropriateness of survey instruments, that research findings are disseminated to community stakeholders, and bridge gaps in practice outcomes that tend to maintain the status quo in health disparities. By building capacity among staff in CBOs we can better facilitate health care delivery by linking a hard-to-reach population through outreach and referral initiatives. CAP for Persons Aging with DD (CAP: PADD) will continue an ongoing relationship between North Pointe Resources, Inc (NRI) and ARCA, private non-profit CBOs providing day/residential services to persons with DD and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). NRI and ARCA have working relationships with statewide networks providing day/residential services to persons with DD living in Illinois and New Mexico. Through CAP: PADD, we will hire a Community Research Associate (CRA) at each CBO, who will be a community representative and serve as a primary liaison facilitating communication and collaboration between the academic health center and the local community. An additional hire of a Research Associate at the University will allow a seamless coordination of the CAP: PADD Core Group and the Network of CBOs in Illinois and New Mexico. The CAP: PADD will create ProjectiSHIP.org as a free online Center of Digital Excellence for community networking and generating research questions;volunteering for research projects;and reviewing, publishing, and disseminating evidence-based products of the CAP: PADD Network for the interactive Sustainable Health Initiatives Programs (iSHIP). The ProjectiSHIP.org will provide an interactive forum for identifying relevant community-based research and training opportunities to participate in health promotion research initiatives aimed at the following activities: 1) workforce development in CBOs serving persons with DD, 2) health promotion and advocacy for people with DD, and 3) capacity building among health professionals to care for persons with DD. The network and website will also provide products in interactive forms, such as, videos, training manuals, curricula, and products developed through service-learning, community-based participatory research, and other community-engaged work. Lastly, we will provide announcements on funding opportunities related to community-based health promotion projects. Diffusion of Innovations Theory will guide the CAP: PADD across three levels (CBO capacity, direct support professionals'capacity, and persons with DD) to influence the translation, transfer, reach, dissemination, and adoption of evidence-based health promotion practices for persons aging with DD. CAP: PADD can create an open line of communication between the AHC and people with DD by engaging other CBOs in the research enterprise through active participation (both staff and people with DD) in formulating research questions, designing, and conducting research;translation and application of research findings to community-based practice and public health initiatives. The proposed three (3) year demonstration project will provide a much needed infrastructure for CAP: PADD to build capacity on ways to promote and maintain healthy lifestyles among persons aging with DD. CAP: PADD will engage the community, health policy makers and the service community to: 1) identify relevant stakeholders, partners, and advocates;2) provide assistance workshops on program implementation and outcomes assessment;3) support data sharing and needs assessment information;and 4) identify best practices for the public health system to integrate health promotion for people with DD that can be disseminated in presentations, peer reviewed and trade journals, and websites.
