Allied Health Center for Excellence in eHealth Promotion Programs for Underserved Populations (Allied Health CEEPs-UP)

• Advisory Panel
• Summer Training Institute 2004
• Overview of eHealth Promotion Training Institute
• Application Process Call for Proposals 2006
• Application Guidelines (with downloadable Application form)

Grant Period: July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2006

Funding Agency: Allied Health Special Grants, Health Resources and Services Administration, The Bureau of Health Profession

Project Team

Goals

The goal of this project is to develop, implement and evaluate an Allied Health Center for Excellence in eHealth Promotion Programs for Underserved Populations.

• 1st purpose: train selected allied health professionals working in underserved communities to use eHealth technology to provide health promotion services to their clients.
• 2nd purpose: advance the use of eHealth technology as an adjunct to practice among rehabilitative allied health professions by developing a prototype model for their use in developing an eHealth infrastructure in underserved communities.

Grant Abstract

The Center for Collaborative Research and the Departments of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University, in cooperation with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Journey Home, a non-profit community agency, propose to plan, implement and evaluate an Allied Health Center for Excellence in eHealth Promotion Programs for Underserved Populations (Allied Health CEEPs-UP). The purpose of the Center is to train selected allied health professionals working in underserved communities to use eHealth technology to provide health promotion services to their clients.

The project will be carried out over a three-year period. During year 1, a summer institute for training in eHealth promotion (Summer Institute) will be developed for occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists who work with underserved populations. The project faculty will plan the Summer Institute with assistance from an Advisory Panel representing urban, rural, and Native American communities. In the first year, the project team will: determine the process for recruiting Institute participants; design the Summer Institute curriculum; conduct the Summer Institute for 20 clinicians and faculty from occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathology; and create a website to serve as a clearinghouse for information on eHealth promotion.

During the Summer Institute, teams of allied health professionals from the participating disciplines will learn how to build an eHealth infrastructure in an underserved community, improve computer and health literacy within that population, evaluate health websites using a reliable tool, and incorporate eHealth promotion programs into their practice.

During project years 2 and 3, the Summer Institute will be refined based on feedback from the first group of participants and conducted for an additional 20 participants each year. Upon completion of the Summer Institute, each team will be ready to implement and test their eHealth programs in their underserved communities. Each team's outcomes will be shared with the project team and incorporated into the website. During project year 3, evaluation of the overall project will be conducted and the results disseminated to the professional community.