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It's been five months since The Kraft Center launched CareZONE, a new mobile health program aimed at engaging individuals struggling with addiction and complex health conditions. Since launching in early January, CareZONE staff have engaged >1,900 individuals with clinical and harm reduction services including clinical encounters and prescriptions for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). CareZONE holds regular clinics in Downtown Boston and in Dudley Square, and has also played a
rapid
response role in other areas of the city where data has indicated an emerging public health need. Capitalizing on the flexibility and versatility of this unique mobile health model,
Care
ZONE has been able to provide consistent care in neighborhoods experiencing high drug use and overdose, while mobilizing care in communities with emergent need
.
Over the past five months, we have been very encouraged by the response of patients and supportive community members as this program brings compassionate, on-demand addiction care to the city's most vulnerable populations. As CareZONE wraps up its pilot phase later this summer, we look forward to sharing more detailed statistics, lessons learned, and plans for continued service. A huge thank you to our partners at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, the Boston Public Health Commission's AHOPE team, the GE Foundation, Hearst Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company for their incredible work and support in making this program a success!
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This spring, The Kraft Center, in partnership with the Trefler Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, announced its most recent slate of cancer care equity projects. Below are some updates:
First, meet Shukriyah Brown, a new community health navigator wor
king with Dr. Kelly Irwin on
promoting equity in cancer care for individuals w
ith serious
mental iIllness. Ms. Brown
is a part time student at the University of Massachusetts Boston finishing her bachelor's degree in human services, and is interested in pursuing a Masters in Social Work.
Ms. Brown has worked for several years at a non-profit organization overseeing residential services for individuals with various clinical diagnoses. A key part of her role is advocating for these individuals to ensure they have the best quality of life possible, while maintaining a person-centered approach to care. At a recent MGH symposium called Bridging the Divide: Mental Health and Cancer Care, Ms. Brown shared her powerful caregiver story about her patient care experiences. Please also see her Everyday Amazing video above!
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ASCO Poster - Click to Enlarge |
Second, Dr. Beverly Moy and her team presented a research abstract at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting entitled, "Addressing financial concerns of cancer clinical trial participants: Longitudinal outcomes of an equity intervention." To read the full abstract, please visit the
ASCO website, and to view their poster,
click here.
To read more about the Trefler Cancer Care Equity Projects, please visit our website.
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This summer, The Kraft Center is pleased to host an intern through the Health Career Connection program. Kene Aniagboso is a student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Kene is also an alumna of the MGH Youth Scholars Program where she gained experience working as an Anesthesia Technician, Materials Manager, and Pharmacy Intern. Kene's goal after graduation is to expand access to low cost medication and high quality care in underserved communities. For her summer internship, Kene will be immersed in learning about Community Health. Welcome, Kene!
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Obesity rates among adults and children are at historically high levels and disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities and individuals living in disadvantaged communities. Evidence suggests that the First 1,000 Days - conception through 24 months - is a crucial period for the development, and thus prevention of obesity and its consequences.
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First 1,000 Days Staff (left to right): Tiffany Blake-Lamb, MD, MSc, Obstetrician & Provider Champion, Revere HealthCare Center; Sarah Matathia, MD, DotHouse Provider Champion; Brianna Roche, BA, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator; Karolyn Moni, BA; Clinical Research Coordinator/Patient Navigator; Courtney Coleman, MPH/MS, Health Coach
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In 2014, with critical support from The Boston Foundation, The Kraft Center launched the First 1,000 Days Program, in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, the MGH Chelsea Health Center, MGH Revere Health Care Center, and DotHouse Health.
The First 1,000 Days Program
, championed by Drs. Tiffany Blake-Lamb and Sarah Matathia - Kraft Center Fellowship Alums - aims to improve health outcomes and reduce the risk of obesity among families from pregnancy through age 2. The program was built on over a decade of research in obesity prevention and treatment to ensure that all children - no matter who they are or where the
y live - grow up at a healthy weight. Over 850 women h
ave been enrolled in the program across the three health centers and as of May 2018, the women have delivered their newborn infants and continue to receive health coaching and navigation to connect with clinical-, community-, and public health services.
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On June 13, Executive Director, Dr. Elsie Taveras, participated in The GE Foundation Primary Care Leadership Learning Day. T
he GE Foundation and National Medical Fellowships founded the Primary Care Leadership Program (PCLP) in 2012 to provide future healthcare professionals with an opportunity to experience the challenges and rewards of primary care practice in community health centers across the US. Dr. Taveras highlighted the work of The Kraft Center's
CareZONE initiative on a panel examining innovative solutions to the opioid epidemic. She was joined by project partners Sarah Mackin, MPH, Director of Harm Reduction Services for the Boston Public Health Commission, and Dr. Joe Wright (Kraft Center Practitioner '17), a physician at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and
CareZONE.
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Alumni from The Kraft Fellowship and Practitioner Programs have proceeded to leave their impressive mark on the field of Community Health. We wanted to highlight some of their notable publications in 2018.
We encourage all Kraft Center alumni to send us updates so we can showcase your great work! Please reach out to
[email protected]
for details.
Amy Harrington, MD: Racial disparity in mental disorder diagnosis and treatment between non-Hispanic White and Asian American patients in a general hospital.
Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2018.
Alex Keuroghlian, MD, MSc, MPH:
Facilitators of and barriers to HPV vaccination among sexual and gender minority patients at a Boston community health center. Vaccine, 2018.
Ebele Okpokwasili-Johnson, MD, MPH: Effectiveness of the DECIDE Interventions on Shared Decision Making and Perceived Quality of Care in Behavioral Health With Multicultural Patients.
JAMA Psychiatry, 2018.
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