Community Health Worker Training
Thousands of community health workers (CHWs) are helping their communities every day as family advocates, outreach workers and lay health educators. These workers help their neighbors navigate the healthcare bureaucracy and social system maze by breaking down the barriers to needed care. They provide a critical link to health care in multi-ethnic and underserved communities. In 2002, community leaders in Miami gathered to find a way to promote the value of CHWs. Led by the United Way of Miami-Dade, with support from the nonprofit Community Voices Miami, a plan was developed to establish a standardized CHW training curriculum that could offer a potential career path accepted as part of the integrated healthcare system.
Men's Health
The International Society of Men's Health (ISMH) is the only international organization dedicated to the rapidly growing field of men's health. The comprehensive scope of men's health brings together multiple disciplines such as urology, cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, gerontology, psychiatry, psychology, sexual and reproductive medicine, public health and others.
For several years, the Collins Center has administered a men's health program focused on the health needs of poor men in the U.S. and around the world. Of particular note has been the work on men's health on an international scale with the ISMH. The Collins Center has also been active in advancing men's health issues in Florida, particularly in the inner city Miami community known as Overtown.
Health Care Reform
This report presents key features of the new national health reform law and explores the important potential benefits to Florida along with the main challenges. The report highlights the Medicaid expansion, health insurance exchange, and insurance market reform features of the Affordable Care Act. It also explains how the new benefits are funded and how that will affect Florida taxpayers. A few other important features of the law are briefly explained, such as the requirements placed on individuals to obtain insurance and larger employers to offer it or pay an assessment, and new grant opportunities related to improving health care delivery and financing.
Community Voices Miami (2003 - 2008)
In 1998, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched a nationwide initiative, "Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved." The aim of this work was to improve access to health care for the poor and underserved throughout the United States. Miami was one of thirteen sites selected to participate in the program. During the first five years, Community Voices Miami focused on convening the community's health care providers, consumers, and stakeholders to work together toward one common goal: improve access to health care for the uninsured and underserved people of Miami-Dade County.
The project leaders focused on building community-wide consensus around policy recommendations and action steps that would be implemented in Miami-Dade County. The result of these efforts was the Miami Action Plan (MAP) for Access to Health Care. A number of recommendations have been implemented over the years, including the establishment of a Countywide Office of Health Care Planning and the development of a school based health program, School HealthConnect, through The Children's Trust.