Community Health Workers Initiative Receives Shelby Hodge Vision Award
December 7, 2018
The Honors College鈥檚 Community Health Worker (CHW) initiative, directed by Dan Price,
has received a
2018 Shelby Hodge Vision Award from the AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH). The annual
recognition honors groundbreaking outreach work in communities with high HIV transmission
rates. The award was presented on Nov. 30 at the foundation鈥檚 World AIDS Day Luncheon,
which featured keynote speaker Tituss Burgess, best known for his work on 鈥淭he Unbreakable
Kimmy Schmidt.鈥� Price accepted the award on behalf of the program.
According to the AIDS Foundation website, 鈥淐ommunity Health Workers (CHWs) have always stood for a more human connection to healthcare. The UH Honors team, with help from experts across disciplines, is creating a network that allows the CHWs to address the needs of the community through collaborative projects between UH, local non-profits like Aids Foundation Houston, and the CHWs embedded in the community.鈥�
Now in its third year, the CHW initiative was developed by Price as a network of engaged advocates for health in communities. Through the program, UH students train side-by-side with community members. All who participate learn through project-based instruction while earning a Licensed Community Health Worker certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
鈥淭hrough honesty, creativity, and sheer persistence, Dan Price wins the trust of everyone he encounters,鈥� said William Monroe, dean of the Honors College. 鈥淐onnecting the academy with individuals and communities 鈥榖eyond the hedgerows鈥� is a rare and important achievement, and it points the way to real change in how we do health in this country."
The UH Honors team, with help from experts across disciplines, is building a network and providing the infrastructure for collaborative projects between the University of Houston, local non-profits like AIDS Foundation Houston, and community health workers that are members of the community being served. This model seeks to ensure that leadership comes from the community itself and better addresses that community鈥檚 needs.
Through the Honors in Community Health (HICH) program, Data Analytics in Student Hands (DASH), and the CHW initiative, Price leads a number of interdisciplinary projects on community health and data, including several continuing projects on air quality and asthma.
These community-focused programs enhance student learning, afford students the opportunity to work with underserved populations, and encourage students to develop real world applications for community health research and health care technology. Collaborative partners have included the Houston Independent School District, Baylor College of Medicine, Pediatric Asthma in the Home Stretch, and the City of Houston.
The Community Health Worker initiative is currently focusing its efforts on working with CHWs to investigate and improve the efficacy of a Diabetes Prevention Program in parts of the Third Ward and Southwest Houston.