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TB Notes Newsletter
No. 4, 2007
TB EDUCATION AND
TRAINING NETWORK UPDATES
Member Highlight
Martha Alexander,
MHS, is the Director of Education and Training for the Bureau of
Tuberculosis Control, New York City Department of Health & Mental
Hygiene. She received her Masters of Heath Sciences degree in
International Health from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School
of Public Health, and her BA in Sociology/ Anthropology and Spanish
from West Virginia University.
Martha leads the Education and Training Unit and other Bureau staff
in conducting and coordinating trainings for 350 staff members. She
is also responsible for developing, implementing, administering, and
evaluating the unit’s training plans and protocols. Also, as the
Bureau’s Training Focal Point, she serves as the liaison to the TB
ETN and the Northeastern Regional Training and Medical Consultation
Center in New Jersey. Along with the Outreach Coordinator, she
directs the planning of events for the delivery of education to
providers and the general public. She also assists in the planning
and implementation of local World TB Day activities.
Martha first
learned of TB ETN through a written overview of the network in the
job description when she applied for her first position with the
Bureau of TB Control. As the designated Training Focal Point, she
wanted to be in touch with other TB educators and have access to TB
resources. She is now the co-chair of the Cultural Competency
Workgroup. “I’ve always been interested in other cultures, and
living in New York City, I see how important it is to be mindful of
cultural differences. Health care providers need to be aware that
every health interaction involves cross-cultural communication and
power differentials,” Martha explained.
In the next couple
of years, Martha would like for every TB ETN member to have a basic
knowledge of how to train others in cultural competency. Also, she
would like for every member to know where to find TB resources and
information.
Most recently,
Martha has been conducting cultural competency training for staff,
and trained a group of triage staff. “I love the cultural competency
training because it almost teaches itself: everyone has a story
about an interaction that was difficult for them. Everyone can learn
more about working in a cross-cultural environment,” Martha said.
In addition to the cultural competency training, Martha has been
updating and adapting their TB 101 lecture based on her experience
in presenting it to different groups.
In Martha’s
leisure time, she loves to cook all kinds of food. She also enjoys
exploring
New York City's restaurants, museums, parks,
and beaches
with her partner who is also named Martha. Prior to joining the Bureau of
Tuberculosis Control staff, Martha lived in Mymensingh, Bangladesh,
for 2 years and taught English to nongovernmental organization (NGO)
workers as a Peace Corps Volunteer. In college, she studied abroad
in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She speaks Spanish and a little Bengali.
If you’d like to join Martha as a TB ETN member
and take advantage of all TB ETN has to offer, please send an e-mail
requesting a TB ETN registration form to
tbetn@cdc.gov. You can also send
a request by fax to (404) 639-8960 or by mail to TB ETN, CEBSB,
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd., N.E.,
MS E10, Atlanta, Georgia, 30333.
Or,
visit the website if you would like additional information
about the TB Education and Training Network
.
—Reported by Regina Bess
Div of TB Elimination
Second Annual Focal Point Meeting
On August 6, 2007, over 30 educators who serve
as their TB program's Focal Point for TB Education and Training met
for a 1-day meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Each TB Cooperative
Agreement recipient is required to designate a focal point in their
program to serve as primary contact for DTBE and the Regional
Training and Medical Consultation Center (RTMCC) for training and
education activities, needs assessment, capacity building, and
resource development/sharing; ensure implementation of
the annual human
resource development (HRD) plan; and coordinate development and
implementation of subsequent annual HRD plans.
This was the second annual meeting of the focal
points, held in conjunction with the TB ETN conference. The purpose
of the focal points' meeting is to emphasize the vital role they
play in TB education and training, provide them with a forum for
networking with each other, and enable them to meet with their
respective RTMCC. The meeting included two presentations from the
field: Martha Alexander, New York City focal point
, and Melinda
Diaz, Ohio focal point. They discussed their current TB education
and training needs, goals and objectives, and accomplishments.
Additionally, an interactive presentation on training basics was
given to enhance participants’ knowledge of some best practices for
training.
—Reported by Cheryl Tryon
Div of TB Elimination
TB ETN Seventh Annual Conference Highlights
August 7–9, 2007, marked the seventh annual TB
Education and Training Network (TB ETN) conference. In addition to
the record temperatures being set in Atlanta, this year’s conference
set the record for the highest number of registrants at 197. Of
those who registered, 143 were able to participate. Attendees
represented nearly all 50 states, several U.S. territories, Canada,
and South America.
This year’s theme, “The Amazing Race to
Eliminate TB: Education and Training Skills to Succeed,” was loosely
based on the reality television show, “The Amazing Race.” The
conference focused on the show’s concepts of world travel and racing
and added the element of cultural competency. In light of recent
events, these characteristics easily translated from TV land to the
world of TB education and training.
The theme inspired presentations and activities
throughout the two-and-a-half day meeting. Plenary topics included
cultural competency, meeting the education and training needs of
refugee populations, and building partnerships to help you cross the
finish line. Other plenary sessions featured local programs sharing
their TB education and training experiences in the United States and
abroad. Local presenters spoke on a variety of topics from working
with hard-to-reach populations, to enlisting peer educators, to
training volunteers and nurses.
In addition to the plenary sessions,
participants had many interesting breakout sessions to attend.
Examples of the topics covered included the systematic health
education process, education and training during outbreaks, working
with corrections facilities, evaluating education and training
programs, and designing effective PowerPoint presentations.
New to this year’s conference was a special
pre-conference session for TB ETN members who joined within the past
year and first-time attendees. David Oeser and Ann Poole, the 2007
membership development workgroup co-chairs (pictured here),
facilitated the session. Participants learned about TB ETN and some
of the education and training resources available to them, such as
the TB Education and
Training Website and the regional training and medical
consultation centers.
Learning and networking continued outside of
formal presentations. Participants were given opportunities to view
posters submitted by their colleagues and to visit exhibits
featuring TB education and training resources from DTBE and state TB
programs, among others. Tuesday evening’s social event, sponsored by
VersaPharm Inc., gave attendees a chance to show off their
international attire, catch up with old friends, and meet new
contacts.
A preliminary look at the conference
evaluations shows that 97% of the participants strongly agreed or
agreed that the overall objectives were relevant to the goals of the
conference. Many attendees indicated that they enjoyed the
conference and that they learned a lot. Thanks and congratulations
go to the conference planning workgroup for their hard work in
organizing and implementing another successful meeting!
If you were not able to join us at this year’s
conference, we hope to see you in 2008. Stay tuned for information
as we begin to plan the eighth annual TB ETN conference.
—Reported by Holly Wilson, MHSE, CHES
Div of TB Elimination
TB ETN Cultural Competency Workgroup
Update
In May 2007, the focus of the TB ETN Cultural
Competency Workgroup monthly conference call was on TB and
homelessness. It was the third in a series of discussions intended
to introduce Workgroup members to various aspects of cultural
competency, and to highlight groups that may not be included in
traditional definitions of “culture.” The presentation and
discussion was led by Marcia Stone, Public Health Nurse in the
Health Care for the Homeless Network of Seattle and King County,
Washington; Nancy Mills, Public Health Nurse in Seattle and King
County, Washington; and Genevieve Greeley, Health Program Specialist
with the Utah Department of Health.
The speakers defined homelessness, discussed
common contributing factors and associated problems, and explained
ways that providers and programs can work to better treat TB in
homeless clients. Homelessness is considered to be on the rise in
the United States; in 2005 it affected between 2.3 and 3.5 million
people per year, or 842,000 per night. Veterans and racial, ethnic,
and sexual minorities are overly represented (a sexual minority is a
group whose sexual identity, orientation, or practices differ from
the majority of the surrounding society). People who are homeless
often live with limited health insurance, domestic violence,
substance abuse, mental illness, poverty, or a combination of these
factors. They experience high rates of diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, and asthma. In their day-to-day lives, they may struggle to
find safe shelter, freedom from violence, and a secure space to
store their belongings. All of these constraints serve to place
health care — which can also be time-consuming and difficult to
access — low on their list of priorities. The physical and mental
stress in their lives can also place them at greater risk for TB.
Programs can improve their services for TB
patients experiencing homelessness by using an interdisciplinary,
patient-centered approach that builds relationships based on trust
and that is sensitive to the cultural context and norms. Offering
convenient services onsite can accommodate the competing day-to-day
priorities of the homeless. Building relationships with community
partners such as jails, clinics, shelters, food banks, drop-in
centers, and supportive housing agencies can improve services for
clients; some organizations may be good sources of funding for
incentives and enablers. In contact investigations involving
homeless populations, programs should consider the social networks
both inside and outside of shelters, and keep in mind that newly
housed people usually continue to socialize with their homeless
friends. Programs should also be aware that working with homeless
clients’ complex situations can be challenging and even overwhelming
for staff members.
Staff can show sensitivity to homeless issues
by treating patients with dignity and respect. Staff should be
self-aware of their own tendency to possibly judge or label clients.
They should work to offset the ways in which homelessness and its
associated causes can take away people’s power and contribute to
their feelings of marginalization. Communicating regularly with the
agencies, service sites, and circumstances that are a part of
homeless patients’ lives can help build trust. Working with the
homeless can require creative problem solving, as one presenter
explained: She worked with a noncompliant homeless patient who
seemed hardened to the system and unwilling to cooperate. When she
asked what would help him complete treatment, the patient replied
that he would like to have a toaster. Once he received the toaster,
he complied with treatment.
The following websites were recommended for
more resources on working with the homeless:
—Submitted by
Martha Alexander, MHS
Director, Education
& Training
Bureau of
Tuberculosis Control
New York City
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Cultural
Competency Tip:
Prevention programs are most successful when
they build on relationships of trust with community leaders and
institutions, and when they emphasize connections between the
individual, family, and community
.
From: A Primer
for Cultural Proficiency: Towards Quality Health Services for
Hispanics
By the
National Alliance for Hispanic Health,
page 34.
Last Reviewed: 05/18/2008 Content Source: Division of Tuberculosis Elimination
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
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