St. Vincent’s House

2817 Post Office Street
Galveston, TX 77550

The WelCare Initiative addresses diabetes, obesity and overweight, and cancer (especially associated with women and smoking) among African Americans and Hispanics residing in north and central Galveston. Project activities are carried out in collaboration with the Office of Community Outreach at the University of Texas Medical Branch and The Jesse Tree.

Specific objectives include learning and adopting health promoting behaviors through the “Well in 12" Calendar and Curriculum component; promoting disease risk reduction through educational video/interactive episodes called “Make Over” theater productions; increasing awareness and interest in utilization of appropriate health services through Street Screening Outreach; and expanding St. Vincent’s role in an integrated community-wide continuum of care. The Calendar provides a guide for users on what is needed to improve their health. Each month is primarily devoted to 1 of the 4 components of wellness -- physical health, mental health, spiritual health, and wellness practice. Smoking cessation classes are conducted in the community as part of this component. The Curriculum provides a weekly, 4-module health and wellness curriculum for clients that corresponds to the use of the Calendar. A 3-module curriculum for health professionals and medical students is delivered in monthly orientations, focusing on indigent health care, providing care with dignity, and ideas about developing a community clinic in other service areas. The “Make Over” component involves development of 6 video/interactive episodes on major health-related problems designed to reinforce the messages of the calendar and curriculum. Episodes are presented at local sites (churches, schools, agencies and organizations) followed by interactive discussion. Street Screening Outreach involves health promotion and monthly screenings at health fairs and other outreach events. Screened individuals are provided immediate feedback and referral, and invited to enroll in the WelCare Continuum of Care. St. Vincent’s free clinic is integrated with services of the partner organizations, building a continuity of care to assist people in obtaining needed services and reducing unnecessary duplication of resources. Clients referred to partner facilities are monitored through web based referral and information systems.