Date of Presentation
5-3-2018 8:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Last spring, the Camden Community Health Center (CCHC) launched the Unity Project, an initiative aimed at fostering relationships with various Camden, New Jersey organizations to not only educate community members about our services, but also to collaborate with them on improving Camden’s health. Although the CCHC has been in Camden for over 15 years, local organizations were unaware of our existence. There was also a similar disconnect among these organizations themselves. The goal of the Unity Project is to work towards affecting long-term change by forming authentic and impactful relationships with organizations that are already doing meaningful work.
Our ‘Ask First’ model has allowed us to provide a variety of services that ultimately benefit the people these organizations serve. Examples of provided services include health educational presentations, basic necessities donations, vital sign screenings, and monetary donations for emergency funds. Collaborating with our member organizations in this way enables us to establish a trusting relationship and work towards bridging the gap between a community in need and the medical field willing to help.
Keywords
public health, community health services, health promotion, medically underserved area
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Medicine and Health Sciences | Public Health Education and Promotion
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
The Unity Project: Camden Community Health Center Building Authentic & Impactful Relationships Through the Ask-First Model
Last spring, the Camden Community Health Center (CCHC) launched the Unity Project, an initiative aimed at fostering relationships with various Camden, New Jersey organizations to not only educate community members about our services, but also to collaborate with them on improving Camden’s health. Although the CCHC has been in Camden for over 15 years, local organizations were unaware of our existence. There was also a similar disconnect among these organizations themselves. The goal of the Unity Project is to work towards affecting long-term change by forming authentic and impactful relationships with organizations that are already doing meaningful work.
Our ‘Ask First’ model has allowed us to provide a variety of services that ultimately benefit the people these organizations serve. Examples of provided services include health educational presentations, basic necessities donations, vital sign screenings, and monetary donations for emergency funds. Collaborating with our member organizations in this way enables us to establish a trusting relationship and work towards bridging the gap between a community in need and the medical field willing to help.