Project 730

Location

825 North Capitol Street, NE
3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 442-9146

Project 730: State-Based Capacity Building Project for Assessing and Preventing Secondary Conditions Associated with Disabilities and Promoting the Health of Persons with Disabilities

Project 730 enhances the leadership role of the Department of Health (DOH) in state capacity building for the prevention of secondary conditions among persons with disabilities. Working with community partners, health promotion materials on living well with a disability are distributed to persons with disabilities and their family members. Information on the rights of persons with disabilities is distributed to community members, service providers, policy makers and government officials. Through workshops, training seminars, summits and other coalition activities, the project facilitates community linkages among public and private organizations to meet the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities. With the support of data collected via surveillance activities, health promotion interventions and policy recommendations are initiated in order to improve the health and wellness of all persons with disabilities.

Mission

To collect epidemiological data to identify persons with secondary conditions associated with disabilities and establish partnerships with service providers, community-based organizations and government agencies to ensure the sustainability of service delivery to those in need.

Goals

• To enhance and sustain the leadership role of the Department of Health (DOH) in state capacity building for the promotion of health and prevention of secondary conditions among persons with disabilities.
• To expand the DOH's current surveillance capacity to assess the magnitude of secondary conditions among persons with disabilities through the collection of epidemiological data to determine the incidence and prevalence of secondary conditions in the District of Columbia.
• To provide technical assistance and expertise to local agencies to enhance their capacity to promote the health and wellness of persons with disabilities and prevent secondary conditions.
• To evaluate the State's capacity to: (1) promote the health and wellness of persons with disabilities and improve their quality of life, and (2) to reduce the economic and human cost of secondary conditions relative to the personal care disability domain.

2000/2001 Surveillance Activities

Surveillance activities are focused on expanding the DC Department of Health’s (DOH) current disability surveillance capacity to assess the magnitude of secondary conditions among persons with disabilities. The incidence and prevalence of secondary conditions in the personal care/home management domain will be determined based on data from multiple sources, including national and local public and private agencies. The current focus is on enhancing collaborative work with District agencies in order to determine the feasibility of utilizing their data to enrich the DC DOH Disability Surveillance System.

The Personal Assistance Services Study of People with Disabilities in the District of Columbia Survey

Project 730 is implementing a pilot study, "The Personal Assistance Services Study of People with Disabilities in the District of Columbia Survey.” This study is designed to identify the prevalence and incidence of secondary conditions and the personal care needs of people with disabilities in the District. Difficulties with activities of daily living, i.e., eating, dressing, bathing, bladder and bowel care, and moving out of bed are highly prevalent in the District of Columbia. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately one (1) in seven (7) people has a disability in the District of Columbia, with the highest national rate of personal care needs, estimated at 23,000 adults (1990, Census). There is a paucity of research focusing on the secondary conditions and personal care needs of persons with disabilities. The lack of data has made it difficult to assess the impact of services on outcomes and has impeded the improvement of appropriate services for individuals with disabilities. For people with disabilities, personal assistance and access to appropriate adaptive equipment is a linchpin service, with productivity being impossible without it (Nosek, 1990). Promoting health among individuals with disabilities means improving access to quality of care and services, including appropriate personal assistance services. This decreases the risk of secondary conditions, such as urinary tract infections, decubiti, social isolation, and depression and enhances the quality of life of persons with disabilities. One hundred persons with disabilities in the District are being recruited to participate in this study.

Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) Under the Department of Health

In 1997, the Project 730 entered into an agreement with the DOH, Preventive Health Services Administration’s BRFSS to conduct telephone interviews for implementing disability specific questions. This disability module includes 23 questions on quality of life, mobility and personal care. Data for the period, January to December 1998, has been collected and preliminary analysis completed. Presentation of this information was made during the "Promoting the Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities" Conference held in August 1999 in San Antonio, Texas and the American Public Health Association Conference held in November 1999 in Chicago, IL.

DC Center for Independent Living (DCCIL)

The DCCIL provides a wide array of support services for persons with disabilities including training sessions, workshops, information and referral services, advocacy, peer counseling and community outreach. In collaboration with Project 730, through a Memorandum of Agreement an intake and tracking system has been designed in order to computerize the DCCIL data collection system. Utilizing the automated system, Project 730 will be able to collect data on secondary conditions and personal assistance needs.

Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

RSA provides counseling, training and support services to persons with disabilities to facilitate the transition to securing job placement and having a productive work life. In October 1998, a comprehensive computerized data collection process was instituted in the District office. The project’s surveillance activities with RSA will provide aggregate data on primary and secondary disabilities, nature of disability, medical conditions and socio-demographic characteristics.

Other Potential Sources of Information

Project 730 is currently evaluating the following sources for data on personal care domain

• Medicaid
• DC Office of Aging
• National Health Interview Survey
• US Decennial Census
• Commission on Social Service’s Automated Client Eligibility Determination System (ACEDS)
• DC Department of Health Center for Health Statistics
• DC Linkage and Tracking System

2000/2001 Project Activities
Health Care Provider Directory

The development of the “Health Care Provider Directory” designed to assist persons with disabilities in accessing health care in facilities in the District of Columbia that are “disability friendly” is in its final stage of completion. This is a collaborative effort with the Independent Living for the Handicapped (ILH) Inc., an agency that provides housing and support services for persons with disabilities in the District. Approximately 300 health care providers in the District are represented. The directory is tentatively scheduled for publication by the end of the project year.

Health Promotion

• Roundtable Discussions that focus on disability related issues relative to the promotion of health and wellness of persons with disabilities.
• "Stay Healthy and Happy: Promoting the Health and Wellness of Children And Adolescents with Disabilities" Channel 28 Cable TV series. "Stay Healthy and Happy " is designed to inform parents, educators, school administrators and students about risk factors that contribute to secondary conditions and provides strategies to reduce the risks. The conception, development and implementation of the "Stay Healthy and Happy" cable TV series is a combined effort of persons with disabilities and/or their family members, educators, health care providers, representatives of community based organizations, government agencies, and Department of Health (DOH) program staff.

Technical Assistance/Community Outreach

Project 730 offers technical assistance tailored to requests by community-based organizations.

Principal Investigator
John O. Davies-Cole, Ph.D., MPH
Chief
Bureau of Epidemiology and Health Risk Assessment
825 North Capitol Street, N.E, Room #3137
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 442-9138
Fax:     (202) 442-4796
Email:  john.davies-cole@dc.gov

Project Manager
Kimberley A. Turner, M.Ed.
Bureau of Epidemiology and Health Risk Assessment
825 North Capitol Street, N.E., Third Floor
Phone: (202) 442-9151
Fax:     (202) 442-4796
Email:  kimberley.turner@dc.gov