CDC director talks about public health initiatives, cultural competency during event in Springdale

SPRINGDALE — Health initiatives in Northwest Arkansas are focusing on community connections and cultural competency.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Mandy Cohen spoke with regional health leaders Monday afternoon about the state’s needs and unique challenges.

Cohen, who previously practiced as an internal medicine physician, said she is now focused on helping communities take a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.

She has visited many states since she was appointed director in July 2023, but said Monday’s trip was her first visit to Arkansas.

The discussion featured Cohen; U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and members of Our Healthy Alliance, a public health nonprofit.

Many alliance members highlighted the power of community during the covid-19 pandemic and how the need for community continues.

Building trust among patients is one of the group’s main goals, alliance members said. Yet multiple approaches are needed because of the cultural diversity in Northwest Arkansas.

Melissa Laelan, CEO of the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, said the health care system can be intimidating for members of her community because of the barriers that exist. These include housing, access to food and especially language barriers, she said.

Springdale is home to the largest population of Marshallese people outside of the Marshall Islands, according to the Marshallese Educational Initiative. More than 12,000 Marshallese residents live in Springdale, according to its website.

Benetique Cabua Madison, the nonprofit’s executive director, and Laelan said they both agree that improving health outcomes for Marshallese people is important.

“As the data shows, covid-19 has disproportionately affected the Marshallese community here,” Madison said. “Through our partnerships with UAMS and other CDC-supported grants, we have been able to reach so many members of our community, educating them on how to protect themselves and their families and the importance of getting the vaccine. after they have been prepared. “

He said the impact of the pandemic cannot be forgotten.

People from the Marshall Islands accounted for 38 percent of the reported deaths from COVID-19 in Washington and Benton counties between March and June 2020, according to the CDC.

Improving health literacy is one way to address this problem, said Pearl McElfish, director of UAMS Community Health and Research. McElfish and her team focus on researching factors that affect the health of many Arkansans. These include maternal and child health, diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases, equity and access to health care.

The organization started a community health worker program that has trained 230 health workers since 2021, according to its 2023 report. Those workers are located throughout the state, with 40 located in Benton and Washington counties, McElfish said.

Dr. Sonal Bhakta, an internal medicine physician at Mercy Clinic in Rogers, said bilingual community health workers are an integral part of covid unit operations as they help with real-time translation. She said it allows families to understand what’s going on and helps build trust when language barriers exist.

Zuzuki Monarez, anchor for Telemundo Arkansas, said many Hispanics don’t know about all the health resources available, but community health workers can help.

She said many Hispanics are wary of health care when they can’t connect with people of the same background. Research and public health initiatives are improving this, she said.

Cohen said one of her goals is to make sure people know the CDC can be used for all kinds of public health information, not just covid-19 facts. CDC funding supports programs like community health workers, she said, because about 80 percent of the funding received by the agency goes to local communities.

Cohen said Arkansas’ priorities should include reducing maternal mortality, increasing access to health care in rural areas and continuing to work on cultural competency in medicine.

“It’s been great to see here at the Community Clinic that UAMS is putting together a coalition to ensure that we build trust between the Marshallese community and the Hispanic community,” Cohen said. “What’s happening in public health and healthcare is so important. It was a great job that was established during the pandemic response, but now there are other health issues and threats.”