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Douglas Shenson Putting Prevention In Its Place: The Shift From Clinic To Community Health Affairs, July/August 2006; 25(4): 1012-1015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Reprints & Permissions]

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Community-Based Health Care And Preventive Services Implementation

Janine E. Janosky, Ph.D., Lisa Sciullo, Fran Lokar, R.N.   ( 26 September 2006 )

Community-Based Health Care And Preventive Services Implementation 26 September 2006
Janine E. Janosky, Ph.D., Associate Professor University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Lisa Sciullo, Fran Lokar, R.N. Send comment to journal: Re: Community-Based Health Care And Preventive Services Implementation jej{at}pitt.edu Janine E. Janosky, Ph.D., et al.	We applaud the premise by Shenson that illuminates the importance of recognizing the need to focus efforts in health care and prevention measures within the local community. When approaching the community to actively participate in increasing the quality of health care and the delivery of preventive services, it seems that the best-positioned entities are those that have historically had a connection with the targeted communities. Substantial change in preventive care can be affected through the acknowledgement of the challenges faced by the individuals who are in most need of health care and disease prevention. Disease burden is shifting from acute conditions to chronic conditions that are seen primarily in community paractices.[1,4] Given this shift, traditional care delivery and preventive services need to be aligned. In response, we at the Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research (CPCR) have designed innovative education and screening programs to address health disparities that are impacting health care in our targeted community of southwestern Pennsylvania.[2,4] These programs focus on wellness and prevention and are presented in community settings. An interdisciplinary approach is directed at prevention and screening of four chronic conditions that disproportionately affect the minority population: stroke, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes.[3,4] By utilizing established and novel partnerships within the community, a more efficient and effective inter-transfer of information is achieved, with the potential to impact the individuals served and the health of the targeted community. NOTES 1. Zerhouni EA. Translational and Clinical Science -- Time for a New Vision. New England Journal of Medicine. 2005; 353: 1621-1623. 2. Janosky JE, Laird SB, Robinson JD, South-Paul JE. Development of a research registry for primary care community-based research. Family Practice 2005; 1-3. 3. Healthy People 2010: http://health.gov/healthypeople 4. Janosky JE, Robinson JD. Ambulatory Care Quality Performance Measures through a Primary Care Community-Based Research Registry. Quality in Primary Care. 2006: [In Press].