Changing high-risk asthma in Memphis through partnership: Results from the CHAMP program.

BACKGROUND: Children in metro Shelby County, Tennessee, have disproportionally high asthma-related health care resource use (HRU) compared with those in other regions in Tennessee. OBJECTIVE: To describe the goals, logistics, and outcomes of the Changing High-Risk Asthma in Memphis through Partnership (CHAMP) program implemented to improve pediatric asthma care in Shelby County. METHODS: CHAMP established a multidisciplinary team with dedicated medical staff and community health workers, implemented a 24/7 call line to improve access to care, established a patient data registry to address fragmented care, assigned community health educators to improve asthma education and social needs, and partnered with services to address environmental triggers and social determinants of health. Patients eligible for CHAMP are Shelby County residents aged 2 to 18 years with high-risk asthma enrolled in Tennessee's Medicaid managed care program. Health care resource use outcomes 1-year pre- and post-CHAMP enrollment were analyzed for patients who had completed 1 year of CHAMP between January 2013 and December 2022. The 24/7 call line data between November 2013 and December 2022 were analyzed. RESULTS: CHAMP has enrolled 1348 children; 945 have completed 1 year (63% male; 90% identified as Black). At 1-year post-CHAMP enrollment, patients had 58%, 68%, 42%, and 53% reductions in emergency department visits, inpatient and observation visits, urgent care visits, and total asthma exacerbations, respectively. The number of asthma exacerbations per patient significantly decreased from 2.97 to 1.40 at 1-year post-CHAMP enrollment. Of the calls made to the 24/7 call line, 58% occurred after hours and 52% led to issue resolution without a medical facility visit. CONCLUSION: CHAMP successfully decreased asthma HRU in children with high-risk asthma in Shelby County by implementing initiatives that targeted barriers to asthma care.

Developing a Congregational Health Needs Assessment: Lessons Learned from Using a Participatory Research Approach.

BACKGROUND: Health needs assessments help congregations identify issues of importance to them and the communities they serve. Few tools exist, with little known about the processes needed to develop such tools. OBJECTIVE: Develop a congregational health needs assessment tool and implementation protocol with community, health-care, and academic partners. METHODS: Meetings began in August 2018 to develop the Mid-South Congregational Health Needs Survey (MSCHS) and implementation protocol. Pilot testing occurred in December 2018 and feedback from 95 churches was used in modifications. RESULTS: The MSCHS includes: demographics section, a 36-item health index, and the congregation's top five needs.The implementation protocol includes steps for working with congregation leadership to identify members to complete the survey. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-disciplinary partnerships made the creation of the MSCHS and implementation protocol possible. Successes include long-term engagement across partnership sectors, organizational "buy-in," and development of a common language. These lessons can help others wanting to develop successful multi-sector partnerships.