The American Society for Health Improvement (ASHI) is requesting applications that will address and overcome specific barriers that impede positive healthy behaviors and positive health outcomes within a specific priority population. Successful applications will establish targeted programs, policies, and/or systems that address specific variables that impact positive health promotion or disease prevention. For example, applicants may:
- Implement a theory-based intervention that will reduce a specific negative behavior and/or increase a positive, health promoting behavior within a specific priority population.
- Implement health education and outreach through the use of experienced community health workers and/or patient navigators with existing community-based partnerships.
- Implement an effective health communication campaign or communication system that includes theory-based communication and decision aids to motivate healthy behavior.
- Provide programs that improve participants’ access to and use of health education or medical services (e.g., mammography) as part of a comprehensive approach to reducing barriers to positive health behaviors. Note: Programs attempting to increase a specific health screening test in a specific priority population must provide means for program participants to easily and inexpensively receive needed follow-up tests and treatment – if their screening test was positive.
- Systematically track, measure and report positive health behaviors, screening behavior (e.g. mammogram rates), or health outcomes by race, SES, and ethnicity.
- Implement or enhance institutional or community policies that identify at-risk individuals and actively engage them in health promotion/disease prevention.