Projects
Recent Projects
We focus on health education and promotion, culturally tailored interventions, evidenced-based research, student-led internships and health screenings. In fact, we are well known in the community for our educational programming and health screenings.
Asthma Screening Project (2005)
The Program for Multicultural Health and the U-M Division of Allergy and Immunology conducted free asthma screening 30 African-American children ages 8-14 living within the empowerment zones in Ypsilanti, Michigan (48197 and 48198 zip codes). We also invited parents to be screened, and gave everyone an opportunity to learn how to use an inhaler properly.
Pparticipants who were at higher risk and screened positive for asthma were referred to UMHS Allergy specialists for follow-up.
Colon Cancer Workshop (2006)
We collaborated with Pfizer Pharmaceutical Corporation to conduct a free educational workshop for Washtenaw County-area African-Americans to increase colon cancer awareness and encourage early screenings. Two University of Michigan experts in the field of gastroenterology, John Y. Kao, M.D., and Chen Hsing Hsu, M.D., shared information about colon cancer statistics, prevention, screening and detection. More than 80 people attended.
Three months later, our staff telephoned all participants 50+ years of age who had not been tested for colon cancer to reinforce health education and remind them to schedule a colon cancer screening.
East Indian Health Screening Event (2006)
In September 2006, PMCH and the East Indian Temple conducted free blood pressure and cholesterol health screenings. We scheduled follow-up educational workshops for participants who screened high for hypertension and cholesterol. Approximately 80 participants attended.
Plans for future educational workshops include nutrition and physical activity interventions, collection of baseline screening levels and risk assessment tests.
Healthy Asian Americans Project Health Fair (2006)
We assisted the U-M School of Nursing Healthy Asian Americans Project with a free health fair in Southfield, Michigan. We provided educational brochures, body mass index screenings, nutritional advice and, when necessary, personal consultations. More than 300 people attended.
Medicare Multicultural Workshops (2005)
We collaborated with Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County to train five Medicare counselors to help five community groups understand the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: members of several African-American churches, the Foster Grandparent Program and senior groups of Russian Jewish, Chinese and Arab cultural groups. Approximately 150 attended the two-hour workshops.
The Medicare counselors offered free counseling for six months after the workshops ended.
Pharmacy Internship Project (2006)
For four months, the Pharmacy Internship Project provided free medication workshops at a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, twice a week. Chinese-American and Russian-American bilingual students developed cultural competence within a community pharmacy setting. Students also designed and developed a medication safety booklet written in three languages: English, Chinese and Russian. We collaborated with U-M College of Pharmacy, particularly Professor Nancy A. Mason, Pharm.D.
