Return to Main Menu

Partnering to promote health, wellness  by Cindy Abole Public Relations Numbers don't lie. Especially when they're attached to statistics that reveal the health of many South Carolinians. For years, the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in the Palmetto State continues to be high. Hypertension is the cause of almost 40 percent of deaths in African Americans and 20 percent in whites. And diabetes still ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  MUSC and six of the state's historically black colleges and universities want to make a difference by finding ways to improve health education and teach healthy habits through the Partners in Wellness program. One of the original MUSC Healthy South Carolina Initiatives (HSCI) established in 1998, the program promotes diabetes and hypertension awareness beginning with college students and extending to communities. What makes the program work?  Key to any community-oriented program is its people—a dynamic and committed staff led by program director Bill Robinson, Tammy McCottry, program assistant and Claudine Stubbs, screening and data coordinator. Robinson, who has worked as a community-based higher education and health-related program specialist for more than 14 years, is the human catalyst that links campuses and faculty in making the program work.  Using improved communications and open interaction between faculty and administration, Robinson has guided the program past its initial projected outreach goal of 150 students to 260 participants in three years.  “Bill's primarily responsible for the program's success,” said Tim Garvey, M.D., director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Medical Genetics and principal investigator. “He's breathed a lot of life into the project and he and his staff have really made it hum.” The education component  The staff runs a semester-long course taught non-traditionally in a method that incorporates MUSC faculty, participating faculty, and other community experts sponsored through each school's biology science or nursing departments.  “These institutions typically share a nurturing attitude towards their students in regards to fulfilling their intellectual, spiritual and health needs,” said Robinson. “Offering the program is an opportunity to get students on track for good health.”  The program's six participating schools involve South Carolina State University and Claflin University, Orangeburg; Voorhees College, Denmark; Benedict College and Allen University, Columbia and Morris College, Sumter. For Spring 2001, the program is being taught at Claflin University and Morris College. “One of the program's primary goals is to increase minority applicants in health professional training programs,” Garvey said. Using AHEC data, Garvey was able to reveal great disparities in the low percentage of black physicians, nurses, licensed practical nurses, dentists and optometrists that practice as health professionals in South Carolina. At the same time, South Carolina State University president Leroy Davis, Ph.D., was searching for a health program to aid in screening SCSU students for diabetes and hypertension. “It was Dr. Davis who felt that these and other chronic diseases were more prevalent among the student body than what people thought,” said Garvey. “He was also concerned about its possible affect on an individual's academic performance.” His interest led to an initial discussion between MUSC, SCSU and representatives from other historically black colleges and universities that helped create the Partners in Wellness project. Vital to the program is its lab component that teaches students about health screenings and their ability to test themselves, their peers and others for diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. They learn how to take blood pressure, record weights, determine their waist/hip/thigh ratio, check glucose, use a Cholestech machine to determine their cholesterol levels and complete a DNA test to create a cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk profile for each student. Its results have helped students develop data analysis skills that can be applied to any community-based screening or education project.  “We want students to be interested in research, as well,” said Robinson. “We want them to take this database, learn how to analyze the data and test their hypothesis, write applications and author reports. It's just another arm of the educational process with the hope that students enter into research careers.” Enrolled students receive a study manual which outlines the course highlighting such topics like diabetes, hypertension, community health, health professional skills, data analysis and reporting and community experiences. Also required is participation in a six-week internship and journaling of experiences. An element of fun  “We try to make the course not only educational but fun,” said Stubbs, following a visit to Claflin, located in Orangeburg—the number one county in the state for diabetes. “We hit the students with hard-hitting facts. We don't try to hide anything. So when we tell them that one in every three students sitting next or around them will someday acquire diabetes by age 50, it really hits home.” On the last day of class, students present a final project that has been creative and educational.  Several years ago, Claflin students created an 11-minute video highlighting the affects of change and healthy choices titled, “The Jones Family Reunion,” Other successful projects include “Diabetes/Hypertension Family Feud,” a spin-off of the popular game show featuring health questions related to the course. “College students are in the process of learning and training for the future,” Garvey said. “Their minds are more malleable and open to learning and acquiring new knowledge. But we stress that our plan be conducted in a culturally sensitive manner. There are cultural competencies issues that need to be considered.” Black culture a factor Still evident among southern black culture is a generational distrust in medicine and the healthcare system. These attitudes were shaped by the results of the government-sanctioned Tuskegee Syphilis study of 1932 and the lack of minorities in medicine. But Garvey has found ways to bridge the gap and neutralize the distrust. He began by proposing that partnerships between institutions and communities be equal in scope, vested and beneficial to communities in tangible ways.  “Programs can't just come in and leave,” Garvey said. “They must be available to stay for a long-term commitment and collaboration.” Robinson and Garvey discussed the importance of establishing the trust factor among historically black colleges and universities by starting with the basics and understanding diversity issues. “It's so important for people to interact with professionals who look like them,” said Robinson.  Model programs like MUSC's Project SuGAR, have worked successfully with the Sea Island African American community in coastal South Carolina. Now in its fifth year, the program has created a genetic registry among 400 coastal African American families in hopes of using the  collected data to find a cure for diabetes, hypertension and obesity.  “This project has done a lot to improve relationships between MUSC and these black colleges,” Robinson said. “We've proved our ability to work together.” The Partners in Wellness program is sponsored by grants through the HSCI and most recently, the Duke Endowment, which will be used to develop a policy manual and template that can be used by other medical institutions and minority schools in North Carolina and other states. Also important is the chance to apply this model of health education to other institutions and at-risk ethnic groups including the Hispanic and Native American populations. And what's next for the program? Garvey and Robinson want to continue coordinating summer research experiences and fellowships with Partners in Wellness participants. With long-term funding in place, Robinson would like to create a longitudinal study showing the impact of the program on community health and careers.  “It's through this program that we've created lay diabetes experts statewide,” Robinson said. “They've come to fully understand the affects diabetes and how they want to educate and encourage others to make important, healthy lifestyle changes.”