Project Description Narrative:
While most senior citizens have health care coverage through Medicare, significant health disparities exist for African American older adults, who continue to have higher mortality rates and higher rates of the most common diseases including heart disease, cancer, and stroke compared to other racial groups. Standing in the way of good health for older African American individuals are several cultural and social barriers, including the historical racism of the Tuskegee Experiment, as well as lower educational attainment and education resources, limited mobility and transportation options, and more. These barriers are especially challenging in Milwaukee, home to 73% of Wisconsin's African American population who are primarily concentrated in the city's poor, urban core, which has been designated as medically underserved by the federal government.
Prior programs have established a strong foundation to reach elderly African American residents of Milwaukee through church-based outreach and programming. Through this award, project partners will build on previous efforts, establishing a program to support urban Milwaukee churches in developing elder health ministries aimed at sustaining culturally appropriate education efforts while developing the skills to effectively advocate for policies aligned with the health needs of their communities.
Community partners: American Heart Association; Arthritis Foundation Wisconsin Chapter; Christ Presbyterian Church; Incarnation Lutheran Church; Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church; Monumental Missionary Baptist Church; Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church; Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church; St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church; Tabernacle Community Baptist Church; Victory Missionary Baptist Church; Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Southeast Wisconsin Inc.
Additional MCW academic partners: Karen Krause-Framm, Family and Community Medicine; Alan Wells, PhD, Family and Community Medicine