DEPARTMENT: Epidemiology
COURSE NUMBER: EPI 509
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016
CREDIT HOURS: 2.0
DAY/TIME: Fridays 1:00 – 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Georgia State University (exact location TBD). PLEASE NOTE: Students will be responsible for securing their own transportation and are encouraged to carpool or us public transportation, if possible.
COURSE TITLE: Overview of Children with Special Health Care Needs
INSTRUCTOR NAMES: Dr. Emily Graybill (Georgia State University), Stacey Ramirez (Georgia State University), & Drs. Daniel Crimmins (Georgia State University) & Carol Hogue (RSPH)
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION
EMAIL: ; ; ;
PHONE: 404.413.1424; 404.727.8736
SCHOOL ADDRESS OR MAILBOX LOCATION: 75 Piedmont Ave, Suite 514, Atlanta, GA 30303 (site of classroom)
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment
BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will provide a one-semester overview of children with special health care needs and their families, including neurodevelopmental disabilities, to prepare learners to include the population in public health program planning, implementation, evaluation, and research. The course will be presented in a hybrid format with in-person and web-delivered didactic presentations, project-based learning, and field-based experiences. The course will meet in person on alternating Fridays throughout the spring semester. During weeks that the course does not meet in person, students will be responsible for completing and responding to assigned online learning modules that are currently being developed by a consortium of Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) programs. Online content will be reviewed in the subsequent in- person session. Drs. Hogue and Crimmins will jointly coordinate the course and student assessments/grading.
LIST EPIDEMIOLOGY DEPARTMENT COMPETENCIES
· Describe public health problems in terms of magnitude, time, place, person and their associated risk factors
· Identify major epidemiologic problems of importance
· Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the epidemiologic literature
LIST MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES V 3.0
· Competency 7: Cultural Competency
o 7.2: Assess strengths of individuals and communities and respond appropriately to their needs based on sensitivity to and respect for their diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status.
o 7.3: Suggest modifications of health services to meet the specific needs of a group or family, community, and/or population
· Competency 8: Family-centered Care
o 8.1: Solicit and use family input in a meaningful way in the design or delivery of clinical services, program planning and evaluation.
o 8.2: Operationalize the “family-centered care” philosophical constructs (e.g., families and professionals share decision making; professionals use a strengths-based approach when working with families) and use these constructs to critique and strengthen practices, programs, or policies that affect MCH population groups.
· Competency 11: Working with Communities and Systems
o 11.1: Participate in basic strategic planning processes such as developing a mission, vision, strategic goals, and activities
o 11.3: Identify community stakeholders and their extent of engagement in the collaboration process.
o 11.4: Interpret situations systemically; i.e., identifying both the whole situation and the dynamic interplay among its parts.
· Competency 12: Policy and Advocacy
o 12.1: Frame problems based on key data, including economic, political, and social trends that affect the MCH population.
o 12.2: Use data, levels of evidence, and evaluative criteria in proposing policy change.
o 12.3: Identify a wide range of stakeholders who influence changes in MCH policy.
LIST LEARNING OBJECTIVES ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPETENCIES
· Students will learn about the health care needs and experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families
o Competency: Describe public health problems in terms of magnitude, time, place, person and their associated risk factors
o Competency: Identify major epidemiologic problems of importance
o Competency: Describe environmental conditions which affect the health of individuals with disabilities and their families
o Competency: 7.2: Assess strengths of individuals and communities and respond appropriately to their needs based on sensitivity to and respect for their diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status.
· Students will understand the importance of cultural diversity and cultural and linguistic competence in the research process
o Competency: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the epidemiologic literature
o Competency: 7.2: Assess strengths of individuals and communities and respond appropriately to their needs based on sensitivity to and respect for their diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status.
· Students will understand the importance of including individuals with disabilities and their families in conversations related to research design and interpretation
o Competency: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the epidemiologic literature
o Competency: Describe environmental conditions which affect the health of individuals with disabilities and their families
o Competency: Describe behavioral, social and cultural factors that must be considered in research design and interpretation
o Competency: 7.3: Suggest modifications of health services to meet the specific needs of a group or family, community, and/or population
o Competency: 8.1: Solicit and use family input in a meaningful way in the design or delivery of clinical services, program planning and evaluation.
o Competency: 8.2: Operationalize the “family-centered care” philosophical constructs (e.g., families and professionals share decision making; professionals use a strengths-based approach when working with families) and use these constructs to critique and strengthen practices, programs, or policies that affect MCH population groups.
· Students will understand the importance of including individuals with disabilities and their families in conversations related to health policy and its effect on public health settings
o Competency: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the health services research literature
o Competency: Describe environmental conditions which affect the health of individuals with disabilities and their families in the healthcare setting
o Competency: Describe behavioral, social and cultural factors that must be considered in health services research design and interpretation
o Competency: 7.3: Suggest modifications of health services to meet the specific needs of a group or family, community, and/or population
o Competency: 8.1: Solicit and use family input in a meaningful way in the design or delivery of clinical services, program planning and evaluation.
o Competency: 8.2: Operationalize the “family-centered care” philosophical constructs (e.g., families and professionals share decision making; professionals use a strengths-based approach when working with families) and use these constructs to critique and strengthen practices, programs, or policies that affect MCH population groups.
EVALUATION
Group Project (49% of Final Grade) Students will work in groups to develop and implement an action plan for a community-based organization (CBO) run by families of individuals with disabilities. Using a community-based participatory approach, groups will work collaboratively with a CBO to identify a need, review and/or collect data related to that need, establish a plan, implement that plan, and identify a method for evaluating the plan. The instructors will work with students and CBOs to develop a project that is feasible for a one-semester course.
Group Paper – Groups will submit a 5-10 page double-spaced paper outlining the steps of their needs assessment and action planning. If groups create a permanent product for the CBO, they should submit that with this paper. More details about the structure of this paper will be provided in class.
Group Presentation – During the last class session, each group will present on their completed project.
Family Mentor Experience Participation (20% of Final Grade) Each learner will be assigned to a family of a child with special health care needs. The learner will meet with the family 2-4 times and for a minimum of 10 hours. Each learner will be responsible for gaining information about the health, social service, educational, and natural supports the family utilizes. The learner will be tasked with interviewing stakeholders in one of these systems to better understand the contexts in which children and families live and receive services. Interview questions will ask about access, funding, quality, service delivery, and outcomes for families. Depending on the interview findings, students may be encouraged to join the family in advocating for quality improvement. Students will document the hours spent with the family and will communicate regularly with course instructors about the progress of the experience.
Family Mentor Experience Reflection (10% of Final Grade) Students will complete a 3-5 page double-spaced reflection paper on their Family Mentor Experience. Reflection questions will be distributed when the Family Mentor Experience is introduced to the students.
LEND Core Curriculum Reflections (5% of Final Grade) Students will write a 1-page double spaced reflection paper on each of the five online modules. Reflection questions will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Questions for Speakers (16% of Final Grade) Prior to each face-to-face class session, students will research the session content and/or speaker(s) and will generate one thoughtful question to ask the speaker(s). Students should email their question to the instructor prior to the start of class. Students are encouraged to ask their questions if appropriate. Each question is worth 2 points toward the final grade.
The course outline below shows in-class hours with no highlighting and out-of-class (i.e., “homework”) hours with green highlighting.
Date / Course Title / Guest Faculty / Collaborative Facilitator / Assignment Due1/22/16 / Introduction to the CSHCN Course
Introduction to Course Project
Family Mentor Experience Check-In / None / Emily Graybill
Stacey Ramirez
Daniel Crimmins / N/A
1/29/16 / Navigating Systems of Services and Supports / LEND Core Curriculum Resource Module / N/A / N/A - Online
2/5/16 / Introduction to Family Organizations
Needs Assessment with Family Organizations / 1. Parent to Parent of Georgia
2. FOCUS
3. Southside Support
4. Spectrum / Emily Graybill
Stacey Ramirez / Question for Speakers
2/12/15 / Community Visit to Family Organization / 1. Parent to Parent of Georgia
2. FOCUS
3. Southside Support
4. Spectrum / Emily Graybill
Stacey Ramirez
Mark Crenshaw / Question for Organization
2/19/15 / Systems of Care Model and Family-Centered Care
Project Updates / Family Panel / Stacey Ramirez
Emily Graybill / Question for Speakers
2/26/15 / Core Concepts in Human Development and Disability / LEND Core Curriculum Resource Module / N/A / N/A - Online
3/4/15 / Genetics and ethical implications of genetic testing
Project Updates / Lokie Harmond / Emily Graybill
Mark Crenshaw / Question for Speaker
3/11/15 / Autism across the Lifespan / LEND Core Curriculum Resource Module / N/A / N/A - Online
3/18/15 / Public Health Approaches to Autism
Project Updates / Speaker from the ADDM Network / Emily Graybill
Daniel Crimmins / Question for Speaker
3/25/15 / Visit to L’Arche Atlanta / N/A / Emily Graybill
Mark Crenshaw / Question for Organization
4/1/15 / Early Intervention / LEND Core Curriculum Resource Module / N/A / N/A - Online
4/8/15 / Early Intervention in Georgia – Developing a model of inclusive public education for preschool children with disabilities
Project Updates / Peggy Gallagher / Emily Graybill / Question for Speaker
4/15/15 / Cultural Competence / LEND Core Curriculum Resource Module
Project Implicit / N/A / N/A - Online
4/22/15 / Implicit Bias and Interacting with Individuals with Disabilities and their Families
Project Updates / Emily Graybill
James Butler
Ernest Hopkins / Emily Graybill / Question for Speakers
4/29/15-Final Exam Period / Family Mentoring Wrap Up
Class Presentations / N/A / Emily Graybill
Stacey Ramirez
Daniel Crimmins / Family Mentor Experience Reflection
Group Project & Group Presentation