Love, Tamara

Background: The aim of this project was to describe a quality improvement program for Afro-Americans and Afro- Caribbean with hypertension that implemented a self-management program to enhance knowledge and self-management strategies to lower hypertension (HTN) and body mass index (BMI) within a twelve-week period. These markers addressed variables such as blood pressure monitoring, prevention, or reduction of hypertension.
Method: This quality improvement project consisted of six volunteer participants. The participants were comprised of two males and four females of Afro- American and Afro-Caribbean descent with a history of hypertension who received the Hypertension Knowledge-Level (HKL) scale questionnaires used as a pre-and post-intervention, American Heart Association (2018), pre-training demographic questionnaire, and evidence-based educational guidelines materials about hypertension and self-management.

Background: Every year, 2% to 10% of pregnancies in the United States are affected by gestational diabetes (CDC, 2021). Gestational diabetes is a common complication in pregnancy, affecting millions of women annually. Among women with diabetes with suboptimal glycemic control, the risk of stillbirth, congenital disabilities, and preterm birth in the third trimester is considerably higher than their standard counterparts. This project aims to implement a diabetes education program for pregnant women newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes to improve outcomes.
Methods: Nine recruited participants consented to participate in the program. Each participant was given a Diabetes Empowerment Scale before an education session as a pretest. In addition, all nine participants were provided with a curated educational packet and teachings in their primary language during the session. After the education, the participant completed the Diabetes Empowerment Scale as a posttest to evaluate the participant’s psychosocial self-efficacy toward diabetes.

The aim of this project was to describe a quality program for individuals with Type II Diabetes (T2DM) that implemented a Mediterranean-style diet lower in carbohydrates to lower A1C (Glycosylated Hemoglobin) and BMI (Body mass index) in a 12-week period. These markers are clinically significant because A1C levels indicate an average of blood sugars over three months, and lower BMI scores over time indicate weight loss. Both of these variables are important markers of diabetic health.

Background: Worldwide, Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of death (Bevan & Rutter, 2018). In the United States of America, Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death related to cancer (Green et al., 2019). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that millions of people are not screening as recommended and thus missing the chance to prevent or detect early CRC when treatment could often lead to a cure (CDC, 2016). CRC is a highly valued preventive service, but sadly underused.
Purpose: The project goal was to evaluate the Colorectal screening program in one of the Florida Community Health Centers (FCHC) to determine if the center meets the National goal of 80% within the past 10 months, and to provide recommendations for future screening practices.
Methods: This project was conducted using retrospective chart reviews to calculate the CRC screening rates from July to September of 2019. Recommendations were made using the best available evidence.
Results: The clinical analyses of the CRC screening of the FCHC revealed only 60% of patients were screened by September 2019. As per the survey conducted among the providers showed 100% awareness on all aspects except there is no designated staff that follows the CRC screening.
Implications: The Florida Community Health Center (FCHC), failed to reach the National goal of 80% and the Health 2020 people goal of 70%. To increase the CRC screening rates, it is suggested that a new project champion be assigned to ensure the program’s success.

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in United States (CDC, 2019). It has a huge impact on our society. In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer (U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics, 2019). About 41,760 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2019 from breast cancer. Early diagnosis of the disease can reduce the mortality significantly and promote quality of life. Screening mammography has shown to reduce mortality from breast cancer in women 40-70years of age with increasing risk reduction with age.
Purpose: This project evaluated “Treasure Your Chest”, a breast cancer screening program in a Community Health Center (CHC) to determine if the CHC met program goals of screening eligible women aged 50-74 yrs. during the given timeline. In addition to this, the purpose was also to identify perceived barriers to the breast screening program and process and to provide recommendations for future screening practices.