Danis CARES

Welcome to the PHASE (Promoting Health and Social Equity) Advocates elective. The goal of the Health Advocates Program is to empower families and enable Danis Pediatrics Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Childrens’ Hospital to further aid in the overall wellness of each child.

The project is a part of a $580,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health designed to create lasting connections between at-risk families and social resources. Approximately 10 to 20 medical, social work and public health students will work in the clinic each semester providing family advocacy and close follow-up to families in need. Due to the sensitive nature of these interactions, students will need careful training on cultural competency, empathy and motivational interviewing. The training will occur in 5-6 modules across the semesters during the designated elective Wednesdays. The modules include lectures, reflections, simulations and other interactive approaches. During the training period, advocates will also be directly working with families to practice skills learned in the modules

Overview of PHASE Advocates

As a PHASE Advocate, you will work with a clinical team at Danis Pediatrics to connect our many resource-insecure families to social resources such as food, diapers, and housing utilities. You will perform resource need assessments, referrals, and follow-up as needed. You will be trained on factors such as: social determinants of health, St. Louis-specific resources, rapport building, and shared-decision making. You will additionally participate in program quality improvement for long-term sustainability.

Team Members

Elective directors Drs. Josh Arthur and Gene LaBarge
Elective coordinator: Katrina Brown
- Behavioral Science and Health Education
- Salus Center, SSM; Cardinal Glennon
- katrina.s.brown@slu.edu, 314-268-4070
- Up to 10 first year students

Objectives

Engage directly with families in a clinical setting
Develop in-depth knowledge of resources available for high-risk families with social needs
Gain skills for empowerment building, motivational interviewing and empathy during a clinical encounter
Gain insight into the creation, coordination and analysis of a quality improvement research project in a clinical setting
Contribute to a PDSA cycle for sustainability of the health advocates program
Assist with monitoring program outcomes such as performance of the clinicâs social screening tools, family interactions resulting in an intervention, family follow-up and connections of families to resources

Preparation

Complete facesheet
Explore our Pediatric Student Education website including general pediatric onboarding and elective specific information
Obtain Electronic Health Record (EPIC) Access
- Complete training through a series of videos
- Review Pediatric Epic 101 presentation
Review Pediatric Advocacy Resources

Dress Code: White coat is not needed.

Coaching and Feedback

Elective students will be evaluated by the program coordinator and directors through reflection papers and assessment of ability to engage with families. Individual formative feedback will be provided by the program coordinator using surveys and observational skills.

Grading and Evaluation

Drs. Arthur and Labarge will assign a final grade (P/F)

Tips and Hints

We fully realize EPIC training is painful. Unfortunately it is out of our control. The good news is that you only have to go through it once. You are simply getting this task out of the way early!

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