MARKETPLACE OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR 2022! (NOV. 1st – JAN. 15th)
Date 30 November 2021
Immigration Status?
Green Card?
Employment Authorization?
F1 or F2?
Need Health Insurance?
Applying for the first time?
Already enrolled and want to renew for next year?
Do you need help to find the best plan for the doctor, medications and hospital you want?
Our Access to Care staff can you help you with your application and health plan!
Call (630) 517-0598 to book your appointment.
SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS
Date 6 October 2021
Thank you all for attending the 2nd National Mosque-PCOR Event!
This multi-stakeholder symposium aims to demonstrate and build upon the adoption of the Mosque-PCOR Toolkit through the Community Health Worker channel. This is the second national Mosque-PCOR event that highlights the Muslim community efforts in establishing a culture of engagement for patient-centered outcomes research. The first event in October 2019 introduced PCOR concepts to combat health disparities and delivered a Mosque-based PCOR toolkit for stakeholders. Since then, the Mosque-PCOR toolkit has been disseminated through community health workers and adopted by the first-ever Patient-Centered Free and Charitable Clinic. Today, our symposium presents the implementation essence of the one-year PCORI funded project, Equipping Muslims with PCOR-Based, Action-Oriented Research Tool (EMPART), by bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders representing and elaborating on the universal applicability of this tool.
Symposium Agenda:
ACA Pushes the Bar in Favor of Patient Centeredness
An Asset-Based Approach to Train Community Health Workers in Faith Communities
Adopting a Faith-Based PCOR Toolkit to Maximize Health Outcomes in Free Clinics
PCOR Leaders in Mosque-Communities
Mosque-PCOR Toolkit: A Framework to Community Health Programming in Mosque-Communities
Leaders Roundtable with PCOR Program Officer
Exploring Patient-Centeredness in Faith Communities (9 CMEs/CEUs)
Date 11 September 2021
Taking Community Health Beyond CBPR
This multi-stakeholder symposium aims to demonstrate and build upon the adoption of the Mosque-PCOR Toolkit through the Community Health Worker channel. This is the second national Mosque-PCOR event that highlights Muslim community efforts in establishing a culture of engagement for patient-centered outcomes research. The first event in October 2019 discussed PCOR concepts to combat health disparities and delivered a Mosque-based PCOR toolkit for stakeholders. Since then, the Mosque-PCOR toolkit has been disseminated through community health workers and adopted by the first-ever Patient-Centered Free and Charitable Clinic. Today, our symposium presents the implementation essence of the one-year PCORI funded project, Equipping Muslims with PCOR-Based, Action-Oriented Research Tool (EMPART), by bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders representing and elaborating on the universal applicability of this tool.
Dedication:
This event is being dedicated to one of the most eminent human figures, Syeddinah Hazrat Bilal ibn Rabbah, who lived around the 6th century, and was born into slavery but came to symbolize, what we call in today’s terms, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
REGISTER FOR SYMPOSIUM: Exploring Patient-Centeredness in Faith Communities
DAY 1
Friday, September 17th, 2021
10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Session 1: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
ACA Pushes the Bar in Favor of Patient-Centeredness – 1 CME/CEU
Presenters: Margaret Dombrowski, MPH; Fatema Mirza, MBA, PMP
This session outlines the inception of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and related initiatives under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation which separated community-based participatory research and patient outcomes research. Both disciplines are compared in the contexts of social determinants of health and the presenters explore how patient-centeredness tools help patients and caregivers make better informed healthcare decisions. This presentation further highlights the interconnectedness of patient-centeredness and outcomes research concepts with the discipline of Translational Sciences, related initiatives under the aegis of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), and patient-centeredness’ value for capacity building to engage diverse stakeholders for outcomes research opportunities. The session concludes with the introduction of the PCORI funded project, Engaging Muslims American for Research on Community Health, EMARCH.
Session 2: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
An Asset-Based Approach to Train Community Health Workers in Faith Communities – 1.5 CME/CEU
Presenter: Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D.
This session summarizes the use of the asset-based approach in the PCORI funded project, Equipping Muslims with PCOR-Based, Action Oriented Tools, EMPART. Specifically, Dr. Johnson will describe a Faith-Based Community Health Worker Training program where 10 CHWs were trained to perform community outreach in a virtual environment during the pandemic lockdowns to empower communities to make informed choices. Dr. Johnson explores in depth the concept of “research” in community context and introduces patient and caregiver engagement strategies to amplify their voices. Dr .Johnson will further elucidate what an Asset-Based approach to community health work is and how it is currently being used by several PCORI engagement award recipients to fulfill the need for patient-centered programming in faith-communities. This model was successfully employed to develop the Mosque-PCOR Community Health Worker Training program.
Session 3: 2:10 pm – 2:30 pm
Dedication, Supplication, and Acknowledgements
Presenter: Muhammad Saif Ullah, MPH
Due to the special significance of Friday prayers and supplications for Muslims, this time is being used to formally dedicate this project to Hazrat Bilal Ibn Rabbah (RA). This will be followed by acknowledging community members who were involved and contributed their efforts and time to the EMPART projects and for the wellbeing of the mosque-communities and its stakeholders, and the offering of supplications for them and our communities.
Session 4: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Adopting a Faith-Based PCOR Toolkit to Maximize Health Outcomes in Free Clinics – 1.5 CMEs/CEUs
Presenters: Fatema Mirza, Dr. Roxanne Smith, MD.
This session presents a working model for clinicians and healthcare care administrators for setting up Free and Charitable Clinics in underserved communities through the establishment of partnerships with local healthcare providers by exercising PCORI engagement principles. This session explores the dynamics of formulating reciprocal relationships with patients, caregivers, and local CBOs by examining their interests and needs that fosters shared decision making, seeks opportunities for co-learning and sets up examples of transparency and honesty to develop the needed trust for a high-performance healthcare system. The model banks on the specially trained Mosque-PCOR Community Health Workers with their asset-based approach to support patient choices.
Dr. Smith will share her reflections on patient-centered clinical practices from the perspective of a physician and program director of a Family Practice residency program, as her team caters to a diverse new immigrant population with multiple determinants of their wellbeing. CHWs trained in Faith-Based PCOR methods have been valuable connectors supporting patient and caregivers needs and preferences, which is expected to translate into a positive impact on health disparities.
DAY 2
Saturday, September 18th, 2021
11:00 am – 4:30 pm
Session 5: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
PCOR Leaders in Mosque-Communities 1.0 CMEs/CEUs
Moderator: Sondos Al Sad, MD
Faith-based PCOR Researchers have been working in Mosque communities across the US since 2016 identifying ways to bring patient-centeredness to mosque-community health programming. The first PCORI funded mosque community project generated the Mosque-PCOR toolkit in 2018 for community health stakeholders to design and conduct health programming specific for mosque-setting. Since then, the mosque-community stakeholders have utilized the toolkit didactics to successfully engage community stakeholders to enhance patient voices in their communities.
This workshop-style session will have presenters from diverse backgrounds sharing their understanding of PCOR and experiences about the application of its tools to generate and enhance outcomes of their projects. These presentations will be preceded by a moderated discussion to facilitate a practical understanding of the implementation and adoption of PCOR tools by faith communities, particularly Muslim communities.
Session 6: 12:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Mosque-PCOR Toolkit: A Framework for Community Health Programming in Mosque Communities 1.5 CMEs/CEUs
Presenters: Aasim Padela, MD, M.Sc.
Presentation will describe the “Muslim” dimension of patient-centered research, explain the components and framework of Mosque-PCOR toolkit, and describes PCOR lifecycle and contrasts with project life cycle. Audiences will learn to design strategies to engage and recruit patients and community stakeholders within the mosque-communities and develop or participate in planning, conducting, and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research projects to tackle Muslim health disparities.
Session 7: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Leaders Roundtable with PCOR Program Officer – 2 CMEs/CEUs
A PCORI Program Officer will present an overview of the organization, its philosophy, operations, type of research projects, and its funding portfolios. She will discuss the PCORI National Priorities and engage the panel in a facilitated discussion providing feedback on incorporating these priorities with health programing in mosque-community. Dr. Aasim Padela will moderate and facilitate the discussion with community leaders to better engage diverse stakeholders in communities.
Last Health Equity Townhall Series! (4 of 4)
Date 23 August 2021
Role of health research in Patient-Centered Engagements
Post COVID-19 Pandemic
Join us to discuss: Promoting health research programs to reduce the life expectancy gap using the Mosque-PCOR Toolkit.
When: August 31st from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: Virtual
Watch our townhall!
Slide Deck
Health Equity Townhall Series! (3 of 4)
Date 23 August 2021
Role of Free Clinics in Patient-Centered Engagements
Post COVID-19 Pandemic
Join us to discuss on how faith-based free clinics can help with vaccine hesitancy to improve COVID-19 vaccine rates
Slide Deck
Health Equity Townhall Series! (2 of 4)
Date 23 August 2021
Role of Patients in Patient-Centered Engagements
Post COVID-19
Join us to discuss on how to become a Patient Partner by understanding health care treatment options in post COVID-19 pandemic.
Slide Deck
Health Equity Townhall Series! (1 of 4)
Date 23 August 2021
Role of Patient-Centered Engagements
Post COVID-19
Join us as we explore ways to establish health programs for mental and social well-being within the mosque communities.
Slide Deck
SUPPORT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITIES!
Date 16 June 2021
Worry Free Community would like to share a special event for you to participate in and promote Muslim-focus health outcomes research. Specifically, we welcome your support for, and invite you to participate in, our virtual town halls, “Health Equity Town Halls.”
EMPART Background
Muslim communities remain on the margins of community health interventions due to deficiencies in knowledge, tools and networks necessary for mosque community leaders to effectively launch, and partner in, health research programs and initiatives. The EMPART Project is a community health research project that aims to engage stakeholders to reduce life expectancy gaps in mosques communities by strengthening their community-based patient-centered projects through the Mosque Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) Toolkit.
Town Hall Origins
A cohort of trained community health and social workers, mosque communities and patient representatives have been actively participating in an 12 month research to incorporate the mosque PCOR Toolkit to mosque communities and to set the agenda for Muslim-focused patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). The toolkit will create a platform for stakeholders to discuss Muslim community health problems, dynamics and solutions using patient-centered methods in a faith-based community setting.
Health Equity Town Hall Series Dates:
Muslim Association of Bolingbrook
July 15th: 11am-1pm
Muslim Society Inc.:
July 24th: 2pm-4pm
Al-Nahda Center:
August 8th: 2pm-4pm
August 31st: 4:30pm-6:30pm
REGISTER HERE
PayPal
Register for Town Halls
VACCINE EVENT IN WORTH, IL
Date 29 April 2021
REGISTER TO SIGN UP FOR VACCINES!
REGISTER HERE: https://form.jotform.com/211176544803150
Vaccine-Clinic-at-Al-Nahda Subject Matter Experts: Introductory Meeting
Date 6 April 2021
Recording of the meeting
How To Register for COVID Vaccine
