Our Community Projects
Externally Funded Projects
| Project Name | FY 2004 | FY 2005 | FY 2006 | FY 2007 | FY 2008/09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Supply & Demand Study | $20,000 | ||||
| Cancer Control Program | $138, 181 | $138,500 | $139,760 | $104,800 | |
| Career Mapping Handbook** | $45,259 | $35,936 | $65,419 | ||
| Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention | $131,800 | ||||
| Death Scene Investigation (DSI) Project | $96,500 | $96,500 | $96,500 | $189,000 | $171,400 |
| SIDS (March of Dimes) | $20,000 | ||||
| MCH Needs Assessment | $230,800 | ||||
| S.M.A.R.T. Moms | $100,00 | $100,00 | $18,736 | ||
| TNIPH: TN Institue of Public Health | $127,669 | $54,300 | |||
| Tobacco Use Prevention Youth (STOP) | $175,000 | ||||
| Tobacco Use Prevention | $70,450 | $20,000 | $19,400 | $19,400 | |
| USET | $35,000 | ||||
| Folic Acid (March of Dimes) | $20,000 | $7,373 | |||
| Year Totals | $444,009 | $585,481 | $436,741 | $487,879 | $533,573 |
** This contract extended through 7/31/08; however there is no additional funding.
Career Mapping Project - The Center partners with the Middle Tennessee Workforce Investment Board, the Nashville Career Advancement Center, and the Tennessee Hospital Association to assist individuals interested in a health care career. The project provides information and resources for specific allied health and nursing careers and requirements for entry into those careers. The nine counties served are Davidson, Rutherford, Wilson, Robertson, Sumner, Cheatham, Williamson, Trousdale, and Dickson.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Cynthia Chafin, M.Ed., CHES
Death Scene Investigation Project - This initiative partners the Center, Continuing Education and Distance Learning, and Audio-Visual Services at MTSU with the state Medical Examiner and the Departments of Health and Children's Services to produce a statewide training program for investigating sudden unexpected infant and child death. The program has been developed for those who train first responders such as EMTs, police, and firefighters. In addition, the project provides updated SIDS and child fatality review data to public health and children's services staff.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Carol M Smith, M.A.
Good Health Looks Good - Folic Acid Every Day - Good Health Looks Good seeks to educate young adolescent women about the importance of folic acid and vitamin supplementation, and the role folic acid plays in the prevention of birth defects. The goals of the project are to increase the number of adolescent girls who are aware of the need for folic acid (400 mcg daily) and who take a folic acid supplement daily. Hispanics, African-Americans, and young women in rural regions have been targeted, as statistics show unfavorable birth outcomes for these groups, which may be improved through folic acid education and usage. March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter funds the project.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Cynthia Chafin, M.Ed., CHES
SIDS Education: Reducing Risk in Middle Tennessee - Funded by the March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter, this project provides SIDS risk reduction education to health department clients and to day care providers working in low-income communities. Training materials have been adapted from those developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, First Candle, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Carol M Smith, M.A.
Student Tobacco Outreach Prevention (STOP) - The Center is partnering with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Tennessee Department of Health in an effort to decrease the use of tobacco by high school students in nine Tennessee counties - Campbell, Cocke, Grundy, Hardeman, Johnson, Lake, Meigs, Union, and Wayne. The STOP Program, funded by the Department of Health through a grant to THEC, works in conjunction with other tobacco use prevention initiatives such as those introduced by the county Coordinated School Health office, the County Health Councils, and other programs supported by the State Tobacco Control Office. All STOP activities are evaluated for program effectiveness and will include student survey data on tobacco use practices and attitudes. STOP is administratively modeled after THEC's GEAR UP TN program, the goal of which is to increase the number of targeted students who complete high school and participate in higher education. The goals of GEAR UP TN and the STOP program are highly complementary, promoting educational attainment and better health choices. The University of Tennessee's Institute for Assessment and Evaluation, and East Tennessee State University's College of Public Health are also partners in this program. The goal of the coalition is to support county schools and local communities in establishing programs for tobacco use prevention and cessation among youth and their families.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Jill Thomas, B.A.
Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Project - The Center works with the Tennessee Department of Health to facilitate activities specific to the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan. The Plan is a comprehensive document outlining specific goals, objectives, and evaluation measurements to prevent and control cancer in Tennessee as determined by the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition (TCCC), a group of citizens and organizations including providers, medical centers, universities, researchers, and patient advocates. The Center recently assisted with forming five regional Cancer Coalitions which carry out many of the activities detailed in the Plan.
The Center has provided marketing/media activities as well as evaluation activities during various phases of the project.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Cynthia Chafin, M.Ed., CHES
Tennessee Institute of Public Health - Center Director Jo Edwards served as founding director of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health Institute (TNIPH) and was responsible for preliminary planning and development of the Institute. The TNIPH focuses on public health and higher education projects and research. She continues to serve as a consultant and board member.
Interim Public Health Institute Director (May 2006-December 2007): M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Projects Completed Between 2004-2007
Allied Health Report - The Center produces a report entitled Allied Health in Tennessee: A Supply and Demand Study, which examined the supply and demand for various health care personnel in the state. The first report was published in 1993, a second edition was produced in 2000, and the third and most current edition was completed in 2004. A new study will be published in 2009.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Child Lead Poisoning Prevention Program - The Tennessee Department of Health, through its grant with the Centers for Disease Control, contracted with the Center to evaluate the statewide Child Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
Completed June 2004.
Principal Investigator: Norman L. Weatherby, Ph.D., Health and Human Performance
Project Coordinator: Carol M Smith, M.A.
Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment (MCH) - This project focused on assessing the overall health and unmet needs of women and children throughout the state of Tennessee. Data collected include national and state statistical information, surveys of MCH professionals, and statewide focus groups with consumers of MCH services. Highlighted issues were content, timing, and availability of programs as well as health care disparities and perceived barriers to receiving services. The Center worked in partnership with the MTSU Sociology Department and the Tennessee Department of Health, which provided funding for this assessment. Completed June 2006.
Principal Investigator: Peter Heller, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator: Carol M Smith, M.A.
Smart Mothers Are Resisting Tobacco (S.M.A.R.T. Moms) - A program to promote smoking cessation among pregnant women throughout the state of Tennessee. Funded by the national March of Dimes office, this program partnered the Center with the Tennessee Chapter of the March of Dimes and the Tennessee Department of Health WIC offices throughout the state. Completed April 2006.
Principal Investigator: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinator: Cynthia Chafin, M.Ed., CHES
Tobacco Use Prevention in Mid-Cumberland - This project sought to reduce the initiation of tobacco use among youth, promote cessation of tobacco products among youth and adults, and decrease exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, with a primary focus on Tobacco-Free Schools. Funded by the Tennessee Department of Health, this project teamed Center staff with Rutherford County and Mid-Cumberland Region youth, schools, and youth-based organizations. To view the Guidelines for Creating Effective Tobacco-Free School Based Policies, click here. Completed June 2007.
Principal Investigators: M. Jo Edwards, Ed.D.
Project Coordinators: Freneka Minter Seay, Jacquie Kick, Freneka Minter, and Jill Thomas
Projects Completed Prior to 2004
Community Diabetes Control Program - This program was developed by the Primary Care and Hope Clinic (PCHC) in Murfreesboro, and focused on reaching the Hispanic community in Rutherford County. The Center, in partnership with the PCHC, the Rutherford County Wellness Council, the faith-based community, and the Kleervu Lunchroom restaurant, continued the program in 2002-2003. The Center developed a diabetes educational program for the African American community at high risk for diabetes. The Tennessee Department of Health funded this project. Completed June 2003.
Principal Investigator: Dianne A.R. Bartley, Ph.D, Health and Human Performance
South Africa Squatter Settlement Research - This project was administered through the MTSU Geography Department and included faculty from Geography, the Center for Health and Human Services, Health and Human Performance, Nursing, and Industrial Studies. Conducted by MTSU; the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa; and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, this 3-year initiative developed a sustainable environmental management program of informal settlements, and a health outreach program in HIV/AIDS prevention, both in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This research was funded by the Liaison Office for University Cooperation and Development, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the White House Education for Development and Democracy Initiative. Completed August 2002.
Principal Investigators: Hari P. Garbharran, Ph.D., Geography and Geology, M.Jo Edwards, Peggy O'Hara Murdock, Kathy Mathis, Maria Smith
Tobacco Use Prevention Among Minority Youth - This project focused on preventing the initiation of tobacco use among minority youth by promoting youth advocacy, empowerment, and public awareness campaigns. The Center partnered with the MTSU School of Mass Communication and with the faith-based community in Rutherford County, through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Health. Completed May 2003.
Principal Investigator: Teresa Mastin, Ph.D., Journalism
Contracts and Other Projects
Center for Health Resource Development - Center staff partnered with the Tennessee Hospital Association and the Tennessee Hospital Education and Research Foundation to launch the Center for Health Workforce Development (CHWD). The CHWD is designed to increase recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals and help ease the workforce shortage in the state. The CHWD is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Sciences Teacher Preparation - The Center Director serves on the Tennessee Department of Education Advisory Board for Health Sciences and Technology, which helps students in high and middle schools explore health career options.
Work Force Data Collaborative Project - The Center Director serves on this project, the function of which is to design a national database for allied health information, identify existing and planned data collection efforts, and develop needed study instruments. The project is administered by the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions and funded by the Bureau of Health Professions in the U.S. Public Health Service.