Community Partners In Care receives 2015 CCPH Annual Award
A collaborative research project has been recognized for its work finding ways to improve depression care in vulnerable populations.
Community Partners in Care (CPIC), a collaborative project involving several UCLA researchers, including FSPH faculty members Kenneth Wells (Health Policy and Management) and Thomas Belin (Biostatistics), has been awarded the 2015 Annual Award by the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH). The award recognizes outstanding health partnerships in North America and was given to CPIC for its academic and community approach to finding ways to reduce the burden that clinical depression places on communities and vulnerable populations.
CPIC, which works primarily in the communities of South Los Angeles and Hollywood-Metro LA, aims to bridge the gap in depression care, especially in primary care settings, "because public services agencies prioritize more severe illnesses, and access to care for depression can be challenging in underserved communities," according to the CPIC website.
Highlighting "the power and potential of partnerships between communities and academic institutions as a strategy for social justice and health equity," reviewers who chose CPIC for the award overwhelmingly praised the organization for its breadth and depth of partnership, and the excellent modeling used in joining of randomized clinical trial methodology, community-partnered participatory research and community-based participatory research. According to a CCPH press release:
One reviewer remarked, “The decision making appears to be done equitably, including decisions regarding their fiscal allocations.” Another reviewer lauded the excellent, wide range of partnership strategies Community Partners in Care initiated working through conflict among partners. Finally, the clear and definable examples of capacity building appeared central to the partnership in developing their structure and through the process they used to generate evidence-based decision making, practices, and outcome impacts in mental health in communities.
CCPH Associate Director Faye Ziegeweid presented the award at the C2U Expo in Ottawa, Canada on May 27. Accepting the award on behalf of the partnership were Dr. Bowen Chung is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Loretta Jones, founder and CEO of Healthy African American Families, a non-profit CPIC partner.
In her remarks presenting the award, Ziegeweid said, "I am honored to introduce this year’s award recipient. Their partnership embodies the CCPH Principles of Partnership and has created change lasting well beyond a single process or event."
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