Family and Community Medicine
Healthy Families
The Center for Healthy Families and Clinical Prevention
What is the Center for Healthy Families and Clinical Prevention?
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The Center for Healthy Families is an Innovative project that uses the multidisciplinary and collaborative team approach to address prevention and chronic disease; utilizing behavioral modification, stages of change, and group care. This clinical unit will examine communities, assess needs, and develop programs that will improve the quality of life for its citizens while following the governing principles of community health. In order to assess the health status of the community, a community diagnosis, community-based, community-owned process will be initiated. At the conclusion of a review of all data from the community diagnosis process, one (1) key health issue will be identified and targeted for intervention strategies. Additionally, model programs for two (2) predetermined health issues affecting the community and are consistent with healthy people 2010, obesity and tobacco abuse, will be implemented as well.
Multidisciplinary Team
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The Center for Healthy Families will pursue a collaborative team focus and approach that involves prevention and group care as well as an integrative model of care. It will consist of a social worker, nurse, behaviorist, nutritionists, family physicians, preventive medicine physicians, and residents.
- Roger Zoorob, MD, MPH
- Mohamad Sidani, MD, MS
- Courtney kihlberg, MD, MSPH
- Jamila Williams, MD, MPH
- Sylvie Akohoue, PhD
- Carol Ziegler, FNP
Health Promotions Programs
Smoking Cessation Program
Treating addiction requires behavioral and pharmacological therapy. People smoke for a number of reasons including relaxation, stress, cravings, or habits. The treatment for nicotine addiction usually involves behavioral, pharmacologic, and psychological therapies. For instance, habits warrant behavioral therapy and emotional reasons encourage the patient to work to develop coping skills before quitting. For these reasons, tobacco cessation programs need to have the involvement of addiction/health counselors, physicians or nurse practitioners, and psychologists. Our intervention program will perform an initial assessment to determine the stage of readiness. This will consist of a psychological assessment and level of dependency (Fagerstrom's questionnaire) and depression screening (Beck's Depression Inventory). We will ask participants to attend group sessions (12-15) meetings for 1-2 hrs every week for 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks x1. In addition we will provide educational materials that aid in smoking cessation, discussion sessions, and pharmacotherapy like Zyban and Nicotine patch/gum to aid in the quitting process. Follow up will be maintained up to a year to assess success rates or monitor relapses.
Weight Management
Treatment of the overweight or obese patient is a two-step process: assessment and management. Assessment requires determination of the degree of obesity and absolute risk status. Management includes weight control or reducing excess body weight and maintaining that weight loss as well as instituting other measures to control associated risk factors. This management will follow the guidelines of the Obesity Education Initiative (OEI) launched by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). All patients will have their BMI calculated. Those who are overweight (<=30) or obese (>=30) will be referred to the weight management program.
