Research Collaboratives

People’s Health Centers is incorporating research into our community practice. We partner with government agencies, teaching institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and private foundations in important clinical research programs. All these collaboratives support our commitment to improve health outcomes for medically underserved people. They’re also part of our effort to surpass the health objectives set out in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Healthy People 2010 prevention agenda, which aims to eliminate racial/ethnic health disparities by 2010.M

Health Disparities Collaborative

The Bureau of Primary Health Care’s innovative Health Disparities Collaborative is a national effort developed to improve health care and to eliminate health disparities by transforming the way organizations deliver care. The program allows us to use national best practice improvement guidelines as targets for our patients — and to monitor our performance. People’s Health Centers is currently involved in Health Disparities Collaboratives for patients with:

* Asthma
* Cancer Screening
* Cholesterol
* Congestive Heart Failure
* Diabetes
* Hypertension

As part of this Health Disparities Collaborative, People’s Health Centers is using Patient Electronic Care System (PECS) software that links to a multi-disease clinical registry used to collect data and provide patient care guidance.

CDC Periodontal Disease Pilot Project

Uncontrolled diabetes is a significant risk factor in the etiology of periodontal disease. It has been established that people with diabetes are more prone to developing periodontal disease, but new research suggests that periodontal disease may be a risk factor in developing diabetes. In Missouri, 7.8% of African American adults have diagnosed diabetes, compared to 5.4% of white persons. This project targets patients at People's Health Centers with Diabetes to ensure that their oral health is monitored consecutively as their Diabetes.

On Target/Transcend

People’s Health Centers is participating in On Target/Transcend, an international study for patients with heart disease, stroke, poor circulation, or diabetes. This study is comparing the medications Ramipril and Telmisartan as well as a combination of the two in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. The goal is to reduce cardiac morbidity and mortality.

Sharing the Care Prescription Program

Funded by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc., the National Association of Community Health Centers has developed a strategic partnership through a Sharing the Care Program. Pfizer provides its entire line of single source drugs free of charge to People’s Health Centers patients who are at or below 100% of poverty and who are pharmaceutically uninsured.