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History
The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute (UHI) was established in July 2000.
It receives core funding and support from virtually all the schools that
constitute The Johns Hopkins University. UHI was a principal recommendation
of the Urban Health Council, a group of community residents, clergy, local
leaders, business representatives, city officials, and faculty, staff, and
students from the Johns Hopkins Institutions. Dr. William Brody, president
of Johns Hopkins University, had charged the group with exploring ways that
the research, teaching, and clinical expertise of the university could be
better harnessed for the benefit of the residents of East Baltimore.
UHI operated under the interim directorship of Thomas P. O’Toole,
M.D., until June 2001 when Claude Earl Fox, MD, M.P.H. was appointed permanent
director. Since its establishment, UHI has engaged permanent and shared
staff, established its strategic vision, and initiated and completed projects.
Mission
The mission of UHI is to marshal the resources of the Johns Hopkins Institutions
as well as other, external resources to improve the health and well-being
of the residents of East Baltimore and Baltimore City and to promote evidence-based
interventions to solve urban health problems nationwide.
Goals
To accomplish its mission, UHI has established four principal goals:
Provide Economic Stimulus Through Training and Employment Assistance
Economic well-being and the health of residents go hand-in-hand. In order
to be economically viable, a community’s residents must be employed
in jobs that pay at least a living wage. To be employed, residents must
be trained to meet the needs of the job market. In its research, UHI has
found a wide range of training programs located in areas of Baltimore
and across Maryland. The most significant problem is that there are no
programs located where East Baltimore residents have easy access to them
and which are specifically designed to take advantage of the new biotech
park planned by Johns Hopkins and the other burgeoning industries in technology
and construction in Baltimore City.
UHI is playing analytic, planning, organizing,
and brokering roles. We are seeking and have already identified some successful
training programs that can be transferred or replicated in East Baltimore;
we are looking for physical plant space in areas that can accommodate
the training; and we are seeking funding to facilitate the merger of these
efforts with a community outreach component to advertise and attract participants.
Strengthen and Enhance Community-Based Research Partnerships
Johns Hopkins is one of the world’s great research centers. A key
element of the UHI strategic plan is to improve the relationship between
Johns Hopkins University and the community. In this goal we seek to accomplish
several ambitious objectives: to establish principles and processes for
community-based research that provide a clear map for researchers of what
they should incorporate into their work so that they enjoy an optimally
productive, mutually supportive relationship with the community; to develop
specific projects that match academic researchers with community organizations
on research projects that will provide new, significant insights and benefits
to the community; to enhance service learning curricula and service learning
opportunities in the community for faculty, staff, and students; to provide
a nationally accessible repository of research that can be referenced
for other research or for implementation; and to establish specific projects
that translate the results of academic research into practical projects
that benefit the community.
Enhance the Infrastructure of the Community
There is a considerable network of community-based organizations in East
Baltimore. They include both secular and religious organizations and range
from small one- and two-person operations that provide a limited amount
of service to a few clients to larger operations with considerable staff
and a broad service capability for many individuals. These community-based
organizations are the backbone of East Baltimore.
Under this goal UHI will serve as a broker
in three ways. First, we will help strengthen intra-community relations
by assisting the various organizations to get to know one another, enabling
them to take advantage of assets, share ideas, resources, and programs.
Second, we will facilitate assistance on common problems. For example,
if a number of small organizations need help in financial management,
UHI may be able to devise a solution where a single individual/organization
provides assistance to the group, thus helping facilitate operations while
taking advantage of economies of scale. Third, we will develop a definitive
picture of the legitimate issues, interests, and needs of community-based
organizations and help to broker meeting these needs.
Provide 100% Access to Health Care with No Disparities
Under this goal, UHI is enlisting a wide array of partners from the Johns
Hopkins Medical Institutions, other providers of care in the community,
state and city health departments, and other relevant players in the provision
of health care. In addition to conducting several short-term projects
to meet immediate needs, we are analyzing available data on the demographics
and the health care of the residents of East Baltimore and developing
a strategy with our partners to accomplish three primary objectives: to
maximize the enrollment of the target population in third party payment
programs; to ensure that those not eligible for third party payment have
the same access and treatment as those in third party plans; to ensure
that all individuals in East Baltimore have access to primary care, preventive
services, pharmaceuticals, and necessary specialty care.
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