BREATHE LA TB Program at National TB Controllers Association Workshop

Co-Authored by Romesh Anketell and Pamina Bagchi this poster abstract has been accepted for presentation at the National TB Controllers Association Workshop 2008.

Los Angeles County TB Control Program: Collaborating with Community Groups to Organize and Present a Successful World TB Day Symposium

Background -Statement of the Problem:

For several years, the Los Angeles County (LAC) Tuberculosis Control Program (TBCP) has been forging partnerships with community-based organizations serving populations at high-risk for tuberculosis (TB), such as African American, HIV/AIDS, homeless, immigrant, and substance abusing populations. These partnerships led to the establishment of the TB Coalition of LAC in 2006. The World TB Day planning committee, carved out of this Coalition, planned a half-day symposium for this year's World TB Day commemoration with the theme: "I am stopping TB - A Disease without Borders."

Methods:

The LAC TBCP and the TB Coalition engaged in extensive outreach to involve participants in World TB Day that would most benefit from increased education and awareness about TB in LAC. Due to the increasing percentage of foreign-born TB cases in Los Angeles, a concerted effort was made to target organizations and community leaders working with recent immigrant populations, especially those from high-prevalence parts of the world. The purpose of the World TB Day Forum was to educate these community leaders about TB so they could take an active role in TB education and prevention within their communities. Community leaders included those from cultural, educational, healthcare, political, and religious organizations.

Results:

The World TB Day Forum took place on Saturday, March 15, 2008 from 9 AM to 12 PM. Over 115 people, representing 55 organizations, attended the Forum, which began with a keynote address by California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas. The program included an educational presentation on TB, as well as a TB patient testimonial. A panel of experts discussed cultural myths surrounding TB among the following high-risk groups in LAC: African-Americans, Latinos, South Asians and Southeast Asians. A panel of providers then discussed services available to those with TB. The program concluded with a discussion on advocacy and what each participant could do to help in the fight against TB. As a follow-up to the Forum, the director and a nurse consultant, both representing LAC TBCP, appeared on a television show entitled Pacesetters which aired on KTLA on April 6, 2008.

Conclusion:

The LAC World TB Day Forum was successful in employing a community-based participatory approach to informing and galvanizing community leaders representing high-risk communities about the continuing importance of TB and the need to take an assertive approach in fighting the disease. Many participants, by signing letters drafted by a key community partner, were mobilized to educate decision-makers about the potentially devastating impact of funding cuts and the disruption of the TB Control public health infrastructure.

Chhandasi P. Bagchi, MPH; Robert Miodovski, MPH; Annette T. Nitta, MD; Romesh Anketell, MPH Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Tuberculosis Control Program, Los Angeles, CA Breathe California of Los Angeles County (BREATHE LA), Los Angeles, CA