Community Projects/Research

Project Opportunities

• Arkansas Department of Health/Central Public Health Region

• Boys, Girls, Adults, Community Development Center, Inc.

• Future Builders, Inc.

• La Casa 

• Pulaski County Office of Juvenile Services

• Walnut Street Works

• We Care of Pulaski County, Inc.

Project Opportunities at the Arkansas Department of Health/Central Public Health Region

The Arkansas Department of Health/Central Region has a variety of preceptorship or integration project opportunities, for one or more students:

 ·       Collaborate with various, diverse communities in the design and implementation of specific programs that increase the percentage of juveniles who are active at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes.

 ·       Collaborate with community members to develop and implement specific programs that increase the percentage of adults who exercise at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes.

 ·       Collaborate with community stakeholders in the development and implementation of specific programs that reduce the percentage of obese adults/children.

 ·       Collaborate with community members in reducing the percentage of adults/juveniles who smoke.

 ·       Work with local Hometown Health Improvement leaders in the development of an annual report on the various aspects of the ADH/Central Public Health Region, including clinical services, administration, budget, and funding from federal, state, and local sources. It would serve as a reference for quorum courts, other policy makers, and the general public.

 ·       Participate in the development and implementation of a community health survey to reach the sector of the population most affected by burden of disease. A student would have the opportunity to design a simplified instrument, based upon the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.

 ·       Participation in developing and implementing a nutrition and body weight/obesity campaign for local communities that would include creation of a community resource directory or update to the local resources directory.

For more information, contact:

Carla Sparks, COPH-community liaison, (501-526-6603), or

Hometown Health Improvement
Arkansas Department of Health/Central Public Health Region
Darrell Montgomery, HHI leader
5800 West 10^th Street, Suite 907
Little Rock, AR 72204
Office: 501-280-4963
Cell: 501-626-2196
Fax: 501-280-4999
dmontgomery@healthyarkansas.com

Project Opportunities at Boys, Girls, Adults, Community Development Center, Inc.

The BGACDC in Marvell, Arkansas, provides programs and services related to adult education, early childhood and development, housing, parenting, health care and economic development for the low- and moderate-income residents of the Marvell School District in Phillips County in the Delta region.

The BGACDC has a variety of opportunities for preceptorship and integration projects, some of which may require more than one student or more than one semester to complete. Students would:

• Develop and evaluate an academic/school attendance program for families that have not produced a high school graduate in several generations.

• Design and implement an evaluation of BGACDC’s impact on housing, education, and leadership development in the 40-55 age group.

• Develop an instrument parents and children can use to track fried food intake, with the goal being reduction of fried foods.

For more information contact:
Freeman McKindra, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6602), or

BGACDC
Beatrice Clark Shelby
P.O. Box 1356
Marvell, AR 72366
Phone: 870-829-3274
Fax: 870-829-2282
bgacdc@cox-internet.com 

Project Opportunities at Future Builders, Inc.

Future Builders is a grassroots organization based in Wrightsville whose mission is empowering community members to become self-sufficient through education, training, and mobilization.  It provides services to communities in east Pulaski County as well as HIV prevention programs in Pulaski, Jefferson, Miller, Union, and Little River counties.

These opportunities for student preceptorship or integration projects may take longer than one semester or may require involvement of more than one student:

• Grant writer/fundraiser for HIV services

• Participant in the development, implementation and evaluation of an HIV prevention program.

For more information contact:
Carla Sparks, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6603), or

Future Builders, Inc.
Rick Collins, co-executive director
P.O. Box 127
Wrightsville, Arkansas 72183
Phone: 501-897-5566
Fax: 501-897-5568
fbrcollins@aol.com

or

Linder Conley, co-executive director
LinderConley@aol.com

Project Opportunities at La Casa 

La Casa is located in southwest Pulaski County and serves the growing Latino community. La Casa is a source of health and social assistance information and conducts surveys, health fairs and other health education events. It is the base for a smoke-free coalition and produces a weekly Spanish radio show focused on health promotion.

La Casa offers these preceptorship or integration project opportunities:

• Survey of tobacco usage and health status of Latinos in Central Arkansas

• Assessment of the public health needs of Latinos in Central Arkansas

• Assessment of the relationship between acculturation level and health status for Latinos in Arkansas.

For more information contact:
Carla Sparks, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6603), or

La Casa
Cesar Compadre/Rosa Pippin
6911 Geyer Springs Road
Little Rock, AR 72209
501-664-3500
saludhispana@sbcglobal.net

Project Opportunities at Pulaski County Office of Juvenile Services

The Pulaski County Office of Juvenile Services provides positive alternatives to at-risk youth ages 6 to 18 in economically depressed neighborhoods throughout Pulaski County and has operated Our Club programs for youth for 1o years.

The organization needs a student to conduct an in-depth evaluation of its services’ effectiveness in meeting the needs of youth and their communities and the requirements of the organization’s policies and procedures. Potential   preceptorship or integration project activities would include:

• Development of an evaluation plan and timeline

• Considerable fieldwork involving interviews with staff, youth and possibly with parents.

For more information contact:
Carla Sparks, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6603), or

Pulaski County Office of Juvenile Services
Tonya Y. Willingham
201 S. Broadway
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-340-8252
Fax: 501-340-8259
twillingham@co.pulaski.ar.us

Project Opportunities at Walnut Street Works

Walnut Street Works and its affiliates, the Tri-County Rural Health Network and Habitat for Humanity, serve communities in Phillips, Monroe, and Lee counties through programs that address health care, affordable housing, racial disparities, and community empowerment.

Walnut Street Works has several opportunities for preceptorship or integration projects. The organization would like students to help with:

• Documenting the correlation between poverty and health statistics in Lee, Monroe, and Phillips counties of Arkansas.

• Reviewing all program activities for Walnut Street Works, Inc., Tri-County Rural Health Network, and Habitat for Humanity of Phillips County, Inc. 

• Documenting the effects of programs on the community and individuals.

• Assisting in determining ways that programs help community members be more proactive about their health.

• Assisting in development of a plan that targets individual health behaviors within a community context of poverty and racial disparities.

• Producing a publishable paper for each of the nonprofits.

For more information contact:
Freeman McKindra, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6602), or

Walnut Street Works
Naomi Cottoms, president, or

Dr. Mary Olson
419 Cherry
Helena, AR 72342
870-338-8900

Project Opportunities at We Care of Pulaski County, Inc.

We Care is a community development organization in southeast Pulaski County. It provides programs for youth that include after-school care, tutoring, tobacco prevention, and summer recreation, as well as other services to the communities of Higgins, College Station, Sweet Home, Hensley, Wrightsville, and Woodson.

We Care offers a variety of preceptorship or integration project opportunities:

• Program evaluation: Identify indicators of program effectiveness to determine how programs may be improved or expanded.

• Youth development: Assess youth needs and assets; plan summer youth program.

• Community gardens: Determine community garden impact and community development opportunities.

• Identify and write grants: Identify and develop funding opportunities and grants to support program interests, additions, expansions and improvements.

• Facilities: Assess community needs and assets; plan comprehensive enhancement and development; identify resources to support facility development, operation and related community activities.

• Code enforcement: Develop survey to assess extent and impact of abandoned properties; identify and facilitate community process for developing and writing codes and securing legislative approval.

• Southeast Pulaski County Hometown Health Coalition: Participate in the activities of these work groups:

  • Health and social well-being

  • Physical infrastructure and environment

  • Safety, crime and transportation

  • Business, economics and education

For more information contact:
Carla Sparks, COPH-community liaison (501-526-6603), or

We Care of Pulaski County, Inc.
Patricia Jackson
P.O. Box 208
Wrightsville, AR 72183
501-897-5096
wecare@aristotle.net