The Access Project

Survey Methods for Community Health Data

Conference Report
Chicago, Illinois
July 1, 1999

By Tomás Alberto Avila

The Access Project Conference 1 Tomás Alberto Avila

This conference has been very productive and quite informative about the opportunities

CHisPA has, to become the defacto research institution in Rhode Island to advocate and

influence policy to benefit the Latino community. However this opportunities will not

materialize until CHisPA becomes a driver of the research rather than the follower of

other organizations and coalitions for minimal funding, but instead the organization takes

a leadership position and assumes control of the it's own research projects and policy

advocacy.

I bring the above observation to light, to reference my surprise conversation with Mr.

Riche Zamor, Regional Coordinator, the Access Project who inform me of his

organization's strong desire to work with CHisPA in a research partnership about the

Latino Community. This partnership according to Mr. Zamor, will consist of a

contractual agreement between CHisPA and the Access Project which will provide our

organization the opportunity to conduct research about the Latino community in

Providence, RI and publishing such research in a timely basis. In accordance with Mr.

Zamor's comments, although he has followed up with Victor & Luisa regarding this

opportunity, he hasn't been able to obtain an agreement from CHisPA to secure such

agreement and enter entertain the research opportunity.

I find it intriguing, that while this opportunity lingers in the air CHisPA is engage in the

execution of research and focus groups on behalf of Ocean State Action, in a probono

agreement rather than being the driver of such research. In my opinion, it's time that

CHisPA rise to the challenge and experiment with it's independence and proceed with an

agreement with the Access Project and develop an independent research project about the

Latino community in a systematic and timely manner and publish the results obtain from

The Access Project Conference 2 Tomás Alberto Avila

such research through the local media, the Access Project and CHisPA's national

partners. This venture will provide CHisPA the opportunity to reestablish itself it's

independence and credibility as a research and advocacy institution in the Latino

community and the community at large. This will also expose CHisPA to other available

funding sources interested in similar research projects.

As I sat in the conference, and listen to the different facilitators, I couldn't help but vision

the opportunities and benefits the Access Project represent for CHisPA. I foresee an

opportunity for CHisPA to establish itself as a reliable research institution, and becoming

a premier advocated and policy influencer on behalf of the Latino community. This

vision stems from the high caliber caliber researchers that will become available to the

organization through the project, which will establish influential relationships with

nationally acclaimed researchers and other influential institutions outside the state of

Rhode Island that will provide credibility to the organization's research projects and

publications.

The conference also provide me with the confidence to pursue Victor's vision of

establishing a Latino research institute in Rode Island, as it dispelled many myths

withheld in the community regarding research about a particular segment of a

community. It also reinforce the need for such institutions, by informing the participants

that the reason must surveys are done at the state level rather than the community level, is

because the funding for such studies are funded by the States, with Federal funding which

controls the type of research to be conducted, as well as the type of data outcome. In

order for any particular organization to obtain research results from their community,

they need to fund such research or do it themselves.

The Access Project Conference 3 Tomás Alberto Avila

Another benefit obtain from this conference, was the importance of publishing the results

of any research project undertaken, in order to inform the community of such results, as

well as establishing credibility within the community and the other institutions. Although

I was aware of this, the confidence that it provides me with is the knowledge that

regardless of how correct the outcome of the research, there will always be some one to

dispute such outcome. The solution to such challenges is through the publishing of all

instruments use in the research process, as well as he knowledge that the result we may

be seeking with the research will not be understood by someone else.

As part of this conference information, I believe that CHisPA need to reassess the

Promotoras program and refocus such program from continuing it's present status as step

sister to other local health organizations and develop it into a credible independent

institution that will work in alliance with other organizations and the future research

institute in outreaching to the Latino community on the behalf of CHisPA.

In order to accomplish this task, the Promotoras participants will need to become fluent
in English and Spanish in order to for them to avail themselves of the vast amounts of
information available in the English language, rather than receiving such information
second hand. This recommendations are made in order to expand CHisPA's benefits from
the Promotoras program as an asset in the community in reaching out to such community
for information about it's strengths and needs, so that we can reach out as an advocacy
and policy organization on behalf of the Latino community.

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