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TWO DECADES OF RESEARCH

Caring Health Center (CHC) has collaborated on federally-funded research projects for over two decades. Since 2007, CHC has sustained an on-site, staffed research department and has completed two National Institute of Health-R01 studies. Based on its history, CHC’s research department and collaborators have expertise in mixed method, interdisciplinary and practice-based approaches to community-responsive research.

CHC’s Research Model:

    • Research topics align with CHC’s mission and vision;
    • Research topics emerge from observations, questions, concerns, and trends identified by CHC’s staff, patients, providers and community;
    • All research projects are reviewed by an internal grants committee and by Caring Health Center’s 51% consumer-led board of directors to ensure agency and patient buy-in and support of the health center.
    • As with all CHC staffing, research teams aim to reflect the patients and populations served;
    • Research projects respect patients’ general privacy, autonomy, medical confidentiality, and overall well-being;
    • Findings result in Action-oriented, Culturally appropriate, Translational, Sustainable (ACTS) practice improvements, interventions, policy, and dissemination.
    • Existing research aims to inform ACTS as well as next steps in research and public health programming.
Dr. Cristina Huebner Torres
Chief Research & Population Health Officer, Dr. Cristina Huebner Torres, emphasized that, “key aims of the RPH department’s work are to address individual and systems-level factors to reduce health disparities and to ensure the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.” To address these barriers to care, the RPH department is focused primarily on social determinants of health, population health, and health equity as they shape chronic illness prevention and management among ethnically diverse, urban, and low income populations.
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Mission

The mission of Caring Health Center is to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity through providing accessible, value-driven healthcare for diverse, multi-ethnic communities in Western Massachusetts.

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DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH POPULATION HEALTH PROGRAMS (RPH)

RPH aims to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity through community-responsive research, leveraging population health
 data to inform practice improvements, offering public health programming, and supporting initiatives that 
create linkages between patients, health center services, and community resources.

Findings from Continuous Quality Improvement, Population Health, and Research are used to inform action-oriented, culturally appropriate, translational, sustainable (ACTS) practice improvements, interventions, policy, and dissemination.

Research emerges from community

Research emerges from community 
and informs the development and
 integration of:
Action-oriented/Applied,
Culturally Meaningful,
Translations/Transformative, and
Sustainable (ACTS) Interventions.

Our Impact

Caring Health Center delivers comprehensive health care to the greater Springfield community that directly addresses inequities and promotes health equity and engenders change. 

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Programs & Partnerships

The goal of population health management is to provide quality patient care, reduce healthcare costs, and support patients in reaching their optimal state of health by identifying and addressing disparities.

Activities related to population health management include:

    • The collection and analysis of population health data (such as disease outcome data and emergency room utilization) to identify areas of support for patients.
    • Collaboration with departments across the health center to ensure goals related to Patient Centered Medical Home are met.
    • Facilitation of ongoing Quality Improvement Initiatives across the health center.
    • Data and information sharing and reporting initiatives.

For questions related to Population Health programs and partnerships, please contact Cristina Huebner Torres, PhD, MA Chief Research & Population Health Officer at chuebnertorres@caringhealth.org or 413-739-1100.

Publications & Resources

Publications

 

      • Gold R, Kaufmann J, Gottlieb LM, Weiner SJ, Hoopes M, Gemelas JC, Torres CH, Cottrell
          • EK, Hessler D, Marino M, Sheppler CR, Berkowitz SA. Cross-Sectional Associations: Social Risks
            and Diabetes Care Quality, Outcomes. Am J Prev Med. 2022 May 3:S0749-3797(22)00167-2. doi:
            10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.011. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35523696.
      • Lee RM, Handunge VL, Augenbraun SL, Nguyen H, Torres CH, Ruiz A, Emmons KM; RADx
          • -MA Research Partnership. Addressing COVID-19 Testing Inequities Among Underserved
            Populations in Massachusetts: A Rapid Qualitative Exploration of Health Center Staff, Partner, and
            Resident Perceptions. Front Public Health. 2022 Mar 24;10:838544. doi:
            10.3389/fpubh.2022.838544. PMID: 35400042; PMCID: PMC8987278.
      • Pirraglia P, Huebner Torres C, Collins J, Garb J, Kent M, McAdoo Perez S, Oloruntola-Coates
          • Y, Smith JM, Thomas a. 2021. COVID-19 Mitigation for High Risk Populations In Springfield
            Massachusetts USA: a health systems approach. International Journal for Health Equity
            20(1):230.doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01567-3. PMID: 34666781; PMCID: PMC8525052.
      • S.J. Shaw, J.D. Korchmaros, C. Huebner Torres, M.S. Totman, J.K. Lee. 2019. The RxHL Study:
          • Community Responsive Research to Explore Barriers to Medication Adherence. Health Education
            Research             34(6): 556–568. PMCID: PMC6878947
      • Lee JK, Shaw SJ, Huebner Torres CI, Korchmaros JD, Totman M. Creative Partnership to Assess Health
          • Beliefs, Health Literacy and Medication Adherence Among Ethnically Diverse Populations. Am J
            Pharm Educ.             2016;80(5), Article S2:102-103.
      • Armin, J, Huebner Torres, C., Vivian, J., Vergara, C., and Shaw, S. (2014). Breast self-examination
          • beliefs and practices, ethnicity and health literacy: Implications for health education to reduce
            disparities. Health Education Journal.
      • Shaw SJ, Armin J, Huebner Torres, C, Orzeck KM, Vivian J. Chronic disease self-management and
          • health literacy in four ethnic groups. Journal of health communication. 2012; 17(3):67-81.PMCID:
            PMC3615891.
      • Orzech, K.M., Huebner Torres, C.I., Armin, J., Vivian, J., Shaw, S.J. (2011). Diet and exercise
          • adherence and practices among medically underserved patients with chronic disease: variation across
            four ethnic groups. Health Education & Behavior, 40(1), 56-66.
      • Shaw, S.J., Vivian, J., Orzech, K.M., Huebner Torres, C.I., Armin, J. (2011). Consistency in attitudes
          • across cancer screenings in medically underserved minority populations. Journal of Cancer
            Education            , 27(1), 165-171.
      • Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Orzech, K., Armin, J. (2008) The role of culture in health literacy &
          • chronic disease screening and management. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
            11(6):460-468.
          •  

Local, State and National Conference Presentations

 
      • Knowledge to Practice: Dr. Cristina Huebner Torres [interview].
          • Massachusetts League of Community Health Center’s (MLCHC) Institute for Health Equity (IHE). October 3, 2023.
      • Huebner Torres C, Gold R, Kaufman J, Marino M, Hoopes M, Totman M, Aceves B, Gottlieb L.
          • Cross-sectional assessment of racial, ethnic, and language equity in social risk screening and results in community health center patients. 2022 Social Interventions Research & Evaluation Network (SIREN) National Research Meeting: Racial Health Equity in Social Care. Digital conference September 15, 27 and October 12, 2022.
      • Huebner Torres C, Haneuse S, et al. Addressing Equity by Centering the Role of FQHC Leadership in
          • Research. Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ Annual Community Health Institute (CHI). May 11-13,2022, Falmouth, MA.
      • Bierer B, Nguyen H, Gupta P, Huebner Torres C. RADx-MA: Developing Sustainable Equity-Centered
          • COVID-19 Testing Approaches. Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ Annual Community Health Institute (CHI). Panel presentation. May 11-13,2022, Falmouth, MA.
      • Totman M, Hayes C, Ruth B, Huebner Torres C. Integration and Sustainability of Interdisciplinary
          • Chronic Disease Management at an FQHC. Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ Annual Community Health Institute (CHI). Panel presentation. May 11-13,2022, Falmouth, MA.
      • Huebner Torres C, Gold R, Marino M, et al. Race, Ethnicity and Language Disparities in Social Risk
          • Screening and Results Among CHC Patients with Cardiometabolic Disease. 13th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation. Digital conference December 15-18, 2020.
      • Pirraglia P, Huebner Torres C, Szegda K, Robinson F, Balder A, Lindenauer P. Developing a Strategic
        • Plan for Community Based Research in Springfield. Center for Clinical and Translational Science: Community Engagement and Collaboration Core. Fall 2020 Webinar Series.
      • Nielsen V, Huebner Torres C. Making the case for reimbursement: A pilot study linking CHWs to
          • improve health outcomes using electronic medical record data. 2018. APHA. Accepted. Round Table.
      • Nielsen V, Huebner Torres C. 2018. Community Health Workers & Electronic Medical Records: Access,
          • Meaningful Use, and Patient Health Outcomes. CHW Annual Conference.
      • Huebner Torres, C., Korchmaros, J., Lee, JK, Totman, M, Shaw, S.J. Association between food
          • insecurity and medication adherence among low-income patients with chronic disease at a community health center. Accepted for oral presentation at the Society for Epidemiologic Research, Seattle, WA, 6/23/2017.
      • Huebner Torres, C.I., Korchmaros, J., Lee, J.K., Totman, M., and Shaw, S. Association between Health
          • literacy, medication adherence and chronic disease control among diverse, low-income patients with hypertension at a community health center. Accepted for poster presentation at the Health Literacy Annual Research Conference, Baltimore, MD, 10/2016.
      • Huebner Torres, C.I., Korchmaros, J., Lee, J.K., Totman, M., Dhakal, S., Hilton, A., and Shaw, S.
          • Association between social stress and medication adherence among diverse, low income patients with chronic disease at a community health center. Accepted for oral presentation at the 143rd American Public Health Association Meeting, Chicago, IL, 11/2015.
      • Robertson, W.J., Hilton, A.J., Huebner Torres, C., Totman, M., Korcharos, J., Dhakal, S., Shaw, S. The
          • burden of cost: A mixed-methods approach to explaining ethnic differences in cost as a barrier to medication adherence. Accepted for poster presentation at the 114th American  Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 11/2015.
      • Huebner Torres, C.I. Developing a community wellness center: Food insecurity, barriers to exercise and
          • building capacity. Oral presentation at the Mount Holyoke College Weissman Center for Leadership, Food and Culture Matters: Health, Diet and History in African American Communities, South Hadley, MA, 3/7/2010.
      • Huebner, C., Orzech, K., Vivian, J., Markham, J., Shaw, S., Armin, J., Vargas, A., Reyes, V., Leverance,
          • C., Do, P. Barriers to exercise in four ethnic groups living with chronic illness. Paper for oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 11/9/09.
      • Armin, J., Huebner, C., Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Vargas, A., Markham Jr., J., Reyes, V., Leverance, C.
          • Patient- provider partnership, body knowledge, and long-term practice: BSE beliefs and practices among ethnic groups in a medically underserved area. Paper for oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 11/11/09.
      • Reyes, V., Shaw, S., Huebner, C., Vivian, J., Armin, J., Vargas, A., Markham Jr., J., Do, P., Leverance, C.
          • Different perceptions of healthcare by two immigrant groups in a Massachusetts clinic for medically underserved patients. Paper for presentation at the American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 11/10/09.
      • Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Armin, J., Vargas, A., Markham, J., Do, P., Reyes, V., Leverance, C.,
          • Awad, A. (2009). Measuring health literacy across diverse populations. Poster presentation at the 137th Annual APHA meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 2009.
      • Vargas, A., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Shaw, S., Armin, J., Markham, J., Reyes, V., Leverance, C., Do, P.,
          • Awad, A. (2009). Exploring the mind-body connection in patients with diabetes and hypertension. Poster presentation at the 137th Annual APHA meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 2009.
      • Markham, J., Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Vargas, A., Do, P., Reyes, V., Leverance, C., Armin, J.,
          • Awad, A. Food insecurity and health outcomes at a community health center. Oral presentation at the 137th Annual APHA meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 2009.
      • Leverance, C., Armin, J., Shaw, S., Markham, J., Huebner, C., Reyes, V., Vivian, J., Vargas, A., Do, P.,
          • Awad, A., Nichter, M. (2009). Smoking behavior in hypertensive and diabetic patients. Poster presentation at the 137th Annual APHA meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 2009.
      • Huebner, C., Vivian, J., Armin, J., Reyes, V., Orzech, K., Vargas, A., Markham, J., Nguyen, L.,
          • Leverance, C., Abdur-Rauf, S., Shaw, S. 2009. Measuring mindfulness skills and chronic disease outcomes in four diverse populations at a community-based health center. Poster presentation at the 7th Annual International Scientific Conference for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators: Investigating and Integrating Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, Worcester, MA, March 2009.
      • Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Armin, J., Orzech, K., Vargas, A., Markham, J., Nguyen, L., Reyes, V.
          • Leverance, C., Awad, A. Consistency in attitudes towards cancer screenings in four ethnic groups. Poster presentation at the American Association of Cancer Research, Carefree, AZ, February 2009.
      • Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Orzech, K., Armin, J., Awad, A. The relationship of health literacy to
          • knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about cancer screening in four ethnic groups. Poster presentation at the Moffitt Cancer Annual MTG “Cancer, Culture and Literacy” Conf, Clearwater Beach, FL, May 2008.
      • Shaw, S., Huebner, C., Vivian, J. Armin, J., Orzech, K, Vergara, C., Awad, A. Health Literacy, Cultur
          • and Chronic Illness Outcomes in Four Populations. Poster presentation at the Sixth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations (ID#: 1743). Minneapolis, MN, September 2008.
      • Huebner, C., Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Armin, J., Orzech, K. Preliminary findings of cultural health beliefs
          • and practices that shape health literacy and chronic illness outcomes in four populations. Presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, D.C., November 2007.
      • Huebner, C. Body-mind awareness as a method of preventive health self care. Poster presentation at the
          • American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, D.C., November 2007.
      • Armin, J., Shaw, S., Vivian, J., Huebner, C., Orzech, K. Preliminary findings of cultural health beliefs
          • and practices that shape health literacy and cancer screening behaviors in four populations. Poster presentation at the American Assoc for Cancer Research, Atlanta, GA, November 2007.
      • Shaw, S., Huebner, C., Vivian, J. Lessons learned from formative community involvement: Developing
          • and implementing a culturally appropriate research design. Oral presentation at Crossroads II: Community-Based Collaborative Research for Social Justice, Hartford, CT, June 2007.