Over the past four years, the Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination Alliance (TEA) partnered with organizations serving Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, U.S. born African American, and non-U.S. born Latino American communities disproportionately impacted by latent TB infection (LTBI) and/or TB through the Mini-Grant Program.
World TB Day is a day to educate the public about the impact of TB around the world. To commemorate World TB Day on March 24, 2024, TEA is spotlighting the Mini-Grant Program to build public awareness about its 2023-2024 mini-grantees and celebrate their efforts in addressing and working to eliminate TB disparities in the communities that they serve.
Check out TEA’s World TB Day 2023 Mini-Grantee Spotlight Campaign to learn about last year’s mini-grantees!
Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese (ACOM)
A TB nurse provides an educational presentation to the Marshallese community against a pink backdrop.
“ACOM is collaboratively partnering with the Arkansas Department of Health to conduct events that are culturally appropriate to the Marshallese community. Virtual and in-person events have been designed to increase TB/LTBI screenings and educational sessions in the Marshallese language.” -Melisa Laelan, Chief Executive Officer
ACOM strives to empower the Marshallese community in Springdale, Arkansas through applying a culturally sensitive approach to education, leadership, policy advocacy, and holistic services. Through the TEA mini-grant program, ACOM has been able to increase their TB outreach and education, including TB screening opportunities.
On Thursday, March 28, ACOM will be hosting its Marshallese Women’s Health and TB Conference, where women will be gathered and engage in panel discussions and workshops to learn information beyond TB, in particular, related to women’s health.
To learn more about ACOM, please visit: https://www.arkansasmarshallese.org/
Four individuals stand next to COVID-19 and flu vaccines stand at an outdoor festival.
“The TEA mini grant has gotten medical providers and community partners excited about working even more closely together on a targeted plan that will integrate outreach and education efforts through each step of the cascade of care.” –Adama Dyoniziak, Executive Director
Champions for Health addresses the unanswered healthcare needs of low-income and uninsured San Diego County residents through providing a coordinated vehicle for physician engagement and volunteerism. Through the TEA mini-grant this year, they are planning the first ever San Diego TB Education and Community Engagement Summit in collaboration with the San Diego County TB Elimination Initiative on Friday, March 22.
To learn more about Champions for Health, please visit: https://championsforhealth.org/
A woman in a gray cardigan touches her chest in front of a microphone.
“The TEA Mini-Grant Program has helped open a dialogue among providers at our county hospital, public health department, and the communities we serve. Also, the community has become empowered to inform us of their educational and infrastructure needs regarding TB testing and treatment.” -Duncan Reid, Medical Director
EthnoMed is an internet resource for clinicians and health care providers working with immigrant and refugee populations in the greater Seattle area.Through the TEA mini-grant, EthnoMed has engaged with immigrant communities to understand their experiences with TB both in their home countries and in the U.S. This effort has allowed them to identify common themes of areas of confusion regarding TB, such as latent/inactive TB, testing, and treatment options.
To learn more about EthnoMed, please visit: http://www.ethnomed.org
Midwest Asian Health Association (MAHA)
An individual provides a TB educational presentation in Mandarin to a group of seated individuals.
“MAHA collaborated with universities, community-based organizations, and local health professionals to offer provider education training on the impact of TB on Asian Americans. Additionally, various education campaigns were carried out in March, including workshops in senior buildings and presentations at community health resource fairs in Chicago’s Chinatown.” -Mei Kan, Program Manager
MAHA aims to reduce health disparities for medically underserved, low-income populations in Chicago through providing culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services. With the TEA mini-grant, MAHA has conducted LTBI/TB outreach, educational and linkage to care services through community events.
To learn more about MAHA, please visit: https://maha-us.org/?doing_wp_cron=1710867183.6555979251861572265625
Rural Women’s Health Project (RWHP)
Five individuals stand on a staircase behind a meeting house.
“The result of this topic of TB in the community has been primarily informative and created awareness of the disease that many do not know, or simply did not think was active at this time. I think that with this topic we create more awareness about protection and guidance for being able to identify the symptoms and not create panic, because it is curable. We provided the community with complete and clear information on the subject of TB.” -Promotora Yisel
“In my opinion, the impact has been positive, taking into account that the population has been educated on the subject, they have realized if they are at risk of acquiring it, what situations may make them more vulnerable to contracting the disease, and the most common symptoms. Above all they understand that treatment is key! I wish it were a project of greater scope and with the possibility of providing information on a larger scale.” -Promotora Claudia
“The topic has been very informative for the community. A topic that many did not even know existed, nor that it is tuberculosis itself. It has been a matter of educating the community so that they are warned/alert to symptoms and how to treat it and where to go for help. The surveys speak for themselves… when we ask about the disease they don’t answer or they don’t know anything about it. After talking to them about it, I leave with the satisfaction that they learned something about it. For me, a very positive impact.” – Promotora Giovana
RWHP is a non-profit organization that designs and implements community-based, health-education projects, trainings, and materials to assist communities in strengthening their understanding of critical health, occupational and family issues. With the TEA mini-grant, RWHP has conducted TB community education and engagement activities in North Florida through promotores de salud (community health workers) who live and work in the communities they serve.
To learn more about RWHP, please visit: https://rwhp.org/
Two individuals stand nearby a tent and mobile clinic outside.
“TGF’s TB program has increased TB education and screening by 22% on the island, and directed patients to a sustainable clinical pathway for treatment and surveillance.” -Ashley Calvo-Rodriguez, Clinical Administrator and Lead Trainer
TGF is a locally and nationally recognized non-profit organization that provides health, education, and other support services to Guam’s uninsured and underinsured population. Through the Foundation’s Mobile Care Clinic, the organization brings no-cost medical services to the hard-to-reach areas of the island. With the TEA mini-grant, TGF has been able to increase TB capacity-building efforts, streamline TB community education activities, and sustain its clinical and non-clinical provider education campaign.
To learn more about TGF, please visit: https://toduguam.com/.