Global to Local (G2L)

Meeting the Community

HealthPoint has been involved in the Global to Local initiative (G2L) since its inception two years ago. The initiative, a partnership between Swedish, Seattle & King County Public Health, HealthPoint, and the Washington Global Health Alliance, draws on successful global health strategies to address health disparities here at home in the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila.

In October, G2L recruited three AmeriCorps volunteers from the SeaTac and Tukwila area to serve as Community Health Promoters (CHPs). The CHPs speak the local languages and understand the challenges their communities face in living healthy and productive lives. One of the first efforts of the CHPs and HealthPoint was organizing a health screening at the Tukwila Pantry food bank.  In partnership with Abbot Labs, 80 people were screened for blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, and glucose, and 31 had results needing follow-up. This high proportion of at-risk screenings indicates the level of need in the community G2L serves. Individuals were referred to HealthPoint’s clinic in SeaTac or to preventative health programming at the Matt Griffin YMCA, such as the diabetes prevention program. 

G2L is hosting a series of Community Cafés to engage communities in health issues and ensure that project activities are driven by community priorities.  A diverse crowd of 62 came out to learn about the approach and participate in the first Café, which was held on Feb. 9 at Tukwila Community Center.  Participants were asked to consider two questions: “When you and your family are well and full of vitality, what are the conditions that contribute to that?” and “What personal power are you just beginning to discover?”  Part of the conversation focused on access to healthy and affordable foods, an issue G2L will be working on with community groups.

Other G2L projects are focusing on improving access to interpreters, a priority in SeaTac and Tukwila.  A pilot project allows Spanish speakers to access a volunteer interpreter by mobile phone, using an application designed at the University of Washington.  G2L is also trying a new video chat interpreter service at HealthPoint SeaTac, which can dramatically lower interpretation costs and improve access for patients.

 For more information about HealthPoint’s partnership with Global to Local, please contact Lisa Yohalem at  425-203-0454 or lyohalem@healthpointchc.org.