Grant Impact

Certified PA Saibatu Mansaray founded the Mansaray Foundation to reduce health care barriers and improve access to quality care for pregnant women in Sierra Leone, where 1 in 73 mothers die from preventable childbirth complications. That rate is six times higher than the global average.

With Be the CHANGE grant funding, she and her team provided more than 100 birthing buckets to expectant mothers. The buckets contained supplies for caring for a newborn, such as diapers, bibs, wash cloths, hygiene supplies, as well as educational materials. In addition, her team provided community education on pregnancy Dos and Don’ts, danger signs for mother and baby, a guide for proper nutrition, and sexual reproductive health for teens and pre-teens.

Saibatu shared, “My monthly talks to pregnant and lactating women about nutrition, antenatal and postnatal visits, breastfeeding, danger signs, mental health, home support and safety, and lots more are also tied to my clinical background. My clinical side has been overwhelmingly helpful, especially in our efforts to improve the quality of care and healthcare service delivery systems.”

To support her work, Saibatu developed partnerships with the Panlap Health Centre and Masongbo Peripheral Heath Unit. She also conducted outreach and awareness activities to reach stakeholders, including leaders of the Gbanti and Makari Chiefdoms.

Saibatu and her team also provided training for midwives, traditional birth attendants, and other clinic staff. The trainings addressed immunizations, family planning, prenatal and postnatal care, blood loss in the intrapartum and postpartum stages, and more.

Saibatu highlighted, “The lack of medical resources and education is a major contributor to the crisis. My PA and military background have been an asset to me as I lead the efforts on the ground to implement our strategy to reduce maternal mortality in rural Sierra Leone. The strategy and operational side of serving as a military PA have helped the team and me develop sound medical outreach plans, coordination, and engagement but, also, has enabled me to critically think and start initiatives that are innovative sustainable methods.”

The Mansaray Foundation continues its efforts in Sierra Leone with the goal to reduce the maternal mortality rate to one of the lowest in Africa.

Saibatu also shares her important work through a host of conferences and other forums around the world. Check out Saibatu sharing more about her work here.

This project was supported by the nccPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE Grant and additional funding.

Jereme Mellenthin, MPAS, PA-C and the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) PA Program developed The Care Strong Project to promote social justice and provide access to health screenings, health education, fresh local foods, and equal opportunity for healthy living for underserved communities.

A collaboration between the PA Program and a local nonprofit, Food Strong, the project offered 28 preventative health screening clinics across 5 locations in East Cleveland, a food desert.

Clinic participants could have their BMI, blood pressure, and blood sugar checked; participate in health education and smoking cessation counseling; and receive oral health and mental health screenings.  In addition, participants at the events near local farmers markets were provided with “health bucks” to use on fresh foods as an incentive for the screenings.  Nearly 300 community members were reached.

CWRU’s first- and second-year PA students, pharmacy students from Ohio Northern University, and family medicine residents from University Hospital staffed these interprofessional clinics.  Students not only gained clinical experience performing the screenings, but also experience providing health education about lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise.

Food Strong’s Community Outreach Associates provided follow-up resources and referred participants to local free or low-cost primary care providers, dentists, mental health services, and unemployment services.

As a result of the project, more than 60 participants connected with a primary care provider, dentist, or health insurance provider.  Further, survey results found a 20-30% improvement of feelings of trust in the healthcare system and primary care providers; and 30% of respondents indicated they were inspired to take steps to quit smoking.

The project was also impactful for participating PA students.

“PA students have had profound insights from directly seeing the impacts of poverty and food deserts on people’s health.  Post-event debriefs show that students felt more confident speaking to people of different backgrounds than their own about their overall health, oral health, and mental health and the barriers they face.  This project gives students that valuable field experience and growth potential in community empowerment and the opportunity to increase their comfort in working with marginalized communities while decreasing their own implicit biases,” shared Jereme.

CWRU faculty and students shared additional reflections:

• “One of the most amazing parts of this project is getting to see the ‘Ah ha!’ lightbulb moment, when a student realizes they are making a difference or seeing the effect of a social determinant of health that was discussed in class. The addition of prebriefs and debriefs has made the experience more impactful.”

• “One particular moment a student shared, was when she was counselling a client about smoking cessation, and they commented how they were working on it, but they were proud that they had stopped smoking crack cocaine. The student was dumbfounded. The experience really puts into perspective how health care can be far down the list of essential needs for a person.”

• “Students have also commented on recognizing microaggressions and [how] stigmatizing neighborhoods can have an impact on their care and attitude toward others.”

• “They realized that a lack of health care is not usually an active choice, but a summation of not knowing what is available, the best place to get the care needed, and having access to resources or where to find them.”

The Care Strong Project will remain an integral part of CWRU PA program’s Community Service and Experiential Learning Course.

This project was supported by the nccPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE Grant and additional funding.

Carolyn A. Jahr, DMSc, PA-C, and PA Student Abigail E.M. DeLisle enhanced educational experiences for PA students at The College of St. Scholastica (CSS), empowering them to foster equitable care in their careers as PAs.  Their goal:  Recruit a more diverse standardized patient (SP) pool that reflects the Minnesota communities served by CSS PA students and graduates.

To get started, Carolyn and Abbey connected with community groups around Duluth, MN, including branches of the NAACP, the YWCA, divisions within the Fond du Lac Lake Superior Chippewa, the American Indian Community Housing Organization, the Center for American Indian Resources, and more.  Community partners provided helpful feedback on the project’s recruiting, training, and retention approaches.

Once finalized, community partners distributed recruitment materials.  Carolyn and Abbey amplified these efforts at community events, including a Juneteenth celebration, NAACP facemask distribution events, and more.  The events allowed the grantees to promote the PA profession and the significant role SPs have in PA education.

Following COVID safety protocols, SP training was ongoing and individualized, often leveraging informational and coaching phone calls between faculty and recruits to overcome barriers such as unreliable Internet access.

In August, eight new SPs,  including BIPOC participants, LGBTQ+ and non-binary/third gendered individuals, individuals with no or low-income, and individuals with varying health literacy levels, participated in the PA program’s summative didactic phase OSCE in-person with PPE.

“The experience widened our definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as it unexpectedly resulted in the recruitment and utilization of other minoritized and socially disadvantaged community members,” shared Carolyn.

Participating SPs shared their reflections via a survey, describing the experience as a valuable and positive one:

• “Being a model patient gives me an opportunity to help student PAs to develop important skills they will need and which will benefit their patients later on.”

• “Helping to form the next generation of healthcare providers and to provide them with experience in relating to non-binary and trans individuals was amazing.”

• “I feel that I am helping make a difference in the future of healthcare-and that is important to me.”

• “Seeing how each student provider brings their own nuanced approaches to treating the same patient gave me a different perspective on medical providers and their development.”
• “It was great to be a part of and helpful to the learning process. I appreciated the positivity of the students and proctors.”

Five additional BIPOC individuals were identified as future SPs, and the project is expected to continue.  As additional data is collected, the grantees hope to share their findings and experience with PAs in Minnesota as well as the PA education community.

This project was supported by the nccPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE Grant.

Certified PA Alyssa Hernandez Pena provided health education about skin cancer risk factors and warning signs, promoted prevention strategies and screening recommendations, and offered sunscreen samples to more than 5,000 community members in central Florida.

Alyssa recruited fellow PAs, PA students, pre-PA students, dermatologists, other health care professionals, and community members as volunteers to help her.  

Early in her efforts, COVID-19 restrictions forced her to pivot from her original plan to participate in large, outdoor community events.   However, Alyssa wasn’t deterred as sun exposure was at an all-time high as people sought outdoor activities. 

She modified her outreach, reaching community members on Florida trails and beaches, where people could have small socially-distanced gatherings.  She also reached a more diverse population through outreach to medical offices and local aestheticians, massage therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.  In fact, educating professionals who “see” the skin about how vital their role can be in skin cancer prevention and awareness became an additional focus.

“With skin cancer being the most commonly diagnosed cancer, I believe continuing and improving upon this program could make a big difference in my local community.  I hope to encourage more PAs in the field of dermatology to become involved in their local community and assist in creating fun and effective ways to spread awareness,” shared Alyssa. 

Volunteers logged more than 450 hours distributing over 5,000 packets with sun safety education information about skin cancer, prevention strategies, statistics, and interactive quizzes.  More than 3,000 participants completed the quizzes for the chance to win prizes.  

Participants shared their appreciation for the educational materials, especially a visual guide to performing self-skin checks.  Since the project began, Alyssa has also seen an increase in new patients, specifically those under 45 years old, scheduling their first complete skin cancer screening.  The project also impacted fellow providers and medical staff, who were able to engage with more confidence when educating the public about sun safety, asking about daily sunscreen use, etc. 

Alyssa’s project also provided considerable exposure for the PA profession across Central Florida as volunteers identified themselves as PAs, PA students, or aspiring PAs when providing the sun safety education.

This project was supported by the nccPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE Grant.