| HOME | SEARCH COCHISE | ARIZONA EXTENSION | OTHER COUNTIES |

Special Action Group
- SAG -
About

History of SAG
            In 1999, a small group of pubic health program leaders and concerned citizens joined forces to initiate a study to evaluate the health needs in the community. The study entitled, “The Diabetes Prevalence Study”, focused on several issues concerning the health of the community.  The preliminary title of the group was the Diabetes Working Group. Following analysis of the initial study results, the Diabetes Working Group decided to take action.  One of the actions of the group was to reformulate their name to the “Special Action Group” and to enlarge their mission beyond citizens with diabetes to the larger community, policy and community health.
            Specifically, the mission of the Special Action Group is to provide a structure for linkages among community sectors, identify desired community and systems changes, develop strategies to address these changes, seek internal and external funding, implement these strategies, and design methods to monitor progress.
 
Who we are
Goals
The overall goal is to develop collaborative efforts with The University of Arizona Southwest Center for Community Health Programs Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the community to evaluate health promotion strategies and programs related to health. Our goal is to apply the CDC Reach 2010 Community Change model to include: community awareness, developing community capacity, changes in change agents, environmental shifts (i.e. policy), changes in risk factors and protective factors, to arrive at changes in health.
 
Objectives

                    To continue to progressively work to make health policy changes in a collaborative effort between the College of Public Health and Cooperative Extension.

 
                    To provide linkages among community sectors.
                    To develop strategies to arrive at changes in health.
                    To influence changes in policy
 
 
Project Implementation
Our coalition has implemented the CDC Reach 2010 Community Change model, with community awareness of the issue; utilizing research from the College of Public Health entitled “The Diabetes Prevalence Study.” This study focused on several issues concerning the health needs in the community. The preliminary group which was formed after this study was entitled the “Diabetes Working Group” later reformulating its name to the “Special Action Group (SAG).”
 
The SAG group recruited key leaders to work with the community to recognize specific needs. The SAG group identified and prioritized initial policy changes for the community.
 

 
The SAG group has been instrumental in disseminating information and heightening the awareness of disease prevention throughout the community through community leaders. The SAG has identified specific issues in the school environment as the arena in which they want to impact policy. Therefore a two pronged approach has emerged: working with the school administration and leadership and developing a constituency among parents, teachers, and students to support the identified policy changes.
Members of the SAG group presented information about diabetes and disease prevention to local Parent, Teacher, and Student Organizations. Over one hundred of the community members were reached. The presentation included information on the prevalence of diabetes in the border communities, health information, nutrition information to include promoting physical activity. The presentations focused on the prevention of chronic illnesses through healthy lifestyle changes.  Through these presentations parents and teachers were enabled to ask for change in their schools. A sub committee of the SAG group met with the superintendent of schools and discussed the important role the school takes in the health of its students. The superintendent agreed to remove the vending machines from the schools and to eliminate candy sales by the student organizations for fund raisers. The schools are looking at alternative fund raisers with the assistance of the SAG group. The superintendent of the school system added an additional ½ hour to the school day to include physical activity and nutrition information to the students' curriculum. Policy was developed and approved through the district concerning nutrition in schools.
This coalition has facilitated in linking working relationships between various social agencies, health clinics, the hospital, schools, business members, the city, the media, and the University.
 
Evaluation
Three surveys have been conducted to include the Cochise County Special Action Group Collaboration Survey, the PTSO Nutrition and Physical activity survey.

The Cochise county Special Action Group (SAG) Collaboration Survey, prepared by the Southwest Center for Community Health Promotion Mel & Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health, asks participants in the SAG to complete a collaboration survey in September 2003. The survey included a series of demographic and programmatic questions in addition to a section on the collaboration called The Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory. The Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory assists groups to do a systematic, and careful examination of where they stand on the factors that influence the success of collaborations. Participants in the survey included supervisors, implementers, and executive directors, and others where they mostly serve the Hispanic population. Overall, the Cochise County Special Action Group's collaborative strengths appeared in the category of Purpose. Purpose refers to the reasons for the development of a collaborative effort, the results or vision the collaborative group seeks, and the specific tasks or projects the collaborative group defines as necessary to accomplish. The average score overall for this category was a 4.2 where scores over 4.0 and higher show a strength and probably don't need special attention. SAG members also scored high in “the time is right for the collaboration” with a score of 4.35. Another high score of 4.26 came with the statement that “people in this collaborative group communicate well with the members.” And finally with a powerful score of 4.39, SAG members strongly agreed that what we are trying to accomplish with our collaborative project would be difficult for any single organization to accomplish.
The PTSO Nutrition and Physical activity survey was conducted by the SAG sub committee who presented diabetes, nutrition and physical activity information to the Parent Teacher Student Organizations (PTSO). One hundred, ninety eight PTSO members completed the survey from 5 Douglas schools. After the presentation, 95 participants planned on walking for exercise and 61 participants planned on riding bicycles for exercise. Ninety five of the participants agreed to serve more fruits and vegetables to their families and 78 agreed to cook with less fat. Participants also identified nutrition programs they would like to see in their schools.
 
Special Action Group organization members
The University of Arizona College of Public Health, The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension-Cochise County, The University of Arizona Family Studies, The Douglas Community Hospital, The Chiricahua Community Health Center, The Douglas Food Bank, Cochise County Health and Human Services, Companeros, Southeast Arizona Health Education Center, The Douglas Unified School District, Douglas City Planning and Zoning.
 
CARE
Members of the SAG and other community members formed a coalition to activate the community to bring services to one central area for an event. Members from all sectors were brought into the coalition. This coalition entitled itself the Children's Assistance and Resource Event Planning Group. This event is modeled after the successful C.A.R.E. Fair event developed by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension .  It takes seven months of planning to coordinate the event. The coalition brought services to the community to include immunizations, dental checks, blood sugar screens, blood pressure screens, vision screens, free eye glasses, fingerprints, nutrition information, information on physical activity, social service agency information, community services, availability and registration for community services, voter registration,  registration for schools and school programs, and health screens. Information about the event was disseminated through local agencies, Spanish speaking television programs , the local newspaper and the radio station. A section was featured on Univision (Spanish Television) concerning health and the community featuring the CARE fair.
Evaluation
The Family CARE Fair survey allowed the community to take a glimpse of various issues in the community. Seventy percent of the participants in the survey were covered by AHCCCS and  7% of the participants in the survey reported having no medical insurance. Which corresponds with 7% of the participants not getting regular medical care for their children. Over 86% of the participants are considered to be low income families based on an average family of four members. The majority of the participants received medical and health services at the CARE Fair.
Children's Assistance and Resource Event Planning organization members
The University of Arizona College of Public Health, The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension-Cochise County, The Douglas Community Hospital, The Chiricahua Community Health Center, Cochise County Health and Social Services, Companeros, The Douglas Unified School District, Douglas City Planning and Zoning, Child and Family Resources, The Douglas Fire Department, The Department of Economic Security, Child Protective Services.