Genene Duran

Ducks in a Row Human Services Inc., United States

Abstract Title: The Black Community Health Assessment: Examining Social Determinants of Health, Health Disparities and Health Equity Outcomes in Denver, CO.

Biography:

Dr. Genene Duran grew up in northeast Denver, Colorado, United States in the Montbello community and is an alumna of Montbello High School. She holds a Doctorate in Human Services, Master’s in Healthcare Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. In addition, she is also a certified Mediator, certified substitute teacher, and has certifications in Public Relations and Public Health. Dr. Duran has subject matter expertise in the fields of healthcare policy, managing federally qualified health centers, human services, community outreach and engagement, health systems change and cultural competence in health care which includes social determinants of health, health disparities and health equity. Dr. Duran is an international speaker and is an Affiliate Professor in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Metropolitan State University working with the Masters of Social Work students to complete their final Capstone thesis projects. In addition, she is the Founder/CEO of her own nonprofit organization Ducks in a Row Human Services Inc. From 2021-2023, Dr. Duran simultaneously served as the Chair of the Board of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, the Advisory Board Chair for the City and County of Denver’s Agency on Human Rights and Community Partnerships and as the Co-Chair for the City and County of Denver’s African American Commission. She still serves on the Board of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment as well as the City and County of Denver’s African American Commission. In addition, she serves on the Colorado Advisory Panel of Local Board of Health Members. Over the past six years she has held memberships on the Family Advisory Council for Every Child Pediatrics, the Board of Directors for Womxn’s March Denver, the Doctoral Advisory Board for the University of Arizona Global campus, as a Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Denver Moves Everyone Steering Committee Advisory Board member, and as the National Association for Career and Technical Education Region Representative. In her spare time she is a mentor to a young lady in her community. Although she has accomplished a great deal, she remains most proud of her new granddaughter who was born on Christmas day, 2024, 22-year-old son and 21 year old daughter, who both graduated from Colorado State University in May 2024, and 18-year-old daughter who is in her second year at the Community College of Aurora. Dr. Duran’s greatest passions include providing a voice for underserved communities and affecting positive change through leadership, strategic planning, relationship building, effective change management, conflict management, advocacy, social justice, and organizational training.

Research Interest:

Every 5 years, accredited departments of public health and hospital systems administer a Community Health Assessment which informs their Community Health Improvement Plan. In the 2024-2025 CHA/CHIP cycle in Denver, Colorado-communities of color were not appropriately engaged in the process. This abstract details how Genene Duran, PhD, MHA, CPH developed a Black Community Health Assessment based upon the MAPP 2.0 framework. The process will be used to inform the Black Community Health Improvement Plan. The entire project can be used to assess health in all specialized, vulnerable and medically underserved communities. Research shows that Black Americans face higher rates of chronic illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, often linked to social determinants such as limited access to healthy foods, quality healthcare, and safe housing. The healthcare system itself reflects these disparities. Studies indicate that Black patients are more likely to receive substandard care, experience implicit bias from providers, and have less access to preventive services. In Denver, Colorado, the Black community faces distinct challenges, including gentrification, housing instability, and healthcare access barriers. Recent reports highlight that Black residents in Denver have higher rates of emergency room visits and poorer health outcomes compared to white counterparts, underscoring systemic gaps in healthcare infrastructure and outreach. Public health interventions targeting SDOH have shown some success, but gaps remain, particularly in data specific to the Black community in Denver. More localized research is needed to assess the effectiveness of community-based health initiatives and to address racial disparities in healthcare delivery and outcomes. The research aims to address the aforementioned gaps in knowledge by examining the social determinants of health (SDOH), health disparities and health equity outcomes experienced by the Black community in Denver Colorado. This will be accomplished by completing a community health assessment (CHA) which will inform the development of a community health improvement plan (CHIP) specifically for the Black community. As a result, health interventions and treatments can be more effective and better targeted. Furthermore, this intervention is innovative because it combines systems thinking, racial equity, and participatory approaches to disrupt entrenched health disparities, positioning it as a model for other communities facing similar challenges. What hypotheses and assumptions motivate or undergird your work? The BCHA will use disaggregated race-specific data to identify disparities within the Black community, providing a more precise understanding of health inequities. This targeted analysis will enable the development of tailored interventions that address structural barriers to health, including systemic racism and discriminatory practices in healthcare access and delivery. The focus on race-specific data collection and analysis represents an innovative step in identifying and addressing inequities at a granular level. Unlike conventional CHAs, which may rely primarily on epidemiological data &expert analysis, this assessment will incorporate participatory methods to ensure that the voices & lived experiences of Black community members are central to the assessment process. By engaging community members directly, the intervention ensures that proposed strategies are culturally relevant & responsive to the community's unique needs. This participatory model enhances the legitimacy & effectiveness of the intervention by aligning health improvement strategies with the priorities and perspectives of those most affected. A key feature of this intervention is its potential to drive structural changes within health systems. The findings from the BCHA will inform the BCHIP, which will include policy recommendations and system-level reforms designed to reduce barriers to care and improve health outcomes for Black residents in Denver. This systemic focus distinguishes the intervention from more localized or programmatic approaches, aiming instead to create sustainable changes in the underlying structures that influence health. Key Theoretical Models Supporting Systems Alignment (SA) in Community Health include (1) the Social Ecological Model which highlights the need to address health determinants at individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels, (2) Collective Impact Model that emphasizes the importance of shared goals, data-driven decision-making, and continuous communication among stakeholders and (3) Health Equity Framework which focuses on dismantling systemic barriers and addressing root causes of health disparities. System alignment interventions aim to synchronize efforts across disparate health-related Sectors, including medical care, public health, & social services, to create a more cohesive and effective response to community health needs. We can no longer assess health at the overall “community” level. We must meet individual communities where they are and aggregate all data within all communities to develop the overall Community Health Assessment. Community members are engaged and will benefit from this project. Community members assisted with the survey design by helping to inform the questions. Multiple community members and organizations have agreed to share the survey in order to expand community reach. In addition, community members will serve on the data review and dissemination committee as well as the Black Community Health Improvement Plan committee which is the next iteration of the project.