CTuH1 - Young Men’s Health Matters: Implementing Quality Improvement and Data-Driven Strategies through a Community-Academic Partnership in an Urban Federally Qualified Health Center

Session Description: Community health centers play a vital role in stabilizing care for patients and improving overall population health. This session will explore how these centers can implement a structured quality improvement process to better understand and address the evolving needs of the communities they serve. We will use a case study of a community advisory board and data from the Philadelphia Barbershop study to discuss the outcomes of the study and its applicability to clinic spaces in Detroit. We will examine how academic partnerships have led to successful improvements in data regarding HIV and STI screening, as well as other preventive health measures, such as mental and physical health, among young men. The contributions of how these efforts impact payment reform policies and enhance data accessibility for health centers and insurance companies have the ability to improve care delivery for underserved populations. Ultimately, this work aims to address health needs at an earlier stage in life, establishing a better infrastructure for men’s health and creating a model that can be adapted to improve equitable care for other populations and disease-specific care.