Dr. Yolande Pengetnze (left) and Stephanie Fenniri (right), Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
Stephanie Fenniri, senior community partnerships manager at the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) and Dr. Yolande Pengetnze, medical director at PCCI and a board-certified pediatrician, joined the podcast to discuss a DASH-funded project that is connecting hospitals and food banks in Dallas, Texas to improve the nutrition of patients who experience food insecurity and have been diagnosed with chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. They are developing a network of health care and community-based organizations in the Dallas region that are sharing information through the Dallas Information Exchange Portal.
This podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and TuneIn.
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about PCCI and follow @PCCInnovation
- Read a project spotlight about their DASH project
- Watch an All In webinar featuring their project.
Takeaways from the Interview
In the words of Stephanie Fenniri and Dr. Yolande Pengetnze…
Build on existing trusted relationships in the community
“[Patients/clients] found it very supportive and helpful that when they showed up at the food pantry and someone actually knew that they had diabetes and hypertension and could help them pick the right type of food…They felt accountable, not only to themselves, but also to the food pantry partners who are trusted partners.”
– Yolande Pengetnze
Listen and respond to the needs of community stakeholders
“Start with surveying all of your stakeholders—and consider your stakeholders to be your community partners, your hospital partners, and also the actual recipients of the services you are providing, which would be your clients or patients. It’s important that you get their feedback early on so that you can design programs that will best benefit them and their organizations.”
– Stephanie Fenniri
Target interventions to maximize impact
“If the intervention goes to everybody, you might have a hard time measuring the impact of it. Focus on the highest-risk groups based on data-driven design and intervention. It may make sense to look at the data in your community to see what the problems are that your solution can address and target that group of patients or providers to maximize the chances of having a successful impact.”
– Yolande Pengetnze