SINAI Urban Health Institute

The Sinai Health System is dedicated to improving the health of the individuals and communities it serves.  One of the communities the Sinai Health System serves is the Deaf community.  In fact, the Sinai Health System is the largest provider of healthcare for Deaf persons in the Midwest. 

The Sinai Urban Health Institute is dedicated to identifying and creating effective approaches that will improve the health of the entire Deaf community in the Chicagoland area.  To this end, the Sinai Urban Health Institute has been involved in two phases of a research project titled, “Improving Access to Health and Mental Health for Chicago’s Deaf Community” aimed at improving access to healthcare for Deaf adults in the Chicagoland area.

Phase I
Sinai Health System (SHS) and Advocate Health Care (AHC) recently collaborated to conduct a comprehensive health survey of their Deaf patients. The health survey was designed to collect information about the health status, health care experiences, health knowledge, and communication styles of Deaf adults. SUHI was involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of this survey. Among many interesting findings, the survey revealed relatively low levels of knowledge about health and healthy behaviors (see Reports/Publications section below to view the results of this survey).

Phase II
As a result the Michael Reese Health Trust funded both organizations for a 3-year demonstration project to test the effectiveness of two health education interventions. The two health conditions targeted in these interventions are: the prevention of cardiovascular disease and the self-management of depression. Each of these education interventions aimed to increase health knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-management of the respective health topic as well as improve patient role behaviors among participants.

• Orsi JM, Margellos-Anast H, Perlman TS, Giloth BE, Whitman S. Cancer screening knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among culturally Deaf adults: Implications for informed decision making. Cancer Detection and Prevention 2007; 31:474-479.
• Perlman T, Hedding T, Balfanz-Vertiz K, Cradock C, DeGutis D, Estarziau M, Foster L, Giloth B, Kaufman G, Margellos-Anast H, Miller L, Orsi J, Whitman S. Report on the Findings and Recommendations of Improving Access to Health and Mental Health Care for Chicago's Deaf Community-Phase II. Chicago (IL); September 2007.
• Margellos-Anast H, Estarziau M, Kaufman G. Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge Among Culturally Deaf Patients in Chicago. Preventive Medicine 2006; 42:235-9
• Margellos-Anast H, Hedding T, Perlman T, Miller L, Rodgers R, Kivland L, DeGutis D, Giloth B, Whitman S. Developing a Standardized Comprehensive Health Survey for Use With Deaf Adults. American Annals of the Deaf 2005; 150(4):388-96
• Margellos H, Hedding T, Miller L, et al. Improving Access to Health and Mental Health for Chicago's Deaf Community: A Survey of Deaf Adults. Chicago, Illinois: Sinai Health System and Advocate Health Care, 2004.

For more information regarding this project, please send an e-mail to Jennifer Orsi at suhi@sinai.org