Field Placement: County of Orange, Health Care Agency -- TB Prevention and Treatment Program, Saint Anselm's Health Care Program
Location: Santa Ana, CA
Preceptor: Susan Sullivan
Student Name: Daisy Carreon
Year: 2002

Tuberculosis (TB) Prevention and Treatment Program: Saint Anselm's Heath Care Program & HIV PLANNING AND COORDINATION: SPAT (SPECIAL POPULATIONS ACTION TEAM)

Working on two major projects for the County of Orange, Health Care Agency - 1) the TB Prevention and Treatment Program and 2) the SPAT Conference - my dual fieldwork experience was both rewarding and enlightening. Assigned first to work for the Saint Anselm's Cross Cultural Community Center's TB Prevention and Treatment Program, I participated in the development and trial implementation of a TB prevention curricula for recent and first generation Vietnamese in Orange County. Saint Anselm's Cross Cultural Community Center, located in Garden Grove's Little Saigon is a community-based and non-profit center dedicated to providing various types of assistance to residents facing problems with adjusting to a new culture/ environment. Assisting on their newly funded TB Prevention and Treatment Program, I was able to participate in many phases of program development including: forming the strategies and activities of the program, researching and gathering data on the target population, and trying out and modifying the intervention content. It was a worthwhile experience as I got to directly interact with the program's clientele and see first hand the various benefits and short-term outcomes of a community-based intervention. High prevalence of latent and active TB among Vietnamese immigrants has been well documented in the past; however, barriers to healthcare services, lack of awareness about TB, and misperceptions regarding TB diagnosis and treatment exist for this population. I was glad to assist on such an important and significant issue for this community and in the public health field. Additionally, working for a grass roots organization such as Saint Anselm's, I was able to demonstrate and heavily utilize my already acquired skills in public health and take on a partnership role with the TB Program's coordinator.

For the second half of my fieldwork, I worked on planning and coordinating a conference for the Special Populations Action Team (SPAT). Orange County SPAT outreaches to young adults and adolescents from special populations who are at risk for HIV/ STDs. Special populations include people who are visually or hearing impaired, as well as developmentally challenged. I worked on organizing the initial phase of SPAT's sexual health campaign that involves communicating messages/ strategies/ justifications to parents, caregivers, and agencies, conveying the need for sexual health education programs for special populations. During this conference, SPAT seeks to obtain support from the community to provide appropriate sexuality education to these populations and to reinforce the need of special persons to receive sexual health information.

My involvement with the SPAT conference was different and distinct from my work on the TB Program, making my fieldwork experience twofold. I enhanced my organizational and coordinating skills and became directly involved in engaging community leaders to actively participate in their cause. In addition, by working with the SPAT team I was able to network and learn from several staff of various organizations in Orange County and become well-informed in the area of HIV/STDs prevention. Furthermore, working for the County of Orange, Health Care Agency, I experienced for the first time the politics and organizational structure of a County institution.

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