Mapping Health Equity
MIKE develops impactful health education curriculum that brings the community to our students. By focusing on the communities in which our students live, we can provide a more comprehensive connection to their lives. We are always thrilled to highlight the work performed in our community that looks to increase equity.
One of the latest projects that we’re embedding into our health module on social justice and health is by the Oregon Public Housing Directory. Their interactive digital maps, featured in The Skanner, highlight public housing in Oregon and the Portland/metro region. MIKE is using the maps to demonstrate where pockets of public housing exists, and overlay how many of those same pockets face higher health disparities.
By using maps to highlight housing, food access and safe outdoor venues, MIKE is able to inspire students to consider the resources and the challenges in their neighborhoods. They are guided by volunteer mentors who present the students with opportunities to explore and discuss how the location of industry, businesses, services and green spaces impact their health.
MIKE mentors help guide the students toward conversations to share ideas, concerns and ways to improve health outcomes through greater knowledge and actions. These volunteer mentors gain experience in engaging high school students with a variety of public health issues. And, as early-career professionals training in healthcare occupations, MIKE mentors add another layer of health in the classroom.
This year at De La Salle North Catholic High School, mentors include nine Warner Pacific University (WP) students with the Department of Nursing, one WP student with the university’s occupational therapy program, and two returning mentors who are pursuing careers as a physician.
MIKE utilized the maps in a mentor training workshop in late August to provide our volunteer mentors with a hands-on experience that extended beyond searching for a venue with a smartphone app. MIKE was able to present a broader image of the impact of housing on vulnerable populations by featuring the maps during the training. In turn, the mentors are then equipped to engage their students with the process in the classroom.
MIKE will translate the activity into a classroom lesson for students to discover and understand the health impacts of the social and environmental conditions around them. The activity brings greater relevance to the health conditions certain communities face and introduces students to ways to help improve those conditions.
The Metro/Oregon Public Housing Maps is produced by a Portland State University (PSU) team, which includes Richard Ellmyer, PSU Senior Adult Learner, Project Champion; Claire Brumbaugh-Smith, Project Primary GIS Analyst and Cartographer; Taylor Allen, Former Project Primary GIS Analyst and Cartographer; and Randy Morris, Project Coordinator, Community GIS Project Leader, Population Research Center at PSU.
By sharing local efforts, MIKE is able to provide students with real world connections that are happening around them—and present them with direct resources that they can use to advocate for their health.