Disability & Health Program  Funded by the CDC  Joint offices at: Arkansas Department of Health – Lifestage Branch (501) University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (501)

Disability and Health Program  Improve accessibility of public health programs and services for people with disabilities.  Increase the integration of people with disabilities into existing health promotion and prevention programs.

Disability in Arkansas  Why do we need to think about this?  What is the scope of the issue?  How can the Disability and Health Program help the Hometown Health Initiatives to address the issues?

Disability in Arkansas  Why do we need to think about this? Prevalence of disability Disparities in health Accessibility of programs and services Access to quality health care Responsibility of public health

Disability in Arkansas  What is the scope of the issue? Prevalence in Arkansas: 22% of adults This does not account for people with developmental disabilities Rates are actually higher than 22%

Disability in Arkansas Prevalence by Region  Northeast Region  Northwest Region  Central Region  Southeast Region  Southwest Region  25.08%  21.74%  21.99%  25.58%  23.51%

Risk Factors for Chronic Disease  Overweight/Obesity  Physical Inactivity  Tobacco Use  High Cholesterol  High Blood Pressure

Risk Factor: Overweight/Obesity

Risk Factor: Physically Inactive

Risk Factor: Tobacco Use

Risk Factor: High Cholesterol

Risk Factor: High Blood Pressure

Disability in Arkansas  Chronic disease rates are much higher among people with disabilties Diabetes Asthma Angina Heart Attack Stroke

Chronic Disease & Disability Status

Including People with Disabilities in Hometown Health Initiatives  Address access issues  Make accommodations in public health activities  Recruit/outreach people with disabilities

Contact Information Vanessa Nehus, Principal Investigator –Arkansas Disability and Health Program –at Partners for Inclusive Communities/UAMS 2001 Pershing Circle, Suite 300 NLR, AR (501) or Arkansas Disability and Health Program website: