International Initiatives
Institute for Action Research in Community Health
Since its establishment by the Indiana University Board of Trustees in 1990 under the leadership of Beverly Flynn, the Institute for Action Research in Community Health (IARCH) at the School of Nursing has strived to improve the health of the community through local action and policy change.
Faculty, researchers, students, and community leaders collaborate on projects to reach this goal as they:
- Promote, develop, and conduct interdisciplinary research relevant to community health issues in the state, nation, and the world;
- Provide new opportunities for community health research, public service, and education for students and faculty; and
- Collaborate with communities in identifying solutions to their health concerns.
The World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHO) designated IARCH as the WHO Collaborating Center in Healthy Cities.
IARCH Fellows
Learn more about the IARCH Fellows and their areas of interest and research.
Current and Recent IARCH Projects
Community Conversations on Perinatal Care
October 1, 2004-April 30, 2005; $20,526
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) with a contract to Indiana Perinatal Network (IPN)
- Trained volunteer facilitators and conducted 11 conversations with 174 pregnant and parenting families in six Indiana counties (Lake, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Allen, Marion, and Vanderburgh).
- Submitted report to ISDH to include in Indiana’s Title V 10-year Perinatal Plan. Results will be published in Zero to Three in 2007.
Partners: ISDH, IPN, March of Dimes, Indiana Minority Health Coalition, and local planning committees in each county
Indiana Perinatal Depression Project
September 30, 2004-August 31, 2006; $50,400
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) with a grant to Indiana Perinatal Network (IPN)
- Developed e-learning training on perinatal depression for community-based providers
- Disseminated CD-ROMs to over 500 home visitors and 56 Healthy Families Indiana program sites
- Incorporated course into Building Blocks for Healthier Families curriculum
- Provided course to IPN for national distribution
- Presented project at national meetings of the Association of Maternal Child Health Programs and Postpartum Support International
- Participated in federal and national advisory panels on perinatal depression
Partners: HRSA, IPN, Healthy Families Indiana, Columbia University/National Center for Children in Poverty
Evaluation of Prenatal Outreach Programs
January 1, 2005-September 30, 2007; $30,000
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the Indiana State Health Department (Title V)
- Evaluate innovative, community-based prenatal outreach programs in Indiana and in collaboration with those projects develop a blueprint for replicating promising approaches in other communities
- Projects are located in Lake, LaPorte, St. Joseph, and Allen (Indiana) counties.
Partners: Indiana State Department of Health and designated projects
Strategic Plan for Community-Based Doula Project
May 1, 2005-September 30, 2005; $4,125
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) with a contract to Indiana Perinatal Network (IPN)
- Conduct a strategic planning retreat to develop community-based doula project, based on the Chicago Connection model. The strategic plan included a training plan, an evaluation plan, and a financial plan with options for pilot projects with long-term sustainability.
Partners: Indiana Perinatal Network, ISDH, Chicago Connection, Bloomington (Indiana) Area Birth Services (BABS), Wishard Health Services, Healthy Families Indiana, HealthNet, managed care organizations, and University of Indianapolis
Realities for Breastfeeding Mother’s Lives
June 21, 2006-June 20, 2007; $3,000
Eleanor Johnson, DNS, RN
Funded by the Institute for Action Research in Community Health (IARCH)
- This qualitative, exploratory study utilized the photo voice method and followed a community-based, participatory research (CBPR) approach to raise awareness among local decision-makers and the community of breastfeeding mothers’ concerns and assets.
Partners: Women, Infants & Children (WIC), Delaware County (Indiana), and participating breastfeeding mothers.
Home Visitation & Maternal Health Literacy
July 1, 2006-June 30, 2008; $0
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the National Institutes of Child Health & Human Development and Agency for Health Care Policy and a contract with University of Washington.
- IARCH will convene representatives of six home visitation program models to help interpret results of the study and develop policy and practice recommendations.
Partners: University of Washington, Healthy Families America, Early Head Start, Parents As Teachers, Healthy Start, and other state models in Virginia, New Mexico, and Montana.
E-Parenting Intervention for Home Visiting
September 1, 2006-August 31, 2010; $348,102
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (cooperative agreement)
- Develop and test e-parenting in a randomized clinical trial of Healthy Families America model programs in Indiana and Michigan.
Partners: Prevent Child Abuse America, MOM Project, Healthy Families Allen County (Indiana), Healthy Families Oakland County (Michigan), Healthy Families Indiana Training & TA Project
Evaluation of Community-Based Doula Project
October 1, 2006- September 30, 2007 ; $33,000
Joanne Martin, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Funded by the Nina Mason Pulliam Foundation through a grant to Indiana Perinatal Network (IPN)
- Evaluate community-based doula project implemented in the MOM Project Healthy Families Indiana home-visiting program. Indiana Perinatal Network developed an in-state training team and trained 15 potential community-based doulas using the Chicago Connection curriculum and model. Four community-based doulas were hired by the MOM Project and the project was implemented. The evaluation will use data already collected as part of the project.
Partners: IPN, Chicago Connection, MOM Project, Healthy Families America
