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AMERICAN JOURNAL
OF
HEALTH PROMOTION
PRESENTS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2014 Robert F. Allen Symbol of
H.O.P.E. Award Iva´n Romero, BA
Iva´n Romero, BA, is the recipient of the 2014 Robert F. Allen Symbol of H.O.P.E. Award. Born in Bogota´, Colombia, as one of eight children, Iva´n Romero has always been fascinated by human interactions, culture, and specifically how communities in different countries treat their most vulnerable and neglected members. He began his world travels in 1978 by living for 2 years on the kibbutz Ein Gev in Israel, where he learned Hebrew and observed firsthand how a community flourished by striving to provide for each member. After living in Israel, he then spent the next 2 years living in London, England, and traveling throughout Europe, a time during which he studied English and broadened his exposure to British and European societies. Interested in documenting his diverse cultural experiences, he moved to New York City in 1982 to study filmmaking. He completed his BA degree in film studies in 1986 from City College of New York and began a master’s degree program in fine arts. While in New York City, as a means to support his education and budding filmmaking career, Iva´n began work as a counselor with the New York State Department of Youth. In this position, his responsibility was to reach out and engage young criminal offenders living in midway houses and help them reenter and adjust to community life. He soon realized that he had an innate ability to understand and connect with young people, and utilized his training in filmmaking to offer the youth the basics of video making so that these young people could express themselves and be able to tell their own stories through the medium of the documentary. While working on this project, Iva´n realized that health concerns were a frequent subject of the young people’s documentaries and that the lack of knowledge about health issues put these young people at risk. Iva´n then worked with the New York State Department of Youth to develop an adolescent health curriculum focused on the myriad of challenges that inner-city youngsters encountered day to day on the street and in their communities, challenges that often compromised their ability to make the right decisions. It was through his work with youth and video documentaries that Iva´n made contact with The Floating Hospital (TFH) in 1992. At the time, TFH, currently the largest provider of health care services for the underserved population of New York City, was the only clinic in the five boroughs (and perhaps in the nation), located on a boat (after the tragic events of 9/11, the boat lost its dock space and TFH became a land-based clinic). Iva´n was hired to document the opening of TFH’s
American Journal of Health Promotion
innovative Pier 11 Health Services for Adolescents program for three of the most ‘‘troubled’’ or underperforming high schools in Manhattan. Iva´n’s effectiveness in engaging the young people and promoting TFH’s program helped make the new initiative an outstanding success. Iva´n was then hired to be TFH’s first Pier 11 Health Advocate, a position that entailed working with school guidance counselors and teachers to identify at-risk youth and connect them with much-needed mental health, medical, and dental services. Iva´n’s ability to interact with teenagers and his highly effective outreach approach resulted in TFH becoming a very popular and trusted resource for teenagers and school faculty alike, thereby broadening TFH’s appeal and ability to serve the youth of New York City. Iva´n’s outreach career at TFH was born. Over the course of a 22-year career at TFH, Iva´n has been promoted from health advocate to outreach manager for TFH’s homeless shelter program. Recognizing that a lack of transportation was one of the biggest barriers preventing people from accessing needed health care, Iva´n was also assigned oversight of TFH’s transportation department. He is now responsible for TFH’s fleet of 11 vans and 11 staff members. Under his leadership, TFH’s outreach activities have expanded from serving residents of approximately 10 homeless and domestic violence shelters to a current outreach operation reaching residents in over 200 homeless and domestic violence shelters across all five boroughs of New York City. On a daily basis, approximately 100 patients from over 50 shelters from all five boroughs of New York City are transported to and from TFH’s Long Island City clinic. At times it is overwhelming work, but Iva´n states that his motivation is to see that the most at-risk children, adolescents, and families are connected with a caring and effective health care community so that they can have the fortitude to cope with their current conditions and eventually have the knowledge, health, and self-efficacy to improve the quality of their own lives and communities. The Robert F. Allen Symbol of H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People through Empowerment) Award is presented annually by the American Journal of Health Promotion to an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to serving the health promotion needs of underserved populations or to promoting cultural diversity within health promotion. The cash award is made possible through grants provided by the California Wellness Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and individual donors.
September/October 2014, Vol. 29, No. 1
1
www.HealthPromotionConference.com Editor in Chief Michael P. O’Donnell, PhD, MBA, MPH Associate Editors in Chief Jennifer DiNoia, PhD Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld, PhD Kwame Owusu-Edusei Jr., PhD Kerry J. Redican, MPH, PhD, CHES
The Wisdom of Practice and the Rigor of Research
“The American Journal of Health Promotion provides a forum for that rare commodity — practical and intellectual exchange between researchers and practitioners.” Kenneth E. Warner, PhD Dean and Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health School of Public Health, University of Michigan
“The contents of the American Journal of Health Promotion are timely, relevant, and most important, written and reviewed by the most respected researchers in our field.” David R. Anderson, PhD, LP Senior Vice President & Chief Health Officer, StayWell Health Management
Be the first to know.
onlineFirst
Available exclusively to Online Subscribers The American Journal of Health Promotion is now publishing all articles online, ahead of print. Articles are available as a PDF document for download as soon as they have completed the review process. This means you can access the very latest papers in the field of health promotion – in some cases up to a year before they appear in print.
Subscribe Online at www.HealthPromotionJournal.com Call 800-783-9913 (US only) or 731-645-4496
Subscribe Today.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
(Effective 1-1-14 through 12-31-14)
Individual
Print + Online
Institution
Tier 1 Print + Online Online Only
Tier 2 Print + Online Online Only
Tier 3 Print + Online Online Only
Print Only*
U.S.
$139
$359
$459
$559
$184
Canada and Mexico
$148
$368
$468
$568
$193
Other Countries
$157
$377
$477
$577
$202
*Print-only subscriptions are based on location. For multi-site institutions, each site must have its own subscription. Tier 1 — Most Employers and Corporations except Health Organizations, Libraries and Schools Tier 2 — Health Organizations including Hospitals, Clinics, Health Promotion Providers, Insurance Companies and Voluntary Health Agencies Tier 3 — Libraries, Colleges and Universities
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10/4/13 12:03 PM
AMERICAN JOURNAL
OF
HEALTH PROMOTION
PRESENTS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2014 Robert F. Allen Symbol of
H.O.P.E. Award Iva´n Romero, BA
Iva´n Romero, BA, is the recipient of the 2014 Robert F. Allen Symbol of H.O.P.E. Award. Born in Bogota´, Colombia, as one of eight children, Iva´n Romero has always been fascinated by human interactions, culture, and specifically how communities in different countries treat their most vulnerable and neglected members. He began his world travels in 1978 by living for 2 years on the kibbutz Ein Gev in Israel, where he learned Hebrew and observed firsthand how a community flourished by striving to provide for each member. After living in Israel, he then spent the next 2 years living in London, England, and traveling throughout Europe, a time during which he studied English and broadened his exposure to British and European societies. Interested in documenting his diverse cultural experiences, he moved to New York City in 1982 to study filmmaking. He completed his BA degree in film studies in 1986 from City College of New York and began a master’s degree program in fine arts. While in New York City, as a means to support his education and budding filmmaking career, Iva´n began work as a counselor with the New York State Department of Youth. In this position, his responsibility was to reach out and engage young criminal offenders living in midway houses and help them reenter and adjust to community life. He soon realized that he had an innate ability to understand and connect with young people, and utilized his training in filmmaking to offer the youth the basics of video making so that these young people could express themselves and be able to tell their own stories through the medium of the documentary. While working on this project, Iva´n realized that health concerns were a frequent subject of the young people’s documentaries and that the lack of knowledge about health issues put these young people at risk. Iva´n then worked with the New York State Department of Youth to develop an adolescent health curriculum focused on the myriad of challenges that inner-city youngsters encountered day to day on the street and in their communities, challenges that often compromised their ability to make the right decisions. It was through his work with youth and video documentaries that Iva´n made contact with The Floating Hospital (TFH) in 1992. At the time, TFH, currently the largest provider of health care services for the underserved population of New York City, was the only clinic in the five boroughs (and perhaps in the nation), located on a boat (after the tragic events of 9/11, the boat lost its dock space and TFH became a land-based clinic). Iva´n was hired to document the opening of TFH’s
American Journal of Health Promotion
innovative Pier 11 Health Services for Adolescents program for three of the most ‘‘troubled’’ or underperforming high schools in Manhattan. Iva´n’s effectiveness in engaging the young people and promoting TFH’s program helped make the new initiative an outstanding success. Iva´n was then hired to be TFH’s first Pier 11 Health Advocate, a position that entailed working with school guidance counselors and teachers to identify at-risk youth and connect them with much-needed mental health, medical, and dental services. Iva´n’s ability to interact with teenagers and his highly effective outreach approach resulted in TFH becoming a very popular and trusted resource for teenagers and school faculty alike, thereby broadening TFH’s appeal and ability to serve the youth of New York City. Iva´n’s outreach career at TFH was born. Over the course of a 22-year career at TFH, Iva´n has been promoted from health advocate to outreach manager for TFH’s homeless shelter program. Recognizing that a lack of transportation was one of the biggest barriers preventing people from accessing needed health care, Iva´n was also assigned oversight of TFH’s transportation department. He is now responsible for TFH’s fleet of 11 vans and 11 staff members. Under his leadership, TFH’s outreach activities have expanded from serving residents of approximately 10 homeless and domestic violence shelters to a current outreach operation reaching residents in over 200 homeless and domestic violence shelters across all five boroughs of New York City. On a daily basis, approximately 100 patients from over 50 shelters from all five boroughs of New York City are transported to and from TFH’s Long Island City clinic. At times it is overwhelming work, but Iva´n states that his motivation is to see that the most at-risk children, adolescents, and families are connected with a caring and effective health care community so that they can have the fortitude to cope with their current conditions and eventually have the knowledge, health, and self-efficacy to improve the quality of their own lives and communities. The Robert F. Allen Symbol of H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People through Empowerment) Award is presented annually by the American Journal of Health Promotion to an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to serving the health promotion needs of underserved populations or to promoting cultural diversity within health promotion. The cash award is made possible through grants provided by the California Wellness Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and individual donors.
September/October 2014, Vol. 29, No. 1
1
www.HealthPromotionConference.com Editor in Chief Michael P. O’Donnell, PhD, MBA, MPH Associate Editors in Chief Jennifer DiNoia, PhD Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld, PhD Kwame Owusu-Edusei Jr., PhD Kerry J. Redican, MPH, PhD, CHES
The Wisdom of Practice and the Rigor of Research
“The American Journal of Health Promotion provides a forum for that rare commodity — practical and intellectual exchange between researchers and practitioners.” Kenneth E. Warner, PhD Dean and Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health School of Public Health, University of Michigan
“The contents of the American Journal of Health Promotion are timely, relevant, and most important, written and reviewed by the most respected researchers in our field.” David R. Anderson, PhD, LP Senior Vice President & Chief Health Officer, StayWell Health Management
Be the first to know.
onlineFirst
Available exclusively to Online Subscribers The American Journal of Health Promotion is now publishing all articles online, ahead of print. Articles are available as a PDF document for download as soon as they have completed the review process. This means you can access the very latest papers in the field of health promotion – in some cases up to a year before they appear in print.
Subscribe Online at www.HealthPromotionJournal.com Call 800-783-9913 (US only) or 731-645-4496
Subscribe Today.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
(Effective 1-1-14 through 12-31-14)
Individual
Print + Online
Institution
Tier 1 Print + Online Online Only
Tier 2 Print + Online Online Only
Tier 3 Print + Online Online Only
Print Only*
U.S.
$139
$359
$459
$559
$184
Canada and Mexico
$148
$368
$468
$568
$193
Other Countries
$157
$377
$477
$577
$202
*Print-only subscriptions are based on location. For multi-site institutions, each site must have its own subscription. Tier 1 — Most Employers and Corporations except Health Organizations, Libraries and Schools Tier 2 — Health Organizations including Hospitals, Clinics, Health Promotion Providers, Insurance Companies and Voluntary Health Agencies Tier 3 — Libraries, Colleges and Universities
2014_ad_sub.indd 1
10/4/13 12:03 PM
