Drs. Garcia and Rivera present on community measurement methods to Division of Behavioral Health grantees

L to r: Dr. Garcia and Dr. Rivera take a moment
while attendees work in small groups.

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, and Dr. Gabe Garcia, Department of Health Sciences, co-presented at an Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health Annual Behavioral Health Prevention Grantee Meeting on September 28 in Anchorage. The meeting was a 3-day opportunity for information gathering, knowledge transfer, skill development, networking and cross-grantee communication for Division of Behavioral Health grantees.

Dr. Rivera and Dr. Garcia presented a hands-on workshop, "Getting to Know Your Community: Measurement Methods Made Easy."  They introduced grantees to 1) quantitative and qualitative research skills to assist in identifying problems in their communities, 2) ways to demonstrate if there has been improvement in the problems by addressing factors related to those problems, and  3) how to make sense of the information collected about their communities in order to share what they learn with others. Attendees worked alone or in small groups to identify a real world problem and develop a research question.