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PASOs Programs recognized for Latino health initiatives
October 17, 2013
Attending the awards ceremony were front row, from left, Scherrie Cogdill, Cinthya González, Ana Cossio, Mercedes Van Leer, Brandy del Rio, Julie Smithwick, Graham Adams, Gabriel Cardona, Jenny Levasseur and Myriam Torres, and, back row, Stephanie Caffee and Dr. Tom Chandler.
The PASOs Programs at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health is the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Rural Health Initiative of the Year award.
The S.C. Office of Rural Health sponsors the annual award that recognizes a rural program for either an educational, direct service or supportive initiative that has positively impacted a community's health services.
For the past eight years, PASOs has helped the Latino community and service providers work together for strong and healthy families, said Julie Smithwick, executive director of the PASOs Programs.
"PASOs is making strides, in partnership with the Latino community, to promote and support healthy families by building upon strong cultural values, and our team is extremely honored to receive this award," said Smithwick, named one of "20 Under 40" leading professionals in the Midlands by The State newspaper last year.
Dr. Tom Chandler, dean of the Arnold School, said the award recognizes the school's mission to improve health statewide and worldwide through its many outreach and service initiatives.
"The PASOs Programs are an outstanding example of the vital role that public health has in the lives of vulnerable populations," he said. "PASOs not only has a statewide reach, but is a model that can be used throughout our nation."
PASOs originated in 2005 when Smithwick conducted a study on the maternal and child health needs of the Latino population in South Carolina for the DHEC Division of Perinatal Services at Palmetto Health Richland.
The study revealed that Latino families have great strengths yet limited access and information about maternal and child health resources, which put them and their families at risk. The results also showed that South Carolina's health system needed support to increase its capacity to effectively respond to the reproductive health needs of its growing Latino communities.
In response to these findings, PASOs was created later in 2005 with support from Palmetto Health and a community grant from the S.C. March of Dimes.
A grant from The Duke Endowment enabled PASOs to develop a partnership with USC's Arnold School, which provides support and technical assistance as the organization develops and expands into other communities across South Carolina. Since that time, PASOs has garnered funding from national, statewide and local funders and has expanded programming into 15 counties throughout the Palmetto State.
In 2011, PASOs was named a "Promising Practice" by the National Association for Maternal and Child Health and was recognized as the "Promising Practice of the Year" by the association in 2012.
Smithwick will be a panelist Oct. 25 for "The State of the Hispanic Community in South Carolina," sponsored by the S.C. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She recently was a guest speaker at the 2013 City MatCH conference in Savannah on "Public Health Innovators: Creating Alliances to Improve Care," along with other public health leaders from throughout the nation.
