MA-CEAL Community Health Ambassador Program

NCT ID: NCT07136402

Last Updated: 2025-10-02

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: WITHDRAWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-09-30
• Study Completion Date: 2028-05-31

Brief Summary

This research is being conducted to investigate how to increase primary care health care visits and screenings and treatment for hypertension and diabetes in residents of housing developments in Boston. The investigators are partnering with Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and Trinity housing management to randomize 12 housing developments (6 in intervention and 6 in control). 6 residents from the housing developments will become Community Health Ambassadors (CHA). The CHAs will be trained to conduct "workshops" within the intervention arm. These workshops will cover Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (HTN) information. Along with the workshops, CHAs will act as mentors for the residents and provide them with resources to connect them to primary care, Community Health Centers, food pantry resources, how to get insurance, and other needed services. CHAs will be part-time employees of the Massachusetts Community Engaged Alliance (MA-CEAL), so they will be paid for the work they are doing while simultaneously building their professional skill set.

MA-CEAL's community engagement (CE) team will act as liaisons and mentors for the CHA's to help guide them and also connect them to opportunities for career/personal development.

Conditions

Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus; Health Care Utilization

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Intervention (Phase A)

Community health centers randomized into this arm will receive study interventions in the first 18 months of the study.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Educating participants about healthcare resources

Intervention Type: OTHER

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist in connecting residents with healthcare resources.

Healthcare appointments

Intervention Type: OTHER

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist residents in making physician appointments.

Workshops

Intervention Type: OTHER

Trained CHAs will provide workshops with information about diabetes and hypertension and how to be screened and get care.

Control (Phase B)

Community health centers randomized into this arm will be wait listed and will not receive study interventions during the first 18 months of the study. They will receive study interventions during the last 12 months of the study.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Educating participants about healthcare resources

Intervention Type: OTHER

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist in connecting residents with healthcare resources.

Healthcare appointments

Intervention Type: OTHER

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist residents in making physician appointments.

Workshops

Intervention Type: OTHER

Trained CHAs will provide workshops with information about diabetes and hypertension and how to be screened and get care.

Interventions

Educating participants about healthcare resources

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist in connecting residents with healthcare resources.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Healthcare appointments

MA-CEAL team members, including the community health ambassador (CHA), will assist residents in making physician appointments.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Workshops

Trained CHAs will provide workshops with information about diabetes and hypertension and how to be screened and get care.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Current resident in selected Boston Health Authority (BHA) and Trinity housing developments
• Speak and understand English and/or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria

• Does not speak English or Spanish
• Not a resident of the development

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Massachusetts Community Engaged Alliance (MA-CEAL)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Boston Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Benjamin Linas, MD MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Boston Medical Center, Infectious Disease

Other Identifiers

OT2HL158287

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

H-45218

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id