Our Peers—Empowerment and Navigational Support (OP-ENS): Development of a Peer Health Navigator Intervention to Support Medicaid Beneficiaries With Physical Disabilities
Susan Magasi1, Christina Papadimitriou2, Judy Panko Reis3, Kimberly The1, Jennifer Thomas4, Laura VanPuymbrouck5 and Tom Wilson6
1Departments of Occupational Therapy and Disability Studies, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2Departments of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Sociology,
Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA. 3Disability Health Policy Analyst, Chicago, IL, USA. 4Formerly of Community Care Alliance of Illinois, Chicago IL, USA. 5Department of Occupational Therapy, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA. 6Formerly of Access Living, Chicago, IL, USA.
ABSTRACT: People with disabilities (PWD) are a health disparities population who experience well-documented physical, structural, attitudinal,
and financial barriers to health care. The disability rights community is deeply engaged in advocacy to promote health care justice for all PWD.
As the community continues to work toward systems change, there is a critical need for community-directed interventions that ensure individuals
with disabilities are able to access the health care services they need and are entitled to. Peer health navigator (PHN) programs have been
shown to help people from diverse underserved communities break down barriers to health care. The PHN model has not been systematically
adapted to meet the needs of PWD. In this article, we describe the collaborative process of developing Our Peers—Empowerment and
Navigational Supports (OP-ENS), an evidence-informed PHN intervention for Medicaid beneficiaries with physical disabilities in Chicago, IL,
USA. Our Peers—Empowerment and Navigational Supports is a 12-month community-based PHN intervention that pairs Medicaid beneficiaries
with physical disabilities (peers) with disability PHNs who use a structured recursive process of barrier identification and asset mapping, goal
setting, and action planning to help peers meet their health care needs. Our Peers—Empowerment and Navigational Supports was developed
by a collaborative team that included disability rights leaders, representatives from a Medicaid managed care organization, and academic
disability health care justice researchers. We highlight both the conceptual and empirical evidence that informed OP-ENS as well as the lessons
learned that can assist future developers.
Keywords : disabled persons, Medicaid, social
Susan Magasi1, Christina Papadimitriou2, Judy Panko Reis3, Kimberly The1, Jennifer Thomas4, Laura VanPuymbrouck5 and Tom Wilson6
1Departments of Occupational Therapy and Disability Studies, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2Departments of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Sociology,
Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA. 3Disability Health Policy Analyst, Chicago, IL, USA. 4Formerly of Community Care Alliance of Illinois, Chicago IL, USA. 5Department of Occupational Therapy, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA. 6Formerly of Access Living, Chicago, IL, USA.
ABSTRACT: People with disabilities (PWD) are a health disparities population who experience well-documented physical, structural, attitudinal,
and financial barriers to health care. The disability rights community is deeply engaged in advocacy to promote health care justice for all PWD.
As the community continues to work toward systems change, there is a critical need for community-directed interventions that ensure individuals
with disabilities are able to access the health care services they need and are entitled to. Peer health navigator (PHN) programs have been
shown to help people from diverse underserved communities break down barriers to health care. The PHN model has not been systematically
adapted to meet the needs of PWD. In this article, we describe the collaborative process of developing Our Peers—Empowerment and
Navigational Supports (OP-ENS), an evidence-informed PHN intervention for Medicaid beneficiaries with physical disabilities in Chicago, IL,
USA. Our Peers—Empowerment and Navigational Supports is a 12-month community-based PHN intervention that pairs Medicaid beneficiaries
with physical disabilities (peers) with disability PHNs who use a structured recursive process of barrier identification and asset mapping, goal
setting, and action planning to help peers meet their health care needs. Our Peers—Empowerment and Navigational Supports was developed
by a collaborative team that included disability rights leaders, representatives from a Medicaid managed care organization, and academic
disability health care justice researchers. We highlight both the conceptual and empirical evidence that informed OP-ENS as well as the lessons
learned that can assist future developers.
Keywords : disabled persons, Medicaid, social