At any given time, JBA is engaged in numerous projects – training, technical assistance, program development, or other significant work activities. Each of our regional program offices serves a specific DHHS Region. Our work takes place primarily in three of the 10 DHHS regions: Region VI, Region IX, and Region X. Our current projects are described below. To obtain more information about a given project, go to the Contact Us page for email, telephone, fax, or street addresses for each regional program office.       C U R R E N T   P R O J E C T S Reaching New Heights: Assessing Organizational Capacity to Provide Culturally Competent Services This module provides guidelines and processes for a systems approach to cultural and community competency using organizational assessment tools. It includes tools for examining organizational management and systems, protocol review, on-site assessment, community mapping and assessment, and action planning. Accompanying these tools is a "stages of readiness" matrix used to guide the organization from assessment to sustainable actions. The tools are designed to be completed by our staff in partnership with your organization. We are flexible about designing an approach that will best meet your organization's needs. In addition, our expert team is available to provide ongoing support through training and technical assistance. Download a PDF of the brochure. Community Health Centers Local Agency Technical Assistance Program The Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care provides grant funds to 750 local agencies nationwide that operate over 3,300 primary health centers for low-income and other populations who need access to primary care. Upon request, James Bowman Associates, Inc. provides services to these local agencies, including: Program development services (needs assessments, technical proposal writing, and budget development). Preparation for PCERs and JCAHO surveys (administrative, governance, fiscal, and information technology systems reviews). Assistance with MUA/MUP and HPSA designations. Other services as requested and defined. Technical Assistance to Community Health Center Programs JBA provides consulting services to improve the programmatic and financial effectiveness of community health centers and other organizations involved in the development and delivery of primary health care services to low-income populations. Tasks undertaken include program development and budgeting; needs assessments including health professional shortage area and medically underserved area analyses and designation requests; competitive grant applications; mergers; strategic planning; computer systems functional requirements analyses and acquisitions; and management assistance and reviews. Services provided to over 50 different agencies and organizations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Arkansas, Hawaii, the Pacific Basin, and other areas of the United States.

Head Start Family Service Worker Training and Credentialing
James Bowman Associates is one of 10 organizations nationally who have received funding to develop curriculum for entry-level family service workers in Head Start programs. JBA's family service worker institute, Essential Skills for Family Support, is a three part training series that offers interactive learning experiences building skills in strength-based family support practice. Participants attend three residential training sessions, engage in independent learning activities, and work with a coach between sessions. The institute has been designed so that participants achieve the Head Start Bureau's desired competencies for family service workers. Essential Skills for Family Support is available to Head Start programs on a fee-for-service basis. For more information contact our Oakland office staff at oakland@jba-cht.com.

Head Start Training for Region VIII
The Head Start Quality Improvement Center in Region VIII is partnering with JBA to implement good usage of the Head Start Training Guides (authored by JBA staff) to programs in the Rocky Mountain States. JBA provides tips on using the guides in a variety of training settings. We also have offered two intensive "Trainers' Retreats," giving management staff the opportunity to hone their skills in promoting professional development while making use of the training guide resources.

The Kit for New Parents
The Kit for New Parents is a new parenting resource developed by the California Children and Families Commission. The Kit is an attractive boxed set that is free for all new parents in California and it includes videos, brochures, a parent resource guide and a board book for baby. This project, funded by the California Children and Families Commission, recently provided ten trainings throughout California for staff that are using the Kit with families. These trainings, “Creating Teachable Moments with the Kit for New Parents,” will orient distribution staff to the Kit and provide information about adult learning that will enable them to support and educate new families effectively with this exciting resource.

Nutrition Network
The California Nutrition Network for Healthy Active Families is a social marketing approach with three goals: to help low-income families to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables to five servings a day, to encourage these families to engage in moderate physical activity every day, and to increase utilization of the food stamp program by eligible families. JBA is coordinating several different trainings for the agencies that are awarded funds by the Network. The trainings, tailored to each setting, will help the agencies to implement social marketing techniques into their health promotion programs.

Safe Routes to School Guidelines
This companion project to the California Safe Routes to School Clearinghouse is funded by the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) and involves reviewing the experiences of many different Safe Routes to School efforts, distilling program practices and technical assistance. The Guidelines will be published in 2003, and will be distributed by NHTSA and the Clearinghouse.

WIC-Family Centered Education
The California WIC Branch is working with JBA to pilot a “family-centered” approach to group education in local agencies. We are field-testing a few lesson plans that can be taught to children and adults together, and evaluating the lessons for dissemination to a broad WIC audience.

© 2007 James Bowman Associates, Inc.