Addressing the Intersections of Health, Organizing, and Peacebuilding: A Case Study of Peacebuilding in Liberia.

The notion of peace and the "doing of peace(building)" are integral components of individual and community/societal well-being. Yet although health (defined broadly to include well-being), organizing, and peace are interrelated, there is a lack of research that considers them together. In this manuscript, we argue that peace is constituted through the processes and acts of organizing for well-being. "Peacebuilding" constitutes organizing processes by multiple actors over time to prevent and mitigate violence. To highlight the intersections between health, organizing, and peace, in this article we draw upon our peacebuilding collaborations in Liberia, West Africa, as part of the Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI; pseudonym). We elaborate on three projects from the VPI's work as a means through which to then propose ways in which communication scholars can theorize intersections among health, organizing, and peace and contribute to empirical research at these intersections.

Extending Communication Campaign from Health to Peacebuilding: A Locally Driven Communication Campaign Approach as Part of A Peacebuilding Initiative in Liberia.

A vast amount of literature exists on communication campaign design, implementation, and evaluation, especially in health contexts. Despite recent calls to center the role of local citizens in designing and implementing campaign initiatives, limited literature exists on how to integrate local expertise with the expertise of those external to the local context. Drawing on health communication campaigns literature, peacebuilding literature, and our experiences collaborating on a multi-year communication campaign for peacebuilding and health promotion in Liberia, West Africa, we advance a locally driven communication campaign approach that integrates expertise of local citizens, campaign researchers, and campaign practitioners. We make a critical linkage between health communication and peacebuilding to discuss implications about how a locally driven communication campaign approach can contribute to communication campaigns in general, as well as health and peacebuilding specifically.

What is patient-centered care really? Voices of Hispanic prenatal patients.

Variations in patient-centered care (PCC) models and approaches contribute to ambiguity in how PCC is understood and defined, especially with regard to meeting the needs of diverse patient populations. One of the biggest challenges of putting PCC into practice is knowing what elements are the most important to patients. This qualitative study privileges patients' voices and adds a cultural dimension to existing health communication research on PCC through an empirical investigation of 48 Hispanic prenatal care patients' understandings and expectations of PCC. Semistructured interviews with 48 patients revealed five key themes in order of frequency: (a) una relación amable (a friendly relationship), (b) la atencion médica efectiva (effective medical care), (c) Español hablado (the Spanish language spoken), (d) comprensión de la información (understanding of information), and (e) eliminación del racismo (elimination of racism). The themes reflected several different assumptions and expectations with regard to PCC as compared to those espoused in many of the existing models and frameworks, such as the extent to which friendly interpersonal behaviors (e.g., smiling, making eye contact, displaying patience, and engaging in formal greetings, introductions, and farewells) were critical to patient satisfaction with the health care experience. Not only did patients feel better understood, but accompanied by friendly behaviors, information was viewed as more believable and accurate, and thus more patient-centered. The findings suggest that implementing culturally sensitive PCC approaches to caring for Hispanic prenatal care patients can include training health care staff on the importance of displaying friendly communicative behaviors such as smiling.