Health Equity Grant
July 29, 2010
Contact: Nicolette Warren
For Immediate Release (202) 408-9804; nwarren@sophe.org
Two SOPHE Chapters Awarded Funds to Address Diabetes Health Disparities in Minority Communities
Washington, DC – The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) today announced awards of $250,000 over five years to the Georgia SOPHE Chapter and Northern California SOPHE Chapter to build capacity with local community-based organizations and community members in addressing risk factors associated with diabetes in minority and underserved populations.
Georgia SOPHE’s efforts will focus on the local African American/Black population in Jenkins County and Southeast, Georgia to expand the capability of the Jenkins County Diabetes Coalition to disseminate and develop resources for diabetes prevention and management. Northern California SOPHE will work with the San Francisco Bay Area American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population to develop a strategic Community Action Collaborative partnership with Seva Foundation and Intertribal Friendship House for Diabetes Self Management Education programs. In addition, both SOPHE Chapters will be collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) programs to facilitate policy, systems and environmental changes strategies to reduce disparities related to chronic diseases.
“Community engagement and empowerment are vital if we are to make progress in achieving health equity and improving the health of individuals and families,” says Dr. Diane Allensworth, SOPHE President. “We are excited about the breadth and depth of the skills, innovation and commitment that the health education specialists in the Georgia and Northern California chapters will bring to this effort.”
This micro-grant funding is made possible through SOPHE’s Health Equity Project cooperative agreement with CDC’s Division of Adult and Community Health. Developed in 2009, SOPHE’s Health Equity Project aims to facilitate community action and capacity building to address health disparities; promote understanding of health disparities and social determinants of health; develop partnerships to support policy and environmental changes to reduce the burden of disease and disability; and develop resources, tools and strategies to eliminate health disparities.
For more information, about SOPHE’s Health Equity Project and about the funded chapters, visit http://www.sophe.org/healthequityproject.cfm.