This application develops a Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC) for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention within the DHHS-defined Region 5 titled The Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions (FCHES). Core Academic Faculty and their community partners bring significant research and practical expertise in health equity efforts, behavioral health interventions and epidemiology, geography and the effects of built environment on health, and physical fitness and healthy eating in economically distressed, minority- majority communities. The TCC targets its initial activities within Flint, Michigan, with plans to extend the scope and reach of Center activities more generally across the state and nation. Our long-range goal is to eliminate disparities in physical and behavioral health developing, implementing and disseminating community-based multilevel interventions and creating sustainable health equity solutions in partnership with a broad cross-section of multi-sectorial stakeholders. Our partners include some of the community founders of CBPR. The Consortium Core will leverage existing community outreach initiatives targeted to underserved populations in Flint, MI and across the Region. The Core consists of a broad cross-section of federal, state, and local agencies, private sector partners, community organizations, minority and health disparity populations, health care provider organizations, for-profit or non-profit organizations and foundations, and other stakeholders. Our TCC Consortium Core will serve as a regional focal point to organize and nurture productive and meaningful relationships with a broad cross section of stakeholders, including representation from community, local, state, and national organizations focused on health disparities/health equities The role of the Consortium Core is to: (1) create synergy with collaborative partners and to coordinate TCC activities in a way that builds trust and minimizes duplication of effort, fills gaps in existing regional efforts, and mobilizes and leverages resources; 2) seek new opportunities for collaborations, including expanding the consortium to include relevant new partners; (3) advise and participate in all aspects of the TCC to achieve goals and objectives across all TCC Cores, including the Administrative Core, the Methodology Core, the Dissemination and Implementation Science Core and the 2 collaborative Intervention Research Projects. Specifically, the Core will: (1) In collaboration with consortium partners, develop regional collaborations and partnerships to promote the TCC as a regional focal point to organize and nurture productive working relationships with a cross section of stakeholders; (2) Develop methods and procedures for timely and effective communication among TCC participants and the wider community as a means to increase capacity and coordinate efforts; (3) Establish a participatory evaluation strategy for the partnership consortium using the Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT). The objective is to have an action-oriented, inclusive, broad-based stakeholders? consortium to act as full partners in increasing the relevance and reach of TCC activities.
| Sadler, Richard C; Hippensteel, Christopher; Nelson, Victoria et al. (2018) Community-engaged development of a GIS-based healthfulness index to shape health equity solutions. Soc Sci Med : |
