Healthy People 2010 recognizes chronic kidney disease (CKD) as one of 28 focus areas to improve the nation's health. To address these goals, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Drew) is proposing to establish a Comprehensive Center on Health Disparities (CCHD) focusing on CKD. The foundation for the center will be a formalized partnership between Drew, UCLA and RAND. The Drew/RAND/UCLA CCHD-CKD will bring important strengths to disparities-focused research. Los Angeles County is an ideal setting for this center, being one of the most diverse counties in the United States, and one with major population concentrations of disadvantaged minority groups disproportionately affected by high rates of CKD (and major CKD risk factors), related morbidity and mortality, as well as some of the lowest rates of educational attainment, income and health insurance coverage in the nation. The center will focus on contextual, community, and health care delivery factors as they relate to CKD disparities among the nation's minority and disadvantaged populations, using a bench to bedside approach that impacts relevant health care policy. The overall goals are to reduce the incidence of death related to CKD and improve the quality of life for those who have CKD. Drew and its partners propose to address these goals through the activities of four cores: 1) The Administrative and Scientific Core, 2) the Community Outreach and Information Dissemination (Community) Core, 3) the Chronic Kidney Disease Health Outcomes and Policy Core, and 4) the Developmental Core.
The Specific Aims of the Drew/RAND/UCLA CCHD-CKD are to: 1) Promote the conduct of methodologically rigorous research (focusing on national CKD priority areas) aimed at improving outcomes for CKD patients; 2) Promote the conduct of methodologically rigorous research (focusing on national CKD priority areas) aimed at reducing disparities in CKD and CKD risk factors for disadvantaged African American and Latino patients; 3) Build research capacity and provide both formal training in academic and community-based settings for CKD/health disparities researchers at Drew University; 4) Educate and increase the participation of medically underserved minorities in evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention research directed toward CKD and CKD risk factors; and 5) Disseminate results of relevant efficacy studies and health information in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner to this population, community-based health care providers, the broader academic community, and to health policy makers.
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