September 25, 2014
For Immediate Release
Contact: Thelma Craig, Program Lead
720-999-6180
The Colorado Black Health Collaborative Awarded R.E.A.C.H Grant to Drive Down Chronic Diseases in the Black Community in Colorado
Program aims to improve health and reduce health disparities
Today the Colorado Black Health Collaborative( CBHC) was awarded a grant for cardiovascular disease prevention/reduction in Colorado’s Black community.
The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) award is part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative to support public health efforts to reduce chronic diseases, promote healthier lifestyles, reduce health disparities, and control health care spending. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will administer the grants, which will run for 3 years, subject to availability of funds.
Overall, HHS awarded $35 million in new grant awards to 49 local health agencies. REACH, a CDC program that began in 1999, focuses on racial and ethnic communities experiencing health disparities. Awardees include local governmental agencies, community-based nongovernmental organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, Urban Indian Health Programs, and tribal and intertribal consortia. They will use public health strategies to reduce tobacco use and exposure, improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and improve access to chronic disease prevention, risk reduction, and management opportunities.
Seventeen organizations are receiving funds for basic implementation activities; 32 additional organizations are receiving funds to immediately expand their scope of work to improve health and reduce health disparities. REACH is financed in part by the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act.
Program Lead, Thelma Craig offered these thoughts-“In Colorado and this country, chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death, disability, and health care costs, accounting for 7 of 10 deaths among Americans each year, and more than 80 percent of the $2.7 trillion our nation spends annually on medical care. African Americans/Blacks share a disproportionate burden of these diseases.”
“This is a great opportunity to work with our dedicated partners to enhance and expand our work and to achieve our mission of health equity in Colorado’s Black community,” said Ms. Craig.
Specifically, the work that Colorado Black Health Collaborative will be doing includes expanding their platform of current programs such as educational forums, health resource directory, barbershop/salon program, as well as developing other longitudinal programs that will insure a positive impact.
In the coming weeks CBHC will unveil their plan for this health and wellness initiative, www.coloradoblackhealth.org