Southern Connecticut State University has been awarded a five-year grant of up to $3.68 million from the federal Centers of Disease Control & Prevention as part of an initiative to improve the health of vulnerable populations in New Haven.
Known as Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, the project will be coordinated by the Community Alliance for Research & Engagement (CARE), an organization that is housed jointly at SCSU and the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH).
The grant — one of about 30 awarded nationally during the current year — will include $720,000 in the first year, with additional funding of similar magnitude anticipated for the remaining years. A third of the money will be earmarked for the New Haven community via local organizations and leaders with the intent of enhancing and developing health projects to benefit low-income and underserved populations.
“Health disparities among communities of color in New Haven, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, are an urgent public health problem that we must address,” said Alycia Santilli, director of CARE and an assistant professor in SCSU’s Department of Public Health.
“We are very enthusiastic about the opportunities this grant will bring to the community — to support and enhance the work of many community partners that work toward health equity,” she said.
Among the applications for the grant:
• To improve access to health programs in New Haven for those at higher risk for developing chronic disease. This includes expanding the New Haven Health Leaders program, which engages city residents and SCSU graduate students who live in New Haven to address health disparities in their local neighborhoods.
• To expand Project Access New Haven’s community health worker model to identify people who might not have a primary care physician and who may need social services, such as food and transportation. This work will be performed through social-service agencies, such as food pantries, throughout the city.
• To create a nutrition ranking system at food pantries so that clients can more easily determine which foods are healthy.
• To work with transportation officials to help ensure that people can walk and bike to their destinations, as well as have access to bus transportation.
Said Sandra Bulmer, dean of SCSU’s School of Health and Human Services, “This grant supports our community partners with their important work, provides resources for New Haven residents, and simultaneously expands practice-based learning opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students.”
The grant will also enhance the partnership between YSPH and SCSU, with SCSU implementing community activities and YSPH responsible for evaluation activities. The evaluation will be led Kathleen O’Connor Duffany, CARE’s research and evaluation director, as well as YSPH faculty.
CARE and New Haven are well positioned to implement this project, said Santilli, adding that CARE has an 11-year history of partnerships in New Haven.
The project is set to begin immediately.
The $3.68 million grant represents the largest award of its kind ever received by SCSU.
Contact Michael C. Bingham at mbingham@newhavenbiz.com
