Friday, December 2, 2022
12/2/2022
Project Abstract Summary The primary purpose of the Savannah/Chatham County REACH Project ? Healthy Opportunities Empowering Equity (H.O.P.E.) ? is to reduce health disparities among African Americans and Hispanic Americans in low income neighborhoods in seven zip codes in Chatham County, Georgia by improving access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity, and creating more effective linkages between clinical service providers and community organizations. The priority populations, geographic areas, health disparities, and barriers to health were identified from the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by St. Joseph?s/Candler hospital. The project is a partnership between the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, the Healthy Savannah coalition, and more that 28 local coalition partners serving the African American and Hispanic American communities in Savannah and Chatham County. Healthy Savannah has worked for more than a decade to improve public health and reduce health disparities in Savannah and Chatham County. Chatham County is the most populous county in Georgia outside the Atlanta metropolitan area. It has a population of 289,535. African Americans comprise 39.43% of the population; Hispanic Americans comprise 6.42%. The median household income in Chatham County is $48,238 although the county has many neighborhoods, predominantly African American and Hispanic American, with household incomes that fall below the poverty line. The poverty rate for the county is 20%. The project proposes to address disparities in obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, access to healthy food, and places to be physically active. The Savannah/Chatham County REACH Project will work with public institutions and community organizations to expand existing programs in the target area, link residents to community safety net services, and connect programs for better coordination. The project will also use a variety of innovative participatory methods such as PhotoVoice to identify cultural barriers and design culturally appropriate solutions to accessing healthy opportunities. It will also undertake neighborhood engagement to assure that priority neighborhoods have more input into the City of Savannah?s proposed zoning ordinance and neighborhood master planning process. Active participation in neighborhood planning can lead to creating more opportunities for health food retail enterprises and opportunities for physical activities such as walking and biking paths, parks, and playgrounds. The project proposes the development of a Community Health YMCA, which will intentionally move the programs and services of the YMCA including their Diabetes Prevention Program and Million Hearts program out into the target communities. The Community Health YMCA program will train community health workers and provide residents with better linkages to clinical and community services. The Project expects that the target neighborhoods will be actively engaged in program activities. Healthy Savannah has many members that represent various sectors within the target neighborhoods including faith-based organizations, public leaders, health care providers, and community service organizations. The trust and respect between Healthy Savannah members will contribute to the success of the project.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
