In this proposal, the Health Improvement Partnership (HIP-Cuyahoga) partners aim to catalyze evidence-based and innovative environmental, systems, and policy changes to improve population health, reduce the burden of chronic disease, prevent infectious and adult diseases, and achieve health equity in Cleveland and target areas of Cuyahoga County. This collaborative application builds on over a decade of successes and foundational work achieved through HIP-Cuyahoga and our 2014-2023 REACH initiatives. HIP-Cuyahoga is a multi-sector, equity-grounded consortium, established in 2009 following a comprehensive community health assessment and improvement planning process, with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) serving as the backbone organization.
Our community has stark racial and ethnic differences in access to health producing opportunities and health outcomes, including a profound chronic disease burden, despite an abundance of health care resources. These disparities are the result of historical and contemporary injustices linked to structural racism and requires a multifaceted approach to addressing these inequities.
The purpose of this proposal is to rapidly implement pragmatic approaches to nutrition, physical activity, Early Care and Education (ECE), and COVID-19, Flu, and other routine adult vaccine demand/awareness strategies in the Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino populations, inclusive of the disability and LGBTQ+ communities, within Cleveland and under-resourced areas of Cuyahoga County. The PSE strategies proposed were developed through neighborhood level, community-based participatory approaches, and through our participatory county Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) processes. The work of this partnership will support the implementation of culturally tailored and evidence-based strategies that improve health, and reduce chronic and infectious disease burden among our target populations in Cuyahoga County. These approaches are designed to be synergistic, and both communications and evaluation are woven throughout the strategy areas. Because HIP-Cuyahoga has a shared goal of achieving health equity, CCBH will provide equity training and will work with partners to conduct an equity impact assessment focused on our adult vaccine strategies. Also, we propose to build on existing systems modeling work through an innovative social marketing approach that will be applied to our cross-cutting health communications marketing, and media activities.
The Nutrition Strategy includes two components focused on fruit and vegetable (FV) vouchers/Produce Prescriptions and Food Service Guidelines. The strategy centers community engagement, by strategically collaborating with diverse groups. The goal is to promote healthy food access by increasing purchasing and distribution of healthier foods as a means to improve health behaviors and outcomes. ECE Strategies focus on expanding nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding policies through the implementation of the Ohio Healthy Program (OHP) and implementation of a Farm to ECE program, with the goal of reducing racial and ethnic disparities and inequities among our young children. Through our Physical Activity Strategies, we will influence improved health outcomes and reduction in racial and ethnic disparities, through increased physical activity by creating environmental conditions that make it safer and more inviting to engage in walking, biking, or scooting for transportation and recreation. Our Adult Vaccine Strategies will increase equity in COVID-19, flu, and other routine adult vaccinations by assessing barriers, equipping Community Health Workers as influential messengers and increasing vaccination opportunities through leveraged partnerships. HIP-Cuyahoga is well positioned and committed to implementing these strategies to address our complex racial and ethnic disparities to achieve health equity in our County.
