Wednesday, January 15, 2025
1/15/2025
The Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR) at Duke University plans to expand comprehensive sexuality education and positive youth development programming through Evidence-Based Programs (EBP) to improve equity for adolescents in the areas of sexual, reproductive, mental health and socio-emotional needs. This will be accomplished over a five-year period through CHPIR’s Eastern North Carolina Health Equity for Adolescent Lives (ENC-HEAL) project. This project will serve up to 1,075 adolescents (ages 13-21) in nine counties in Eastern North Carolina including: Craven, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Nash, Pitt, Tyrell, and Washington Counties. All programs will be age appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, medically accurate, trauma-informed and inclusive of all adolescents regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigrant status, adjudication, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation and social class. CHPIR will scale up programming in collaboration with personnel in four unique settings including: 1)NC Department of Safety’s Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Division and Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils overseeing adolescents in Youth Development Centers, Transitional/Residential Homes, Restitution, and Teen Court; 2) Independent Living Services for Foster Children (LINKS); 3) Community-Based Organizations, including The Boys and Girls Clubs of Tar River, Supreme Teens-Halifax County, City of Ahoskie’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and 4) Martin County Schools via the Martin-Tyrell-Washington District Health Department. To gain a better understanding of community needs and norms unique to Eastern North Carolina a Community Assessment will be developed during the six-month planning period. 16 focus groups will be offered in four locations throughout the region with three specific groups: adolescents, caregivers/parents, and community members (concerned residents, local organization, agency, and school personnel). Building trust will be essential to promote and implement successful EBPs. Therefore, an ENC-HEAL Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be created with community partners in nine counties. The HEAL CAC will include adolescents, caregivers/parents, and community members. Two Community Connect events will also be held in all nine counties on a yearly basis. This will help support ongoing relationships with a wide range of community stakeholders. The HEAL CAC will discuss and review a variety of EBPs to select the ones best suited for different settings and needs of adolescents. The EBPs with be implemented with innovative strategies to sustain the project over five years. Training will be offered on EBPs; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Sexuality Education Core Content; Social Emotional Learning; Mindfulness-Based Practices; Project YES Mental Health Modules; and Mental Health First Aid and will occur for 25-30 key personnel at ENC-HEAL partner sites. This will allow adolescents to have direct contact with an on-site adult ally as well as support sustainability for the project. Further, CHPIR staff and consultants will work with and train local health departments, federally funded Title X clinics, local mental health entities, and adolescent health practitioners to increase awareness and improve adolescent-friendly services. Youth serving agency staff will be invited to a focus group to discuss needs and ideas to ascertain ways to assist adolescents in attaining positive health outcomes and improving equity. An evaluation, monitoring, and improvement plan with be implemented under the direction of Dr. Kathryn Whetten, Director, Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research at Duke University, Duke Global Health Institute and Dr. Jennifer Lansford, Director, Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy. Regular communication will occur between CHPIR PI/PD and the OPA Grant Officer.
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).