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October 12, 2007
The Federal Office of Minority Health Awards $250,000 to Unique
Cambridge Collaboration to Improve Healthcare Disparities for Men
of Color
Cambridge, MA - Dennis D. Keefe, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance
(CHA) and Commissioner of Health and Hospitals for the City of Cambridge,
and Barbara Kibler, Executive Director of The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood
House (MFNH), are pleased to announce funding from the Federal Office
of Minority Health. The unique partnership that they have formed
has been awarded $250,000 annually for three years with MFNH as
the lead grantee. The grant's consortium will be called Men's Community
Health Connections.
The main goal of the grant is to examine whether a partnership
between grass-roots community organizations and a health system
can be effective in reducing health disparities. CEO of CHA, Dennis
D. Keefe said that: "We will work with our collaborators in
Cambridge to build a partnership that is effective in developing
and implementing programs to reduce health disparities."
Barbara Kibler, Executive Director of The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood
House, lead grantee, says: "We will work as a team to coordinate
health education, screenings and connection to primary care to men
of color in Cambridge by holding community health outreach events
in churches, community centers and worksites."
Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves of Cambridge concurs: "I have full
confidence that Cambridge Health Alliance and its community partners
will continue to improve health outcomes for men of color in the
City of Cambridge."
An exciting feature of the collaboration will include engaging
men in behavioral change by enrolling them in the Fitness Buddies
Program, a social support exercise promotion program within the
Cambridge Public Health Department. This program recently received
an award from the National Association of County & City Health
Officials as a model practice program. According to Claude-Alix
Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer of the Cambridge Public Health
Department (CPHD), the health department will play a vital role
in managing the Men's Community Health Connections program.
CHA has had a Men of Color Health Improvement Initiative (MOCHI)
since 1993. MOCHI will be integrally involved at the community level
in implementing the goals of the Men's Community Health Connections
program.
Dr. Gregson Pigott, a physician at CHA's Windsor
Street Health Center, said it is critical to focus on men of
color because of the burden of morbidity and mortality experienced
by this group: "Black men face higher mortality rates for diabetes,
heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancers and homicides compared
to other groups," said Pigott.
Nancy O'Brien, President and CEO of The Cambridge Family YMCA welcomes
further projects with this consortium: "We already enjoy excellent
relationships with all of these institutions and have found that
the initiatives here for men of color have been well received."
The Institute for Community Health will provide evaluation services
to the project.
The Collaborators:
The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (MFNH) is located
in Area IV, one of the most densely populated and diverse neighborhoods
of Cambridge. Founded in 1902, MFNH is a settlement house which
has provided critical information and services to immigrants to
successfully assimilate into the American culture. It is also the
birthplace of Margaret Fuller, a famed author, feminist, transcendentalist,
and social critic. MFNH provides services to over 1,500 children,
youth, families, and individuals each year, offering positive role
models, support for basic needs, opportunities for community gatherings,
and outreach to underserved populations. For more information:
www.margaretfullerhouse.org.
The Cambridge Public Health Department strives to improve
the quality of life of residents and workers by reducing sickness
and injury; encouraging healthy behaviors; and fostering safe and
healthy environments in homes, schools, and workplaces. For more
information: www.cambridgepublichealth.org.
The Cambridge Family YMCA is a non-profit community service
organization whose mission is to build strong kids, strong families,
and strong communities by offering programs that develop a healthy
spirit, mind, and body. Centered on core values of caring, honesty,
respect, and responsibility, the Cambridge Family YMCA practices
inclusion for all ages, incomes, abilities, races, religions, ethnicities,
and genders. The Cambridge Family YMCA strives to identify and assess
the needs of its community in an effort to provide programs that
address identified gaps in services for kids and families. For more
information: www.cambridgeymca.org.
The Men of Color Health Initiative is a comprehensive program
that focuses on the unique health needs of men of color. Our aim
is to reduce the overall number of deaths due to heart disease,
stroke and other illnesses and to raise awareness of men's health
issues. We do this through community education, risk reduction and
direct intervention services. Through our efforts, we believe that
vast numbers of men can be saved, and that racial inequities in
health can be eliminated. For more information: click
here.
The Institute for Community Health (ICH) is a unique collaboration
among three Massachusetts health care systems to improve the health
of Cambridge, Somerville and surrounding communities. ICH, which
is based at Cambridge Health Alliance, was founded in 2000 by Cambridge
Health Alliance, Mount Auburn Hospital, and Partners HealthCare.
For more information: www.icommunityhealth.org.
Cambridge Health Alliance is a regional healthcare
system with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices
in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-North communities.
As a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Health
Alliance offers medical residency/training programs and undergraduate
learning experiences in hospital and community settings. Cambridge
Health Alliance also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department,
CHA Physicians Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed
Medicaid plan. For more information: http://www.challiance.org
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Media Contacts
Alison Harris
Director Media Relations
Phone: 617-499-8323
Pager: 617-546-8696
aharris@challiance.org
David Cecere
Media Relations Manager
Phone: 617-503-8428
Cell: 617-921-9613
Pager: 617-546-1879
dcecere@challiance.org
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