Action Communities
An Action Community is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designation for a community receiving REACH U.S. funding to make system changes at the community level. There are two Action Communities in Chicago, one in North and South Lawndale (Lawndale Health Promotion Project) and the other in South Chicago (Southeast Health Disparities.
These two Action Communities are the local building blocks from which CEED@Chicago will continue its success.
Lawndale Health Promotion Program Action Community
The Lawndale Health Promotion Project ( LHPP ) is a coalition of North and South Lawndale organizations, businesses and health service providers, and residents working to promote healthy lifestyles in these communities. LHPP collaborates with more than 63 partners whose organizations are located in the Lawndale area or serve the Lawndale community. The effort is sponsored by the Chicago Department of Public Health and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Its mission is to eliminate health disparities related to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular related diseases (CVD) among African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos in the North and South Lawndale communities. LHPP encourages the cooperation of consumers, businesses, service providers, residents and families in order to reduce the impact of the chronic diseases type 2 Diabetes and CVD.
Using a case management model as its primary practice, LHPP also does extensive community outreach, diabetes and CVD screenings, physician and information referrals, and nutrition, cooking and health education classes. LHPP works to build sustainable community-based coalitions.
LHPP's community impacts ranged from increased daily fruit and vegetable consumption and rate of physical activity, reduced obesity, and increased annual rate of cholesterol checks among African Americans to reduced smoking, and increased annual cholesterol checks among Hispanic/Latinos.
For more on LHPP, please click here: http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/lhpp/Home.jsp
Southeast-Health Disparities Action Community
Southeast Health Disparities (Southeast HD) is a community partnership whose mission is to identify and eliminate health disparities which contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the African American and Latino/Hispanic communities of Southeast Chicago . The partnership is comprised of more than 25 local, regional, and national organizations all working toward a common goal.
Leading the Southeast HD partnership is the Southeast Chicago Development Commission (SEDCOM). SEDCOM is a non-profit agency that approaches community development using holistic principles and practices to 'bring possibility to life' in all areas of the community.
Funded by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health 2010 initiative (REACH US) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Southeast HD builds upon the foundation previously laid by CDC's REACH 2010 project in Southeast Chicago . Using this foundational data, an internal assessment and a comprehensive opinion survey, Southeast HD developed a community intervention plan which focuses on communications, education, outreach, diet, physical activity, and policy change.
CEED@Chicago is a major provider of technical assistance for the Southeast HD project. Southeast HD and SEDCOM have been CEED@Chicago Coalition members since its inception in September 2007. This relationship is mutually beneficial, with regular exchange of information and cooperation between CEED@Chicago and the Southeast HD project staff.
For more on Southeast HD and SEDCOM, please click here: http://www.southeastchicago.org/