The Houston Health Department (HHD) requests City Council approval of an ordinance authorizing a grant application to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant. The project period is from September 29, 2018 through September 28, 2019.The grant application amount is $900,000.00.
HHD also requests City Council authorize the Mayor to execute all related contracts, agreements and documents with the approval of the City Attorney in connection with the grant application and to authorize the Director or his designee to act as the City's representative with the authority to apply for, accept and expend the grant funds if and as awarded, and to accept and expend all subsequent supplemental awards, if any, and to extend the term and/or budget and project period not to exceed five years, if extended by the CDC during the project period and does not require cash matching funds.
The goal of this grant is to improve health, prevent chronic diseases, and reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic populations with the highest risk, or burden, of chronic disease, specifically for African Americans/Blacks, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. These populations have the highest risk or burden of chronic disease related to tobacco use, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.
HHD will accomplish this by:
- Working with food vendors, distributors and producers to enhance healthier food procurement and sales
- Improving physical activity in priority population(s) by collaborating with partners to connect sidewalks, paths, bicycle routes, public transit with homes, early care and education, schools, worksites, parks, or recreation centers through implementing master plans and land use interventions.
- Developing and implementing community-based culturally-appropriate messages that focus on: harmful effects of tobacco use; exposure to secondhand smoke; encouraging tobacco users to quit; and promoting the quitline (i.e., 1-800-Quit Now, 1-855-DEJELO-YA, and the Asian Smokers Quitline).
- Working with health care providers to ensure that every patient is screened for tobacco use, advised to quit, and provided resources for counseling and medications.
Funding will support community partners that:
1. Have a history of successfully working with an established coalition that addresses health or other disparities;
2. Select strategies that address the health disparities in the community, based on a health needs assessment process &
3. Have organizational capacity to implement local strategies.
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Stephen L. Williams, M.Ed., M.P.A.
Director, Houston Health Department