OUR APPROACH

We engage and empower African Americans, Latinos, and white Appalachians to live healthier lives by developing solutions through Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR).

We also initiate solutions at the policy level and collaborate with health care organizations to develop and implement evidence-based interventions and innovative programs to deliver our mission. The success of this model relies on its grassroots fundamentals to promote a culture of health.

Engage

• Recruit resident leaders in community
• Partner with health organizations and government agencies
• Conduct community-driven interventions and research

Empower

• Health literacy
• Making healthy choices that fit their lives, i.e. physical activities and healthy eating
• Navigating the healthcare system, i.e. insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP
• Choosing a primary care physician
• Patient compliance

Advocate

• Teach residents to advocate for needed resources for a healthy community
• Advocate for public policy that supports community well-being
• Advocate for access to healthcare
• Advocate for the elimination of barriers, i.e. the over-saturation of fast food restaurants, liquor stores, etc., and violence in public spaces