Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine proudly announces the establishment of the CWRU Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN), a collaborative research center to address common health issues faced in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods in and around Greater Cleveland.
The PRCHN will also serve as a regional research and public health data source. It is being developed with an initial $790,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support both the infrastructure of the center and one demonstration research project, with the potential to receive up to $1 million annually for up to five years through additional CDC funding opportunities. The Center's goal is to engage a wide spectrum of disciplines both within the university and the community to foster a unified vision for community-based prevention research.
"The new PRCHN provides a framework for fostering partnerships within urban neighborhoods to develop, test and implement effective strategies and interventions in preventing and reducing the burden of chronic disease," said Elaine Borawski, PhD, Director of the Center for Health Promotion Research at the medical school and the PRCHN's Principal Investigator and Co-Director. "By collaborating with neighborhood residents, leaders and community organizations in Greater Cleveland, we hope to address the significant environmental and lifestyle issues that serve as barriers to good health."
The funding received for the Center is part of $25 million the CDC gave to academic institutions in 25 states earlier this fall, in support of prevention research. It is being awarded under the CDC's Prevention Research Centers Program, which was founded 25 years ago and examines how residents and their communities can prevent or counter the risks of chronic health conditions. Such conditions (including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer) account for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States and 75 percent of the nation's total health care expenditures, according to the CDC.
"Establishment of the PRCHN builds upon longstanding initiatives at CWRU that have engaged the community in identifying and addressing health and environmental disparities, which contribute to a greater burden of disease and poorer health outcomes among many of Cleveland's urban residents," said Susan Flocke, PhD, the PRCHN Co-Director and Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine.
The PRCHN at CWRU is one of two new comprehensive prevention research centers funded by the CDC; the CDC also funded five smaller developing centers, of which OSU was a recipient. Prior to these awards, Ohio was not represented in the PRC network.
"The timing for such a Center is right," said Terry Allan, MPH, Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner. "There is unprecedented regional support for uniting efforts to address public health priorities, particularly those that affect a disproportionate number of Cleveland area residents. A Center such as this enhances the university's community commitment. Simply put, Place Matters. Where you live has a profound impact on your health, your life expectancy and your ability to meet your full potential. We must create a movement in Greater Cleveland that gives the residents who live in these neighborhoods the tools to take charge of their own health and create real opportunity and hope for the future. We look forward to working with CWRU on this challenging task."
The activities of the Center will be carried out through six programmatic areas: research development; training and mentoring of community-based research skills; technical assistance and program evaluation; communication and dissemination of research findings; community collaboration; and Center evaluation. The programmatic cores are led by faculty across the university and are based on the substantial prevention-focused research, training and services offered by the university and the longstanding relationships many faculty have with community partners.
The Center will draw upon the expertise of faculty from five schools and colleges within the university, enhancing opportunities for collaboration among faculty and community partners. In addition to the medical school, university colleges and schools involved in the Center include the CWRU College of Arts and Sciences; the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing; the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences; and the School of Dental Medicine.
Collaborative research projects within the PRCHN will be organized around five priority areas based on current collaborations between faculty at CWRU and community partners. Those priority areas are Environmentally Healthy Homes and Communities; Improve Healthy Lifestyles in the Neighborhood; Tobacco Prevention and Control; Reducing the Burden of Chronic Disease and Urban Planning Poverty and Health Promotion.
As part of the initial funding, each PRC must sponsor at least one major research project. As a result, the PRCHN will partner with neighborhood residents and leaders to increase healthy food availability and accessibility within key venues where food choices are made, for example, at corner stores, schools, and community gardens.
"Good nutrition is linked to good health, but in many urban neighborhoods, lack of supermarkets, limited food selection in neighborhood stores and the prevalence of fast food create an unhealthy food environment," said Jessica Kelley-Moore, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology in the CWRU College of Arts and Sciences and leader of the PRCHN major research project.