 |
|
|
|
|
CDC and YMCA of the USA Partnership
Reaching Communities Nationwide
In an effort to address the burden of chronic disease throughout the
nation, the CDC
and the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) have formed a cutting-edge partnership to further public health
impact through the development and implementation of community-based
strategies. The partnership strives to link CDC’s scientific and
programmatic resources and technical expertise with YMCAs nationally
to deploy the most promising, evidence-based community interventions
to reduce the disease burden and improve people’s health. Community
Health and Program Services (CHAPS) leads this collaborative
endeavor to build community capacity, embrace community diversity,
improve health-related quality of life, connect people and
resources, prevent disease, and enhance public health impact.
The foundation of the CDC Y-USA partnership is based on on-going
communication, building of trust, respect for each organizations’
culture and practices, and recognition of each partners’ unique
abilities. To accomplish the goals of the unique collaborations,
four overarching goals have been identified for the partnership and
drives planning efforts to include the following:
- Demonstrating the positive health benefits that can be accrued in
local communities through strategic public and private partnerships.
- Establishing new models for the dissemination and translation of
community interventions through established and respected national
organizations that have a presence and meaningful role in local
communities.
- Maximizing the impact of limited federal dollars in chronic disease
prevention through shared resources with the private sector.
- Establishing a public health framework for working with national
organizations interested in community health promotion.
Two successful by-products of this unique collaboration are the
Pioneering Healthier Communities collaboration and the Steps Program –YMCA partnership.
Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC)
The Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) initiative brings
community leaders together to design community-based strategies that
will promote systems and environmental changes that are supportive
of healthy lifestyles. This innovative program is
based on the belief that the most challenging health issues facing
communities are not the health issues or chronic diseases
independently, but rather the combined difficulty communities face
in effectively responding to those health challenges within their
respective community settings. PHCs strive to address these
challenges by working to change the community environment and better
support healthy living. Since 2004,
50 PHCs have been funded* to serve as conveners of high-level
community representatives from government, public health, and private
sectors to reduce community barriers and increase community supports
for healthy living. PHC involvement spans multiple sectors, settings
and disciplines; such as, government, healthcare, transportation,
food service systems, faith-based entities, parks and recreation
departments, foundations, and health-related nonprofit organizations.
To be successful, PHCs employ the expertise of various expert
advisors to support their work in communities via annual meetings
and conferences. These advisors provide information on
evidence-based tools, resources, and technical assistance on
implementing successful community action plans. Expert advisors
include the CDC, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports, Active Living by Design, America on the Move, American
Public Health Association, National Association of Chronic Disease
Directors, Association for Community Health Improvement, and the
Health Research Education Trust.
In September 2004, the national office of the YMCA (YMCA of the USA)
was selected as a funded national partner of the Steps Program to
increase the reach of Steps-funded activities. Since 2005, the YMCA of
the USA has provided grants to local YMCAs and Steps-funded communities
to work together on evidence-based, chronic disease prevention and
promotion programs. In 2007, the YMCA of the USA released a national
report entitled "YMCA/Steps
Community Collaborative Projects: Success Stories – Partnerships that
Expand the Potential"*  (PDF–2MB),
which includes special profiles of another 11 YMCA/Steps partnerships at
the community level, as well as a summary of all 40 YMCA/Steps Community
Collaborative projects across the country.
One or more documents on this Web page are available in Adobe Acrobat® Format
(PDF).
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files on this page.
*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a
service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization
by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is
not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found
at this link.
Page last reviewed: December 11, 2008
Page last modified: December 11, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult
and Community Health, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
|
