About REACH Across the U.S. (2007 to Present)

Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S. (REACH U.S.) is a national program and important cornerstone of CDC’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. This program builds on the body of knowledge learned from projects funded in the original REACH 2010 cooperative agreement program.

REACH U.S. in Communities

REACH U.S.—  

• Utilizes community-based participatory approaches.
• Implements and evaluates innovative approaches to improving health in communities, health care settings, schools, and work sites.
• Disseminates effective strategies that eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.
• Addresses the social determinants of health through policy and environmental change.
• Adds to the science of eliminating health disparities.

REACH U.S. funds 40 grantee partners to operate under one of two levels of funding—

1. Centers of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (CEEDs) are national expert centers that implement, coordinate, refine, and disseminate programmatic activities. CEEDs also provide pilot funding, support, local training, and guidance to Legacy Projects to encourage them to initiate or enhance work towards the elimination of health disparities. Members of communities may apply to a CEED, through a competitive application process, for Legacy Project funding. (For more information or to apply for funding, please contact a CEED directly.) There are 18 REACH U.S. CEEDs.

2. Action Communities (ACs) will implement and evaluate successful practice-based and evidence-based approaches and programs that impact communities as well as cultural and environmental influences related to health disparities. There are 22 REACH U.S. ACs.

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What populations are served by REACH U.S.?

• African American/Black
• American Indian/Alaska Native
• Asian
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
• Hispanic/Latino

What health problems are addressed by REACH U.S.?

• Breast and cervical cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Adult/older adult immunization
• Hepatitis B
• Tuberculosis
• Asthma
• Infant mortality

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Contributions to Public Health

REACH U.S. mobilizes and equips local communities and institutions to plan, implement, and evaluate programs and strategies that eliminate health disparities. REACH U.S. grantee partners have identified numerous individual, community, societal, cultural, and environmental factors that must be changed to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. Thus, using a broad social-ecological perspective, each grantee partner develops appropriate programs that address the complex root causes of racial and ethnic health disparities. By sharing their strategies and best practices, grantee partners give communities and other public health programs valuable tools to eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations.

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REACH U.S. Grantee Partner Summary

The following tables provide a numeric overview of the 40 grantee partners by listing the number of those—

• Focusing on specific race and ethnic groups
• Focusing on specific health priority areas

For a summary of the CEEDs, please see Table 1. For a summary of the ACs, please see Table 2.
 

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Page last reviewed: November 6, 2008
Page last modified: November 6, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion