Transdisciplinary Research Recovery Centers for Community Health

Background: Natural and man-made disasters resulted in an economic loss of $269 billion worldwide in 2008.  In addition, the poor are two times more exposed to natural disasters than non-poor people.  The economic costs and devastation on health disparity populations was highlighted in the United States with Hurricane Katrina, the largest storm of its kind in U.S. history.  This natural disaster devastated the health, health care, and biomedical research infrastructure of the Southeastern and South Central United States. It is no surprise that these regions are the locale for some of the nation's unhealthiest states according to the 2008 America's Health Rankings report. Recovery efforts continue amidst a host of challenges. In New Orleans for example, the City faces tens of thousands of blighted properties, lack of affordable housing for essential service and construction workers, limited access to health care, high rates of poverty, one of the highest crime rates in the country and fragile public services in the city and region. These characteristics in Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast neighborhoods provide the opportunity to study in depth health disparities and the serious deficiencies, as well as critical gaps in the knowledge base and to address complex community problems. Communities in Galveston, Texas that were adversely affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008 have not yet recovered from this disaster. With 25% of Galveston residents living below the poverty level and 60 percent classified as having low or moderate incomes, coupled with the current economic downturn nationwide, finding the funds to rebuild is difficult for communities in Galveston. The most significant impact to the city is the continued closure of the University of Texas medical school.  Due to $1 billon in damages, the medical school has laid off 3,000 employees and reduced medical services to the community. Numerous other businesses, from small commercial services to the local Shriners Hospital for Children, have closed resulting in job losses and negative economic impact in Galveston. More recently, we continue to observe the historic flooding in Fargo, North Dakota although the full impact has not been fully determined at this time. 
 
Project Description:  Trans-disciplinary Research Recovery Centers for Community Health (TRCH) will be supported at U.S. sites with large scale health disparities that are most vulnerable to recurrent natural and man-made disasters, and can serve as models for other geographic regions. These centers would coordinate with a broad range of community partners including academic institutions, the Department of Health, faith-based organizations, the public school system, community health centers, and others in transdisciplinary prevention research, disaster preparedness and recovery efforts. These centers would focus on:

• Advancing innovative community-centered, transdisciplinary research that targets the social determinants of health to promote health and prevent diseases in all communities;
• Engaging community participation to work with transdisciplinary professionals to develop culturally competent intervention research for vulnerable populations;
• Promoting educational opportunities (GED), job trainings, social entrepreneurship and environmental justice that connects health, environment and economic development;
• Integrating science, practice and policy to develop best health practices that lead to individual, group and community behavior change, and health security for communities.
• Developing transdisciplinary and multisystem approach to the root causes, consequences, correlates, and strategies to address poverty and inequality in the U.S.

How to Apply:
Please refer to RFA-OD-09-004 for application and submission information at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-004.html

Contact:
Dr. Francisco Sy
Phone: 301-402-1366
E-mail: syf@mail.nih.gov