About REACH

To download a copy of the REACH Initiative factsheet please click here.

The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program (REACH) began in 1999 as the cornerstone of CDC's efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. REACH partners use community-based, participatory approaches to identify, develop, and disseminate effective strategies for addressing health disparities across a wide range of health priority areas. Because the causes of racial and ethnic health disparities are complex and include individual, community, societal, cultural, and environmental factors, REACH communities engage a variety of strategies in their work, from counseling and education to systems and policy change.

Which populations are served by REACH?

The racial and ethnic groups currently served by REACH include:

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

Which health priority areas are addressed by REACH?

Current REACH grantees address a range of health problems, including:

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

How are REACH projects funded?

REACH communities include state and local health departments, tribes, universities, and community-based organizations. Consistent with the tenets of its community-based participatory approach, REACH emphasizes the importance of developing and maintaining strong coalitions to guide and support the program's work. In addition to funding, CDC provides technical assistance to REACH grantees. There are several different types of REACH funded communities, including:

REACH Across the U.S.

• Action Communities (ACs) 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 ACs.
• 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. 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 CEEDs.

REACH CORE

• Communities Organized to Respond and Evaluate (CORE) organize, implement, and evaluate evidence-based policy, system, and environmental change interventions that eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in chronic diseases. This program supports the transition of communities from the analysis of intervention results to the use of these results in facilitating health equity and policy change. There are 10 REACH CORE communities.
  

For more information about REACH communities and their work, please read the individual profiles.

National Organizations that Serve Minority Communities

This program supports six minority-serving national organizations to enable the sharing of evidence and practice-based programs with their local affiliates and chapters. The organizations are:

• Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership
• Inter-tribal Council of Michigan, Inc.
• Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
• National Black Women's Health Imperative
• National Council of La Raza
• Society for Public Health Education

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