COME ALIVE MILWAUKEE

Reducing the burden of chronic disease and eliminating health disparities in high-risk minority communities in Milwaukee

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Full Project Name:COME ALIVE MILWAUKEE: Community Empowerment and Lifestyle Intervention for Ethnic MinoritiesPrincipal Investigator:Leonard E. Egede, MD, MS, Center for Advancing Population ScienceAward Amount:$2,800,000.00

Award Date

October2017

Project Duration:72 months

Project Description Narrative:

The U.S. Insitute of Medicine defined health care disparities as "differences in the quality of care received by minorities and non-minorities who have equal access to care." Based on this definition, when differences are based on the systemic issues within a health care system, environmental factors, or discrimination, the difference is defined as a disparity. In Milwaukee, the most racially and ethnically diverse county in Wisconsin, and a majority-minority city with about 53% of residents having an ethnic minority background, disparities of poverty, education, income, employment, and health are significant.

Through this award, project investigators aim to reduce the burden of chronic disease and health disparities in 10 high-risk minority communities through a coordinated effort that will include direct patient intervention and augmentation of existing infrastructure, while supporting efforts to grow the next generation of change agents in the community.

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Continued to test novel individual and community level interventions to eliminate health disparities in Milwaukee
Enrolled 189 participants in the Milwaukee Epidemiological Study on Stress and Health (MESH)
Continued to recruit and train the next generation of change agents in combating health disparities in Milwaukee
Conducted assessments, including identifying the role of social determinants of health in outcomes for formerly incarcerated persons, and evaluating the role of social determinants of health in pregnancy outcomes among African American women
Hosted the 2nd Annual State of the Science in Health Disparities conference titled, "Eliminating Health Disparities in the era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Catalyzing change through strong academic-community partnerships,” which included various presentations on vaccinations and vaccination hesitancy, deferral of treatment during the pandemic, and strategies for reconnecting and engaging community partners in the midst of a pandemic
Successfully leveraged AHW funds for three large R01s funded by NIH