This project titled, An Innovative Approach to Inclusive Health, assists communities in advancing community health inclusion efforts. State and community awardees will engage in a planning and implementation project developed to facilitate inclusion of people with mobility, intellectual and/or sensory disability and to increase access to physical activity, healthful food, and/or healthy weight management initiatives.
“This is an ideal time for NCHPAD to work closely with state directors in disability and health and their community partners to grow an implementation science program that systematically addresses key health and environmental disparities substantially higher in people with disabilities compared to the general population,” said Jim Rimmer, PhD., Lakeshore Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation Sciences and Director of NCHPAD.
NCHPAD initiated the competitive funding request for states that currently receive funding from the CDC-NCBDDD. The project will include training opportunities, community assessments, inclusion planning, prioritizing inclusion solutions and use of an evidence-based adapted program. Communities will work with their respective Inclusive Health Coalition to achieve inclusive public health programmatic, policy, systems and environmental outcomes.
The five selected states are Iowa (Iowa Department of Public Health), Kentucky (Cabinet for Health & Family Services), Montana (Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services), New Hampshire (University of New Hampshire / Institute on Disability), and Oregon (Oregon Health & Science University).
The Iowa Department of Public Health will partner with the University of Iowa, the Family YMCA of Black Hawk County, and Easterseals Iowa to use NCHPAD’s Inclusive Community Implementation Process (NiCIP) to implement the evidence-based and adapted Girls on the Run (GOTR) program in at least nine elementary schools across Black Hawk County.
The Kentucky State Disability and Health Program will utilize diverse local partners and disability organizations to spearhead an innovative, inclusive health promotion opportunity for their community. A sustainable Inclusive Health Coalition will be maintained and expanded to utilize inclusion solutions and resources identified to serve the Lexington community. State Extension Programs will be used to bring inclusive health programs to all Kentuckians while working towards creating a virtual SNAP-Ed program that can be used by a broader group that may not be able to attend in-person classes due to mobility, transportation or geographic barriers.
The Montana Disability and Health Program (MTDH) and partners will follow NCHPAD’s inclusive community implementation process (NiCIP) using the Prevent T2 for All evidence-based adapted diabetes prevention curriculum in the rural state of Montana. The MTDH program will build capacity for effective partner collaboration between disability and diabetes organizations/programs and select sustainable, inclusive programmatic, policy, systems and environmental (PPSE) strategies that support inclusion of people with disability within the Montana Diabetes Program (MDP). MTDH and MDP have chosen five diabetes program sites to pilot the NiCIP and the Prevent T2 for All curriculum. These sites were selected based on geographic diversity, capacity, and telehealth access.
The New Hampshire Disability and Health Program will address the disproportionate prevalence of overweight and obesity among people with disabilities by engaging the Seacoast Area Public Health Coalition and local stakeholders with disabilities. The adapted Brief Motivational Interviewing (BMI²) program will be piloted at the Lamprey Community Health Centers, a certified Level-III Patient Medical Home with three locations in two New Hampshire regions.
To support physical activity options in the community, Oregon Health and Science University Office on Disability and Health, Adaptive Sports Northwest and Portland State University will utilize the NiCIP and National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Go4Life campaign to enhance physical activity opportunities offered at PSU’s campus recreation center for individuals with disability. The Oregon team will also utilize their Inclusive Health Coalition to promote and recruit local and statewide partners committed to prioritizing equity and implementing inclusive health programs. This project will allow them to equip student fitness trainers with tools to provide inclusive services throughout their careers while educating community partners on the value of universal design and inclusion.
For more information about this project, please visit nchpad.org/grants. For more information about NCHPAD, please visit www.nchpad.org.
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About The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)
Founded in 1999, NCHPAD is a national resource and practice center that empowers communities, organizations and individuals through training, technical assistance, advocacy, thought leadership, health promotion, and health communication to create livable places, healthy people, and sustainable inclusion.