University at Buffalo: Western New York Groups Receive Grant to Improve Health of Residents of Buffalo’s East Side

A $790,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was awarded to Western New York groups to help improve health outcomes and reduce high rates of chronic disease among African Americans living along Ferry Street in Buffalo.

The five-year Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant will support The Ferry Corridor Good Health Partnership, a collaboration between the African American Health Disparities Task Force (AAHDTF) and Cicatelli Associates Inc. (CAI). The initiative will focus on the promotion of tobacco-free living, improved nutrition and community support for breastfeeding, and increased access to health care.

African Americans living on the city’s East Side experience higher rates of poverty, are more likely to smoke and suffer from lung cancer, and have increased risks of hospitalization for heart failure and diabetes, according to the 2017-19 Erie County New York Community Health Assessment by the Erie County Department of Health.

AAHDTF leadership includes faculty and staff from the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, School of Nursing, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Education, School of Law, School of Management, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Center for Successful Aging, Center for Urban Studies, and Center Medical Humanities.

CAI is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of health care and social services delivered to vulnerable populations worldwide.