Accountable Communities: Healthy Together

Accountable Communities: Healthy Together is a three-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) planning grant funded by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities. The grant supports a partnership between the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University , Neighborhood Planning Unit-V (NPU-V), Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness, Southside Medical Center , the Center for Black Women's Wellness, and the Atlanta Regional Health Forum to identify the most pressing health and socio-economic problems experienced by residents of NPU-V.

The hallmark of CBPR lies in the respectful covenant that emerges when community residents join together with interested organizations and institutions to: (1) identify health disparities in their community, (2) delineate the causes for those health disparities, (3) take planned actions to mitigate those causes, and (4) monitor the progress and impact of the actions taken. In the first year of the grant (October 2005 to September 2006), the grant partners and residents will work together to determine the health and community issues that are important to residents of NPU-V and design a strategy for redressing those concerns. This will be accomplished through a series of forums, interviews, community listening sessions, and a unique qualitative methodology called Photovoice. Implementation and evaluation of the pilot intervention will occur in Years 2 and 3.