Congratulations to three community-academic research partnerships who have been awarded with planning grant funding from the Detroit URC to help them pursue their health equity initiatives in Detroit. With awards of up to $4,000 per team, the Round 6 (Spring 2016) Small Planning Grant recipients and proposed projects are as follows:  

Collaborative Approach to Community-based Research on Breastfeeding

• PARTNERS: Kiddada Green, Founding Executive Director of Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association; Angela Johnson, Assistant Research Scientist, Program for Multicultural Health (See photo to these partners to the right presenting a poster at the Detroit URC's 20th Anniversary Symposium.)
• GOAL: To strengthen the existing partnership with University of Michigan Health System Program for Multicultural Health and to address persistent breastfeeding barriers unique to African American women by developing culturally appropriate community-wide breastfeeding support for African American women and their children based on best practices established through community-based research practices.

Identifying Healthcare Priorities In Detroit Homeless Populations

• PARTNERS: Ron Beford, Executive Director, Interfaith Health & Hope Coalition; Paul Kilgore, Associate Professor, Wayne State University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences; Community and Home Supports Inc., The Noah Project; Advantage Health Centers, Detroit Central City Community Mental Health, Inc.
• GOAL: to better understand current health conditions from a homeless individual’s perspective and identify barriers that prevent the homeless population from seeking and acting on preventive healthcare.

Health Care Needs of People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Living in Detroit

• PARTNERS: Carmen McIntyre, Chief Medical Officer, Detroit-Wayne County Mental Health Authority, Steven Erickson, Associate Professor of Soical and Administrative Sciences, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy; The Arc Detroit; Wayne State University Development Disabilities Institute
• GOAL: The overall goal of this partnership is to improve the health of people who have an intellectual/developmental disability related condition living in the city of Detroit through the development of a sustained relationship between community and academic partners.

The new partnerships and projects above were awarded with Small Planning Grant funding based on fulfilling a wide range of criteria, which is outlined on the Small Planning Grants program webpage. The selection committee included Detroit URC board members and staff members.