Celebrating 20 years of the REACH project

Reducing Chronic Disease in Northeast Ohio

Since 2007, HIP-Cuyahoga partners have received funding through several rounds of funding through the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant awards to address inequities and reduce the burden of chronic disease in Cuyahoga County.
Targeted efforts, led by Asian Services in Action, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and the Greater Cleveland YMCA, have made great strides by working collaboratively on initiatives to improve nutrition and physical activity, reduce tobacco use, and improve clinical and community linkages.   

HIP-Cuyahoga REACH highlights

Healthy Eating, Active Living and Clinical and Community Linkages in African American Communities

REACH Funding from 2014 – 2018

Major accomplishments

  • The Healthy corner store program, called “Good Food Here” reached an estimated 177,371 residents
  • 18 certified Good Food Here stores
  • The Shared Use Agreements improved opportunities to be active for an estimated 139,840 people
  • 23 shared use agreement sites
  • 11 shared use facilities sites are actively providing programming such as yoga, Zumba and chronic disease management classes
  • Chronic disease prevention through clinic community linkages reaching to an estimated 18,750 residents
  • 9 clinic sites implemented the Hypertension Best Practices
  • Estimated reach of 11,000 adults with hypertension
  • Percentage of patients with diagnosed hypertension with BP in control (<140/90) increased from 54% to 63% pre to post intervention
  • 1 specialty dental clinic implemented the Hypertension Best Practices
  • Trained 146 lay leaders over 4 years in the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs
  • 17 workshops held with 193 participants completing the evidence-based self-management workshops (CDSMP/DSMP/DEEP)
  • 7 individuals trained as Master Trainers
  • Improvements in general health, sleep problems, and depression severity observed among workshop completers
  • 9 clinic implemented the Produce Prescription (PRx) program – redeeming over $57,030 in vouchers for produce at farmers markets
  • United Way bidirectional referral Program incorporated CDSMP classes, HEAL resources and other social services at 1 clinic

YMCA of Greater Cleveland REACH highlights

Active Living, Clinical and Community Linkages and Healthy Eating in African American and Hispanic Communities

REACH Funding from 2007 – 2012

Major accomplishments

  • Offered Body Age Screening and Lifestyle Coaching classes, to over 1,500 Cleveland residents
  • Developed neighborhood walking maps to support walking clubs in a total twelve communities, serving over 2,500 persons
  • Grew a Cleveland Metropolitan School District running program from 7 schools and 81 student runners to 35 schools and over 700 runners by 2012
  • Participated in the grassroots campaign which secured Cleveland’s first protected bike lanes over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge
  • Helped City Council craft Cleveland’s Complete and Green Street Ordinance which was adopted in 2011
  • Engaged in a multi-month grassroots process to form Bike Cleveland, the bike advocacy organization for Greater Cleveland
  • Retained national experts to develop a Streets Typology plan for the City of Cleveland to classify all streets in the city as to their type (i.e., small residential, major commercial, industrial, etc.) and appropriate bike and pedestrian design solutions

 

REACH National Partner Sub-Grantee 2012 – 2013

Major accomplishments

  • Produced and installed two full-bus wrap messages which ran for a six-month period
  • Secured endorsements by Bike Cleveland and the City of the grassroots-developed Midway Protected Bikeway
  • Maintained and continued to grow the We Run This City youth running program

REACH National Funding from 2014 – 2018

Major accomplishments

  • Secured $ 80,000 in Transportation for Livable Communities-funding to complete a city-wide Midway feasibility
  • Supported Bike Cleveland’s multi-media “We Are All Drivers” public awareness campaign resulting in 5.5 million media impressions
  • Helped secure an $ 8.3 million Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant to construct the first 2.5 miles of the 60-mile Midway Protected Bike Boulevard network in 2020
  • Participated in workshops which led to installation of protected bike lanes over the Detroit-Superior bridge in 2018
  • Funded traffic engineering for four neighborhood Transportation for Livable Communities bike and pedestrian improvement projects
  • Continued to grow the We Run This City youth running program which, since 2006, has served over 7,000 Cleveland students
  • Partnered with local non-profit Vel Scott’s Healthy YOU to promote plant-based cooking among over 600 predominantly African American Clevelanders
  • Continued to provide Body Age Screenings at three Federally-Qualified Health Center clinic sites
  • Developed and tested a curriculum for a 10-week, “Growing Younger Together” lifestyle coaching course to compliment Body Age Screenings offered at two FQHC sites