National Kidney Foundation of Michigan Awarded $50k in Funding
to Strengthen Flint Community Health Worker Network
The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) was recently awarded a grant from the Arthur L. Tuuri Health Fund, authorized by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. The grant – Building Healthy Neighborhoods: Strengthening Flint’s Community Health Worker Network – will provide $50,000 in funding over the next year. This new grant will allow the NKFM to improve the overall health outcomes in the greater Flint area and reduce the impact of chronic disease by equipping Community Health Workers (CHWs) to provide evidence-based programs, and connect underserved neighborhoods to health resources.
For over a decade, reducing health disparities has been a focus of the NKFM, bringing together key strengths and expertise to address the formidable challenges of planning, implementing, and evaluating innovative community-based interventions in vulnerable populations.The primary focus of the NKFM’s prevention efforts is to eliminate and reduce health disparities by addressing barriers to good health.
“This project seeks to strengthen the assets of Flint neighborhoods by providing valuable health and wellness training to residents who are active in their community. The programs selected for this project and the delivery of the programs by these trusted health workers have been shown to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes,” said Dr. Art Franke, Senior VP and Chief Science Officer of the NKFM.
The NKFM aims to serve over 500 greater Flint residents in the first year of this project through a combination of CHW training and support, community-based wellness programs, and physical activity. CHWs will be trained in various NKFM programs, including My Choice. . . My Health: Diabetes Prevention Program, Enhance Fitness, and PATH/Diabetes-PATH. The increased capacity will be sustained through commitment by network partner organizations to include CHWs in their organizational structure.
The NKFM welcomes the opportunity to partner with interested parties in the greater Flint area. For more information, please contact Christy Rivette at the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan at 810-232-0522 or visit www.nkfm.org.
