Community Health

EDC has developed three new culturally-targeted videos to supplement the VOICES/VOCES HIV/STD prevention program. VOICES/VOCES, an intervention that has been proven effective in reducing rates of new STD infection, has been disseminated to about 1500 agencies through the United States, and is one of the widely used behavioral interventions. Over 600 agencies and 1500 trainers have delivered the program.

EDC/HHD is collaborating with Mith Samlanh, a local not-for-profit organization in Phnom Penh that runs programs for children orphaned by HIV and living on the streets. Through this partnership, Mith Samlanh works to reintegrate these children into society so that they are able to resume productive lives and leave the streets.

We assist colleges and universities create safer and healthier campus communities through an environmental approach. Our support services include consultation, resources and materials, face-to-face and online trainings, strategic planning, and support developing, implementing and evaluating proven programs and policies that address heavy drinking, tobacco and other drug use, violence, hate crimes, and high-risk sexual practices among college students.

In a series of prior research studies, the VOICES/VOCES HIV-prevention intervention has been shown to reduce new sexually transmitted infections (STI) and encourage condom use among high-risk heterosexual African American and Latino men and women, populations that bear a disproportionate burden of the AIDS epidemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether VOICES/VOCES, a single-session, group-level behavioral intervention, is outcome- and cost-effective when implemented in “real world” settings with agency staff delivering the intervention under routine clinic conditions.

The Connecticut Health Foundation’s (CHF) 10 year strategic plan included a goal to decrease the number of children and youth (ages 6-14) from entering the Juvenile Justice System and/or the most intensive level of mental health treatment. To accomplish this goal, CHF created a grant program to support and promote a comprehensive community-based system of early screening, assessment, identification, and brief intervention.

EDC is examining developmental pathways of violence perpetration among African-American and Latino young adults who grew up in severely distressed neighborhoods of the inner city and are now parents. About 1000 participants in the decade-long Reach for Health Longitudinal Study have been successfully tracked from middle school into their early twenties, a time when many have become parents. The information they have provided is being analyzed to address the questions: How do past experiences with violence shape parenting attitudes and practices as well as ongoing involvement in violence?

The Cross-Sectoral Youth (CSY) Project is a multi-country EQUIP3 Associate Award that fosters collaboration across sectors (health, democracy & governance, education, environment, and economic growth) in order to meet the holistic needs of youth in developing countries. As a USAID intra-agency initiative, the project is designed to incorporate youth as a strategic priority within the U.S. Government foreign assistance framework while advancing USAID objectives.

Serving communities in the Three Areas, HEAR Sudan builds capacity of local stakeholders to plan, implement and monitor health and education services, helps translate this increased capacity into action, and builds community support for school governance and outreach. HEAR strengthens linkages between educators and health workers with the aim of increasing healthy girls’ and boys’ access to quality education.

Injuries, suicide, and violence cause the greatest number of deaths and hospitalizations for children and adolescents. The Children’s Safety Network works with local, state, and national maternal and child health agencies, strengthening their capacity to address these problems through advocacy, materials development, training, technical assistance, needs assessment, evaluation, and policy development.

The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention (National Center) provides technical assistance (TA) and training to 106 federally-funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grantees and to six Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) (PL) grantees.