Brownsville will serve as one of four communities nationwide selected for a new federal initiative aimed at improving child health, strengthening nutrition and preventing pediatric chronic disease through locally driven solutions.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday in Brownsville the launch of Great Health for America, a $32 million, two-year pilot effort that will bring federal resources and public health expertise directly into participating communities while giving local residents and organizations a role in shaping solutions for children and families.
Brownsville was selected alongside Lake County, Indiana; the Sandusky and Toledo metropolitan areas in Ohio; and Petersburg, Virginia.
For Brownsville, the initiative builds on years of collaboration among the City, schools, healthcare providers, universities, nonprofits, neighborhoods and families to promote healthier lifestyles and expand opportunities for physical activity and nutrition education.
“The goals announced today align closely with work that has been underway throughout Brownsville for years now. We know healthier communities are built through partnership with our schools, healthcare providers, universities, nonprofit organizations, neighborhoods, and families working together,” said Brownsville Mayor John Cowen Jr.
“The City is proud to collaborate with the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and programs such as Tu Salud Sí Cuenta, the Brownsville Wellness Coalition, our annual RGV Challenge, and other initiatives that provide health education, free exercise programs, and opportunities for physical activity.”
No start date has been determined.
Through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement, a grantee in each pilot community is expected to receive $4 million annually for two years. The grantee will work with local health leaders and residents of a selected neighborhood and elementary school to implement the initiative.
Each community will also receive support from two commissioned U.S. Public Health Service officers. The officers will work alongside residents, schools, healthcare providers, public health systems and local organizations to strengthen partnerships and connect communities with resources available across the federal government.
“Every community wants the same thing: for its children to grow up healthy, strong, and ready to reach their full potential,” said Admiral Brian Christine, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health. “The people who call these neighborhoods home know their strengths, their challenges, and their children best. Great Health for America is about showing up, listening, and bringing resources and expertise directly to communities so we can work together to build a healthier future for every child.”
Rear Admiral Paul Jung, M.D., Deputy Surgeon General, said the Public Health Service officers will combine their expertise with the firsthand knowledge of residents.
“Public Health Service officers will be there to listen, build relationships and work shoulder to shoulder with the people who know these communities best,” Jung said. “Our officers bring public health expertise, but local residents bring something just as important: an understanding of what their communities need. Bringing those strengths together is how we build solutions that can last.”
Improving children’s nutrition will be a major component of Great Health for America. HATCH for Hunger and A Longer Table will work with participating schools to increase access to high-quality foods, including eggs, 2 percent and whole milk, poultry and other animal proteins through school meals and local food pantries.
The initiative will also use live, neighborhood-level data to track child health indicators and healthcare expenditures throughout the two-year pilot. The data will allow participating communities to identify what is working, make adjustments during implementation and measure results.
By combining local leadership with targeted federal investment, nutrition resources, Public Health Service support and measurable outcomes, Great Health for America is designed to identify community-driven approaches that could help guide future child health efforts across the country.
For Brownsville, the national pilot represents an opportunity to build on existing community health partnerships while helping shape strategies that could ultimately reach far beyond the Rio Grande Valley.
Source: City of Brownsville
