NIH CEAL recognized with CLAS Champion Award

The NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) was recently honored with the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Champion Award in the category of Outstanding Sustainability as a recognition of CEAL’s efforts in promoting equitable research and community engagement practices. The National CLAS Standards are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by providing a blueprint for individuals and health care organizations to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

The award was presented by the Interdepartmental Health Equity Collaborative within the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. Kelli Carrington, M.A, director of the Office of Communications and Public Liaison at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and CEAL co-lead, accepted the award with gratitude on behalf of CEAL. 

The success of CEAL's sustainability efforts lies in its collaborative approach and community-driven solutions. By prioritizing CLAS standards, CEAL ensures that its communication strategies are inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of the communities it serves. Through partnerships with experts and community representatives, CEAL develops resources and hosts webinars tailored to specific populations to ensure equitable access to information and resources.

CEAL's approach to sustainability extends beyond the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic. CEAL programs are now working on expanding efforts from COVID-19 to address broader health issues such as maternal health, environmental health, and other aspects affecting minority and underserved communities.

The CLAS Champion Award is a testament to NIH CEAL's dedication to building trust in science, fostering inclusion in research, and strengthening community-engaged research to address health disparities.