Engaging Communities Through Research to Improve Health
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Regional Teams address issues related to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities. The program collaborates with nearly 1,200 organizations and community partners, including health care providers, hospital systems, academic and research organizations, schools, faith-based groups, nonprofits, and other community based organizations (CBOs).
The Regional Teams are built on the strength of local organizations with direct connections to the communities and individuals hardest hit by critical health disparities. The program began just months into the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of providing accurate and clear information about COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies, including vaccines, and facilitating the inclusion of diverse communities in COVID-19 research, such as vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials. The Regional Teams have shifted their focus from the pandemic to the research of ongoing chronic conditions that exist in these communities, working to address the social determinants of health that fuel health disparities.
CEAL Regional Teams engage in community partnerships to plan, implement, and evaluate innovative community engaged research that:
- Advances the prevention and control of chronic diseases and reduces related disparities by addressing major risk factors and barriers, including social and structural determinants of health.
- Conducts dissemination and implementation science to leverage the resilience and power within communities to spread and integrate evidence-based interventions.
Twenty-one CEAL Regional Teams in 21 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are located in areas of the country where significant population based health disparities persist. Each team includes principal investigators, academic partners, and diverse community partners. Regional Teams collaborate with these partners to tackle the health inequities facing their communities, conducting community-engaged research to address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities.
Accomplishments as of June 2023
Increased Vaccination Rates in CEAL Communities
COVID-19 vaccination in communities that CEAL has a presence in were nearly 6% higher by late 2022 compared to similar non-CEAL communities. The percentage of people reporting they were likely to get or have received a COVID-19 vaccine also increased significantly over time in communities that CEAL has a presence in, especially among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino groups.
Bringing Research to Communities Through Partnerships
CEAL Regional Teams have partnered with 1,163 multi sectoral partners, including 569 CBOs, to address health disparities.
Reaching Ethnically Diverse Communities
CEAL Regional Teams reached much higher proportions of Hispanic or Latino and Black or African American individuals compared to the overall U.S. population. Engaging CBOs and other partners located in and trusted by communities helped CEAL Regional Teams reach racially and ethnically diverse communities.
Expanding Research and Dissemination
CEAL Regional Teams have contributed more than 100 peer-reviewed articles to the field of community-engaged research and will continue to address gaps in research through their partnerships with communities that address social determinants of health.
Last updated: November 12, 2024