The
National REACH (Racial and Ethnic
Approaches to Community Health) Coalition to Eliminate Disparities in Health
was established in 2004 to continue to advance the elimination of ethnic and
racial disparities in health as a local, state and national priority. The coalition grew out of the national REACH
2010 initiative funded through the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention,
bringing together more than 40 communities across the country to reduce the
incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infant mortality, breast and
cervical cancer, AIDS/HIV and improve adult immunization rates. The National
REACH Coalition (NRC) represents a network of coalitions across the country
working to find effective strategies and community-based interventions to
improve health outcomes in these areas. The NRC provides coordination and
leadership for the advancement and translation of community-based participatory
research into evidenced based practices, policies and community empowerment.
Vision and Mission
Grounded in the cultural, racial, and socio-economic experience and context of impacted communities, the NRC is dedicated to the following:
Vision: A nation committed to the elimination of health disparities, the facilitation of health and equal access to quality health and health care resources regardless of race, ethnicity or socio-economic status.
Mission: To coalesce, increase the capacity and social capital of underserved racial and ethnic communities across the U.S. to achieve health equity.
Strategic Goals:
Narrow the Information Gap
Find and Promote Solutions
Build and Sustain a National Network Linking and Engaging Impacted Communities
Advocate for Policy Change
The NRC seeks to advance a model of research and program development at the local, state and national level that ensures:
Impacted communities are actively engaged and participate in all stages of decision making, research, evaluation, policy and program development
Community interventions are culturally relevant and address the effects of racism and inequalities in the socio-economic status of each community
Programs are designed to support collaboration and equity in partnerships between traditional researchers, public health agencies and local communities
Resources are invested in local community organizations to build and sustain community capacity and increase the evidence for community-based interventions through documentation and dissemination
