Total Dollars Awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (8/1/00 to 7/31/04): $ 420,000

Grantee: HealthSpace Cleveland (previously the Health Museum of Cleveland), Cleveland, OH

Co-funders: The Cleveland Foundation, The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, The Abington Foundation, The Murphy Foundation, The Bruening Foundation

Partner Organizations: HealthSpace Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)

Primary Objective: Healthy CMHA 2000 aims to motivate CMHA’s public housing residents to fully utilize the many health services already available to them, coordinate wellness efforts within the community, and provide new programs and services where needed.

Accomplishments:

• Developed social marketing materials to address health concerns of public housing residents.
• Distributed more than 247,000 health-marketing products to public housing residents. (through July 03)
• Developed exercise programs to assist residents in achieving heart healthy lifestyle shifts.
• Facilitated the incorporation of health activities and concepts into all Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority resident related events, marketing materials and services.
• Utilized strengths of partner organizations to achieve program goals.
• Connected public housing residents to over 80 health service organizations.
• Secured additional funding source to support project in year three.
• Secured commitment for the pro bono development of a website from Cuyahoga Community College.
• Received funding from TOPS Friendly Markets to support a nutrition education and cooking program.
• Hosted health activities and information sessions serving more than 7,000 public housing residents.
• Integrated health professions student curricula and projects—community-based opportunities enhancing program initiatives, e.g. health education, screening, health fairs, research.
• Served as a volunteer service site for City Year Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University Americorps and Healcorps.

Challenges:

• Coordinating the interest and efforts of three diverse partner organizations.
• Maintaining focus and teamwork while coordinating the activities and services of more than 80 service organizations.
• Gaining the trust of public housing residents and leadership.
• Stimulating interest and participation in health screenings and educational programs.
• Establishing an efficient and timely production and distribution process for marketing products.
• Coordinating event transportation.

Lessons Learned:

• Follow your work plan to maintain focus.
• Establish a target population volunteer and leadership network before fully implementing a project.
• Hire Coordinators who live within the communities served, to assist in program planning and implementation, and information distribution.
• Canvass the community weekly to distribute information and solicit feedback.
• Add incentives to stimulate interest and participation.

Future Plans:

• Expand Healthy CMHA marketing efforts beyond original grant sites (10) to all CMHA sites (48).
• Establish exercise, nutrition and stress reduction programs throughout CMHA.
• Train public housing residents as Community Health Advocates.
• Identify local, state and federal funding.
• Develop new initiatives: 1) youth obesity prevention and 2) youth tobacco prevention and reduction.
• Link residents to health career education and employment opportunities.

Graduates 2003