The Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH) served as a Center for Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (CEED) from 2007-2012 and was one of 18 CDC Centers funded as part of the REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) U.S. initiative. CAIANH’s CEED focused on the elimination of health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes within the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population by working with urban Indian clinics and organizations that serve this population. Multi-level interventions were used to engage these health disparities and focused on developing best practices for positive change at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy levels.
The CEED project involved the implementation of a comprehensive CVD/diabetes risk reduction program. Our local efforts targeted the urban Indian populations of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Denver, Colorado. As the only national CEED for AI/ANs, we offered education and training on diabetes- and CVD-related topics relevant for organizations serving urban AI/ANs, as well as training on policy and systems changes to address health disparities and social injustice.
CAIANH was also funded in 2012 as one of 6 REACH National Networks. This project supported Urban Indian Health Organizations across multiple states to implement policy, environmental, and systems approaches to address risk factors for diabetes, CVD, and obesity. The REACH project managed sub-recipient awards, providing specialized expertise and support to sub-recipients, and monitoring performance toward accomplishment of the REACH 2012 goals.
This project involved the creation and implementation of a comprehensive CVD and diabetes risk reduction program for urban Indian adults through collaboration with urban Indian organizations, through:
Each year, we offered 2-3 Legacy Awards or small grants to non-profit organizations serving urban Indians throughout the U.S. to fund implementation of Honoring the Gift of Heart Health—a AI/AN culturally tailored, community-based curriculum to empower AI/ANs to adopt healthier lifestyles—and social policy and environmental change to reduce diabetes and CVD risk in their local urban Indian communities.
Brega AG, Noe T, Loudhawk-Hedgepeth C, et al. Cardiovascular knowledge among urban American Indians and Alaska Natives: First steps in addressing cardiovascular health. Prog Community Health Partnership. 2011;5(3):273‐279. doi: 10.1353/cpr.2011.0042
