Preparing Communities to Meet Health Challenges in the Midwest and Gulf Region

Background

In communities across the country, extreme weather is causing health threats, including worsening air quality, food insecurity and added stress and anxiety that affects our mental health. Though all of us will be impacted, not everyone is equally at risk. Communities that have experienced historical and current disinvestment and have inadequate health and economic infrastructure are the least prepared to protect people from health threats such as extreme heat, wildfires and flooding.

Read our blog announcing our support for these community-based organizations.

Project

The CDC Foundation, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, is announcing support for 16 community-based organizations (CBOs).

In midwest communities, the eight selected CBOs will build community resilience against weather events by supporting local disaster preparedness programs through community-based organizations in the Midwest, with a focus on rural areas.

In the gulf state communities, the eight selected CBOs will support implementation of local disaster preparedness programs through community-based organizations in U.S. states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico, with a special focus on coastal communities. The project will accelerate adaptation efforts and increase local resilience by building the capacity of communities to plan for and address the negative health effects of weather-related events.

The CBOs are located across nine states and include nonprofits, environmental coalitions, community centers, and resident-led organizations that connect people to health care and other essential services. These trusted local groups understand the health challenges their communities face and will tailor their work to the needs of their region. Throughout the project, the CBOs will receive training and ongoing technical assistance from the CDC Foundation and NCEH staff.

Midwest/Great Plains Cohort