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Southern Alliance: Addressing COVID-19 Among African American Communities
Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has launched over 1,200 programs impacting a variety of health threats, managing partnerships across sectors by building a network of individuals and organizations who are committed to public health and the lifesaving work of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC Foundation has in-depth experience collaborating with a federal agency, identifying opportunities for private-sector collaborations and leading strategy to engage non-profit and philanthropic organizations in realizing their abilities to support public health goals through resource mobilization, strategy development and quality program management.
This project allows the CDC Foundation to contract with community-based organizations (CBOs) engaged in leveraging community-based partnerships to assist with the implementation of this work. The title of this project is “Southern Alliance: Addressing COVID-19 among Non-Hispanic Blacks and/or African Americans Living in the Southeast Region of the United States.” The target population is community-based organizations (CBOs). The purpose of this project is to build the capacity of community-based organizations engaging in mobilizing African American communities at high risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality to adopt and sustain COVID-19 preventative and community mitigation strategies including, but not limited to, improving chronic disease management, COVID-19 testing, facilitating contact tracing, promoting face covering and social distancing and identifying mental health issues associated with COVID-19.
We are working to put a stop to COVID-19 transmission.
Community Partners
These community organizations have worked tirelessly to develop, implement, and evaluate community-based COVID-19 prevention, education, and response activities among the priority populations in African American communities of high need. Their strategies include, but are not limited to, training doulas as COVID-19 health educators, leveraging captive audiences in the ballroom communities by educating them on COVID-19, expanding rapid testing services to offer COVID-19 testing, and broading community outreach to include person-to-person COVID-19 education.
- A Vision for Hope, Inc.
- Men With Vision Association, Inc.
- Helping Hands Resource Group
- Destination Tomorrow
- Delta Health Alliance
- Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health
- Renaissance Connection
- The Wellness Coalition
COVID-19 Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19
- Vaccines for COVID-19
- COVID-19 Data Tracker
- Understanding COVID Variants
Funding for this project was made possible in part from the CDC Cooperative Agreement number 6NU38OT000288-04-02 CFDA 93.421, via a sub-award from the CDC Foundation. The views expressed in written materials, media or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the CDC and the CDC Foundation; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the CDC Foundation or the U.S. Government.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- United States of America
"The Southern Alliance 2.0 places Black communities across the south at the center of COVID-19 priorities, partnerships, programs and outcomes. Broadly, the Southern Alliance 2.0 is a response to the call for community solutions to address community needs."
Jasmine Ward, PhD, MPH; Federal Project Manager
“I am grateful to work on the Southern Alliance project and to make an impact serving the non-Hispanic Black and African American communities by dismantling myths and misinformation around COVID-19, providing pertinent public health information and addressing social and health concerns over the pandemic.”
Brittany Oladipupo, MPH; Emergency Response Specialist
Capacity Building Associates
This project is supported by eight capacity-building associates who support community partners’ capacity to develop, implement and evaluate community-based COVID-19 activities among priority populations. CBA partners provide support for capacity-building activities including trainings, webinars, subject matter expertise, etc., specific to prioritized geographic areas and/or subpopulation.
- Dodie Arnold, PhD
- Thometta Cozart
- Petera Reine Diaban, MPH
- Elizabeth Delancy
- Faye Grimsley
- Lonnie Hannon III, PhD
- Crystal M. James
- The Institute for Successful Leadership, Inc.