REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) is a national program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. In 2018, Penn State College of Medicine was one of the recipients of the REACH awards to work with the communities of Lebanon and Berks counties.
REACH in Berks and Lebanon Counties actively engages members of the community to plan and carry out proven strategies that are culturally appropriate to prevent chronic diseases, promote healthy behaviors, and address the root causes of racial and ethnic health disparities.
COVID-19 PSAs FLU VACCINATION TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Connecting and Collaborating
with Community Health Partners:
REACH creates partnerships to identify the unique needs, assets, and opportunities of each community to implement what works in these areas:
Physical Activity
Improving spaces and providing safe places to walk and get active, and promoting physical activities in community events and classes at local recreational facilities (eg: local parks).
Nutrition
Expanding access to affordable and nutritious food (eg: farmers markets), informing parents of breastfeeding benefits and resources, and increasing community awareness of local resources available to them.
Diabetes Prevention
Promoting referrals to bilingual preventive services and support collaborations between community health workers and health professionals.
A Healthier Community
REACH will help provide locally based and culturally tailored solutions to empower our partners to build healthier communities.
How REACH Can Support
Your Community:
- Technical assistance:
program implementation - Program Evaluation
- Resources: presenters, community health workers
- Marketing of community health events
- Translation of Materials
We Can Support Communities By:
- Making cities more walkable
- Implementing breastfeeding initiatives
- Training of community health workers
- Improving access to healthy food
Due to CDC requirements, there are certain restrictions on resources and services that we cannot provide. Examples that we cannot support include:
- Food and Beverages
- Entertainment
Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.