Adapted from a Collaborative Cottage Grove press release
Collaborative Cottage Grove has been selected for a prestigious national health award that provides over $250,000 in funding to reduce the rates of preventable diabetes and asthma in the Cottage Grove neighborhood in Greensboro, NC. On September 12, 2017, the national BUILD Health Challenge announced 19 awards, with two teams from NC honored from a total of 125 applicants nationwide.
The UNCG Center for Housing and Community Studies is one of the partners on the community-engaged Collaborative Cottage Grove project.
The BUILD Health funding also comes with matching funds from Cone Health and access to expert assistance in planning and implementing projects that address the living conditions that can lead to poor health.
Public health research reveals that social, economic and, environmental conditions make up approximately 50% of a community’s life expectancy and quality of life. The BUILD Health Challenge requires teams to develop Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local and Data-driven projects that catalyze collaboration between public health, health care, local non-profits, and government.
Cottage Grove neighborhood leaders working with community partners will seek to improve housing conditions to reduce rates of asthma; increase venues for healthy food; and develop safer sidewalks, parks, and other opportunities for activities to reduce obesity. The Cottage Grove neighborhood is the area surrounding S. English Street between E. Market Street and McConnell Road in east Greensboro.
Collaborative Cottage Grove’s BUILD application stood out because of the partners’ deep commitment to building relationships with each other and cultivating strong neighborhood leadership. “Our project is centered around the needs and desires of Cottage Grove residents, who have sacrificed hours of their time to lead this community change, built trust with non-profits and government, and are the heart of our partnership,” according to Josie Williams, project coordinator at Greensboro Housing Coalition, “Community change never comes from outside, and our partnership’s strength is the diversity of talents who come together to serve each other and our mission.”
Collaborative Cottage Grove is comprised of Greensboro Housing Coalition, Cone Health, Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services, Cottage Grove Neighborhood Association, Cottage Grove Friendly Neighborhood Council, City of Greensboro, Mustard Seed Community Health, Cottage Grove Initiative, New Hope Community Development Group, Guilford Child Development, UNCG, NC A&T State University, and Guilford County Cooperative Extension.
BUILD seeks to foster health system innovation by addressing upstream factors affecting health. It is supported by a unique collaborative of 12 local and national funders, which includes the Advisory Board, The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, The Episcopal Health Foundation, Interact for Health, The Kresge Foundation, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, New Jersey Health Initiatives, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Telligen Community Initiative, and The W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
