A midpoint status report of CDC’s five-year Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health grant awarded to Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia reveals a surge in demand for fresh food.
(SAVANNAH, GA) Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia have changed health equity benchmarks for the better in just 2 1/2 years — and have plans for more progress in the next 2 1/2 years. In September 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a five-year Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant to the YMCA of Coastal Georgia in partnership with Healthy Savannah. The agencies launched a public-private partnership to make Savannah a healthier place, specifically by striving to reduce health disparities among African-American and Hispanic/Latino Americans in low-wealth communities across Savannah and Chatham County through long-term solutions vs. short-term fixes.
In March 2021, the grant period reached its midway point. An assessment of three central focus areas of nutrition, physical activity and community-clinical linkages revealed that the work and its processes are changing systems and helping reduce disparities.
“We conducted a community survey throughout 2020 at community events to find out more about what residents want and need to live healthy,” said Paula Kreissler, executive director of Healthy Savannah. We received feedback from more than 300 community members. The direct feedback from the survey, as well as informal comments and suggestions collected at community events, helped evaluate the success of efforts so far, and pinpoint opportunities for improvement.”
Noteworthy benchmarks at the midway point of the grant funding include:
- 82% want to be able to shop for healthy food at Forsyth Farmers Market and Farm Truck 912.
- Farm Truck has seen a surge in demand with a 100% increase in SNAP-funded purchases.
- Food Farmacy launched in May to serve low-wealth participants diagnosed at risk for chronic diet-related diseases.
- Corner Store Program grew from two to three locations, with a fourth set to reopen after the pandemic.
- First three miles of the Truman Linear Park Trail opened in December.
- HERO Database launched in January 2020, and within its first year, it had more than 8,000 visits. This directory of online health and social services resources lists 883 agency contacts across 57 categories from childcare to substance abuse, food access, clinics and more.
- 45% currently buy healthy food at convenience stores and 57% want to be able to purchase healthy food at convenience stores.
- 87% said they want to get healthy food from Fresh Express, a monthly food distribution program.
Healthy Savannah and the Y also recently installed bus cards on Chatham Area Transit buses that feature a QR code which, when read by a smartphone camera, instantly connects people with the help they need to locate and secure low-cost, healthy food throughout Chatham County.
While the statistics are encouraging, particularly with the lockdowns and restrictions over the past year due to COVID-19, they also reveal there is much work to do in the remaining 36 months of the grant period.
“For example, the increase in SNAP use at the Forsyth Farmers Market and Farm Truck 912 is significant, but almost half of the survey respondents didn’t realize they could use SNAP benefits to make those purchases,” said Deidre Grim, PhD, MPP, MURP, Nutrition program manager. “Not only do they accept SNAP benefits, but the Farmers Market also doubles their benefits. For example, instead of getting an apple for fifty cents, shoppers can get two apples for fifty cents.”
Of those surveyed, 42 percent said they want to use SNAP benefits (food stamps) at the Farmers Market (42%) and 47 percent said they wanted to use them at Food Truck 912. Additionally, 87 percent said they want to get healthy food from Fresh Express, a monthly food distribution program administered by the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, in partnership with Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, which is also supported by the CDC grant.
Healthy Savannah and the Y are also using the grant funding to help Savannahians become more physically active. In December 2020, the first three miles of the Truman Linear Park Trail were completed, from Lake Mayer Park to DeRenne Ave. The organizations have since collected observational data that supports the Trail is used equally by Blacks and whites, both as walkers and bicyclists. Yet, most (83%) of survey respondents were not aware of the Tide to Town project or this Trail.
“As walking and biking infrastructure, like Tide To Town, continues to gain momentum in Chatham County, I believe we will start seeing these total numbers increase,” said Armand Turner, Physical Activity program manager. “The first phase of Tide To Town is extremely scenic and as more people reap the health benefits from walking or biking it, the public call for similar infrastructure in all neighborhoods can only follow.”
Every Tuesday morning, rain or shine, Healthy Savannah and Y team members head out to explore local trails and walkways. Throughout the pandemic, these weekly walks have taken participants all around Chatham County and into South Carolina while providing an opportunity for them to discover activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations while tracking the progress being made on the Tide to Town routes.
The Truman Linear Park Trail will eventually make up six miles of the 30-plus miles of protected and walking and bicycling trails known as Tide to Town. When completed, it will connect all of Savannah, including 52 neighborhoods, 30 public schools and three major hospitals. Turner is also working on a Neighborhood Audit program to identify and promote safe walking and bike routes to school when in-person learning resumes fully.
“We’re pleased with the successes at this halfway point in the grant period,” said Kreissler. “But we also see increased opportunities to work with community partners and reach out to people in underserved areas with the resources they need to improve their health and lifestyles.”
The Healthy Savannah and Y team members have developed strong partnerships with more than 20 local organizations including Friends of Tide to Town, African-American Health Information & Resource Center, Coastal Health District, Step Up Savannah, Fresh Express, Healthy Savannah Faith and Health Coalition, Farm Truck 912, Georgia Southern University, HealthMPowers and Kingdom Life Food Pantry.
Kreissler says her team is also working to strengthen processes and change the way policies operate so there are fewer inequities to overcome.
What we’re ultimately striving for is systems change,” said Kreissler. “That’s important because approaches to challenges have often taken a piecemeal or patchwork approach to correct them, and we’re beginning to realize systems are designed with deficits. We will keep working across all sectors to close the gaps in services to vulnerable populations because it helps everyone, and it’s the right thing to do.”
ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA/HEALTHY SAVANNAH GRANT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH: In September 2018, Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia were awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant called Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health. This funding, awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been deployed by the Savannah/Chatham County project team to reduce health inequities experienced by Black residents in low-wealth neighborhoods. The local project is called Healthy Opportunities Powering Equity, or HOPE. Its aim is to increase the availability of high-quality nutrition, increase physical activity by creating greater access to safe places to walk, run, bike and play, and foster stronger connections between people and the healthcare providers who serve them. Working with more than 200 community partners and organizations, the team’s work elevates the health and wellness of our community through policy, systems, and environmental change.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org.
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