Carriage Trade PR Awarded Contract to Facilitate Public Relations Efforts for $5.1 million CDC REACH Grant in Savannah
(SAVANNAH, GA) Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia have selected Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc., a Savannah-based public relations agency, to develop PR strategies for a $5.1 million Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant recently awarded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
With this funding, the REACH grant administrators will work with Carriage Trade in planning, promoting and carrying out policy, system, and environmental changes to address a wide range of health issues among racial and ethnic minority groups where health gaps remain. In Savannah, the health disparities are primarily among Black and Hispanic populations in low-wealth neighborhoods.
“The CDC prioritizes communications through all strategies so we are pleased again to award Carriage Trade PR this contract,” said Paula Kreissler executive director of Healthy Savannah. “Our REACH team will work with them to develop and distribute public relations efforts that seek to improve health where people live, learn, work, and play.”
This is the second time Healthy Savannah and the “Y” have been awarded a five-year REACH grant by the CDC and have engaged Carriage Trade PR to develop REACH outreach efforts. The first grant, totaling $3.4 million, was awarded in 2018.
“It is exciting to be part of a team that is moving the needle for equity in our community,” said Marjorie Young, president of Carriage Trade PR. “In the first five years of the REACH grant, we generated over 22 million media impressions so we’re seeing how these programs have made an impact on health and lifestyle choices on the local level, but we are also pleased that they have received national recognition. Indicators like CDC’s REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award really highlight how much our efforts are making a difference.”
In 2022, Healthy Savannah was awarded the CDC’s REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity Challenge, which recognizes extraordinary individuals and entities whose work has contributed to advancing health equity.
The award is presented to individuals and organizations that have engaged with the REACH program to assist with and carry out culturally tailored interventions that advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and increase community engagement to address preventable health risks such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and inadequate access to clinical services.
These are some of the programs supported in the first five years of the local REACH program:
• Farm Truck 912 – The mobile farmers’ market that brings local seasonal fruits and vegetables to Savannah neighborhoods, sourced directly from Forsyth Farmers’ Market’s Saturday market vendors.
• Fresh Express – a monthly food distribution event that has put an estimated 60,000 pounds of fresh food back into the community to those who need it.
• Savannah Chatham Food Policy Council Relaunch –a local and regional food system that provides improved access to a variety of affordable, nourishing foods for 45% Chatham County residents who live more than a mile from the closest grocery store.
• Tide to Town Urban Trail network/Truman Linear Park Trail – Upon completion, this ambitious project will link 75% of Savannah’s neighborhoods and provide priority access for low-income and minority neighborhoods, connecting homes to schools, employment centers, and services, and also providing walking, jogging, skating and biking infrastructure.
• Weekly Healthy Walks – Leading more than 140 Tuesday morning walks since 2020, team members encourage health at various area parks. According to CDC statistics, 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 high school students do not fully meet physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
• Healthy Savannah’s Community Health Advocate Program – Community members are trained and receive resources to participate in education and outreach on COVID-19/Flu vaccine awareness and acceptance, and overall health education.
• Park Equity – Working with Charles T. Brown’s Equitable Cities, the collective goal is to reconnect communities suffering from disinvestment by improving the environments and infrastructure within those public spaces.
• Faith Activity and Nutrition (FAN) Training – Administered by Healthy Savannah’s Faith and Healthy Coalition and led by the University of South Carolina, this 8-week online, self-paced course is tailored towards churches to begin discussing the importance of health and provide guidance to create a successful Health Ministry.
• Breastfeeding Continuity of Care, Awareness, and Support – Offering workshops and training in Black and brown communities and for business owners to give babies a healthy start in life and create healthier workplaces.
• Supporting Wellness at Food Pantries – A program called SWAP (Supporting Wellness at Pantries) at Savannah State University, the Islands YMCA and area faith-based food pantries advocates stocking the pantry with healthy items while also providing clients with healthy resources.
ABOUT CARRIAGE TRADE PUBLIC RELATIONS®, INC.
Carriage Trade Public Relations®, Inc., is Savannah’s premier reputation marketing company founded in 1995 by Marjorie Young to help businesses increase their visibility, credibility, and positive word of mouth in their community and online. Young is the author of Reputation Matrix™. Learn more here: https://carriagetradepr.com
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. Awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the funding is being deployed in an “upstream” approach by the Savannah/Chatham County project team to foster sustainable health equity among Black residents in low-wealth neighborhoods. The aim of the local project, called Healthy Opportunities Powering Equity, or HOPE, is to increase the availability of high-quality nutrition; promote physical activity through 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 is committed to elevating the health and wellness of the community through policy, systems, and environmental change.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org
MEDIA CONTACT
Marjorie Young
Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc.
912.844.9990
www.carriagetradepr.com
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com