The Californer - City of Long Beach Awards 1,000 for Health Equity Community Projects

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The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has awarded $811,000 in grants to 14 organizations to implement Health Equity Community Projects. The projects focus on addressing systemic barriers that have led to poor health outcomes in historically underserved communities during the pandemic.

This work complements the City's overall efforts toward creating a healthier and more equitable future for all Long Beach residents," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "By investing in these projects, we can uplift our residents and ensure better health outcomes in our communities."

The Health Department received 52 applications for the second round of Health Equity Community Projects funding, of which 48 met the minimum criteria. Those proposals underwent an additional evaluation by a panel of City staff from the Health Department and Economic Development Department, in accordance with Health Equity Investment Framework criteria. Individual project budget estimates averaged $98,081, with a total of nearly $4.8 million requested.

The selected projects address the factors that contributed to COVID-19 hospitalizations as well as the impacts of COVID-19, focusing on the neighborhoods and communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Services in five focus areas will be offered as a result of the funded projects, as listed below. A complete list of grant recipients is available on the Health Equity Projects Awardee List.

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Economic Inclusion and Resiliency

Four projects totaling $250,010 to:

Build individual, family and community financial literacy
Advance future economic opportunity
Focus on economic equity, including services that foster the awareness and understanding of work opportunities and provide linkages to education and training

Chronic Disease Management and/or Health Education and Outreach

Two projects totaling $125,000 to:

Promote early screening and prevention of health conditions and chronic diseases in culturally affirming spaces such as barber shops and salons, neighborhoods and community events
Build awareness of factors that affect health in communities, including environmental health issues
Connect residents to healthy home and insurance benefits or health care rights, including Promotora/Community Health Champion models, community fairs or trainings, case workers and referral programs, smoking cessation, or healthy eating and physical activity programs

Mental Health Support or Trauma-Informed Responses

Five projects totaling $285,490 to support mental health wellbeing and/or programs that focus on trauma-informed and resiliency practices, including:

Mental health support groups
Grief and bereavement support groups
Trauma-informed care training
Building awareness regarding intergenerational trauma

Physical Activity and Engagement

Two projects totaling $75,500 for services promoting or providing increased physical activity engagement, including:

After school programs
Nature exploration
Group classes for older adults
Other culturally tailored activities, including dance, sports and yoga

Safe Neighborhoods and Violence Prevention

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One $75,000 project to build neighborhood cohesion and social connection, promote community activation, strengthen health protective factors and promote positive youth development with:

Culturally affirming events and activities
Neighborhood group activities
Street teams or canvassing
Mutual aid collaborations
Intergenerational engagement
Activities that improve physical and mental health outcomes
Community organizing and advocacy
Anti-bias training and other racial healing practices
Re-entry services

"These grants will enable and empower the selected organizations to implement impactful initiatives and projects that will address critical needs and ultimately improve the quality of life for our residents," said Health Department Director Alison King.

These new grants follow more than $3 million that was granted out in 2022 to assist community groups as part of the first round of the Health Equity Community Projects initiative, which resulted in 14,878 connections between members of the community and the organizations. The new round of grants was awarded using aggregated funds from various sources, including the Long Beach Recovery Act and the City's Racial Reconciliation Initiative.

Details about this and other contracting opportunities is available on the Long Beach Recovery webpage.

This program is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $3 million in funding has been allocated to support health equity, which includes prioritizing investments in community organizations who have knowledge and expertise in serving communities most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.

The Health Equity Community Project also aligns with Goal 4 of Long Beach's Racial and Reconciliation Initiative to invest in health care initiatives, programs and providers that are working to reduce health inequities where health outcomes are significantly below city averages.

Filed Under: Government, City

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