| Name | Dr. Dawn |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Ford |
| Home Address | 1216 Sunset Drive Signal Mountain, TN 37377 United States |
| Organization Name | The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I am a faculty member in the Master of Public Health program and I serve as the Chief Epidemiologist for the campus. |
| Organization Address | 615 McCallie Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37403 United States |
| Website | https://www.utc.edu |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4235828250 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 4234254216 |
| Email Address | dawn-ford@utc.edu |
| Alternate Email Address | dawn-ford@epbfi.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | This proposal outlines a project to support public health of the Chattanooga community through efforts for relief and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific focus of the project is improvement of health and environmental disparities, targeting federally identified Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs), through the work of a Healthy Environments initiative at UTC. The overall goal of the initiative is to improve health outcomes through educational opportunities, access to resources, provision of vital services, and improvement of the natural and built environments. The Healthy Environments Initiative involves engaging the community within their community to address gaps, improve health, and impact long-term economic outcomes. 1. Purpose and Focus: Improves health outcomes and the environment in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, reducing health disparities in three areas: 1) COVID-19 disease prevention, 2) Childhood lead poisoning prevention, and 3) Chronic disease prevention. Focuses on the underserved low-income, minority community members in the identified Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) that may have been impacted more severely by the pandemic. 2. Actions: a. Educates community members to improve awareness and literacy on health concerns and related natural/built environmental exposures. COVID-19 vaccines and disease prevention Lead in drinking water, with an initial focus on licensed childcare providers Soil lead contamination in 8 south Chattanooga neighborhoods Chronic disease prevention related to exercise and nutrition (risk factor awareness) b. Connects residents and child care facilities to resources for assistance. For example: COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites Lead paint testing and remediation resources Soil lead remediation through EPA Resources for healthy eating and physical activity c. Provides needed resources to residents within their communities that are identified as gaps in vital services. For example: COVID-19 testing and vaccines Blood lead testing for children under the age of 6 Lead testing of drinking water in child care centers Remediation of lead hazards d. Collaborates with UTC departments, community non-profit organizations and city/county offices to provide these services and resources. Confirmed partnerships at the time of proposal submission: UTC School of Nursing, Dr. Chris Smith, Director Hamilton County Health Department, Administrator Sabrina Novak City of Chattanooga – Office of Community Health, Dr. Mary Lambert, Director Hamilton County Schools, Layra Navarro-Flores, Community Health Manager Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Resources, David Money Tennessee Department of Health, Rachael Stough, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Environmental Protection Agency, Jeannie Williamson, College/Underserved Community Partnership Program Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral (Southeast Region), Heather Hicks e. Engages UTC students in the community and provides hands-on training for students in the Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Environmental Sciences programs to prepare them for the workforce. 3. Organization and Personnel The initiative will be overseen by UTC’s Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Dawn Ford, who serves as Executive Director. Dr. Ford holds the PhD in Public Health and has over 20 years’ experience working in the Chattanooga community on environmental science, public health, and environmental justice issues. She has an extensive network of contacts throughout the community, serves on the Executive Board of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau, and is a public health leader in Tennessee as a Vice President with the Tennessee Public Health Association. At UTC, she is a faculty member with the Master of Public Health program and serves as Chief Epidemiologist. As UTC’s epidemiological officer, she is a member of the COVID-19 Health Team and led UTC’s contact tracing and other response efforts. Over the past 10 years, she has worked in coordination with community groups to support residents in south Chattanooga on their soil lead contamination and childhood lead poisoning needs and concerns. A Healthy Environments coordinator will manage the work of public health/educational staff and graduate assistants/student workers. 4. Levels of Funding The total request is to fully fund the 3 areas of the initiative for the grant period. Partial funding supports components of the program. • COVID-19 disease prevention (30%): $789,000 Funding request for this component supports staffing, educational materials, testing/vaccination supplies. Partners: UTC School of Nursing, Hamilton County Health Department, City of Chattanooga Office of Community Health. • Childhood lead poisoning prevention through screening/testing, education, and remediation (50%): $1,315,000. Funding request for this component supports staffing, educational materials, child care center incentives, testing supplies, and remediation materials. Partners: Hamilton County Schools, Hamilton County Health Department, City of Chattanooga Office of Community Health, Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Health, Child Care Centers, Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral office • Chronic disease prevention through screenings, education, and wellness programming (20%): $526,000. Funding request for this component supports staffing, educational materials, screening supplies, and programming costs. Partners: Hamilton County Health Department, City of Chattanooga Office of Community Health, additional partners to be identified. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds rule supports public health expenditures such as funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff. The federal rule also outlines that funding may be used to address disparities in public health outcomes with a focus on Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) that may have been affected more severely by the pandemic. This project meets the requirements of the America Rescue Plan by providing public health support to residents, with a focus on QCTs through educational outreach, connections with resources, and provision of services with the goal to improve health disparities for COVID-19, childhood lead poisoning, and chronic diseases. In Hamilton County, Tennessee, the QCTs are in south and east Chattanooga. As has been documented across the country, there are disparities in COVID vaccination rates associated with poverty level and race/ethnicity in Hamilton County. Four zip codes in south and east Chattanooga which include QCTs have the lowest rates of vaccine uptake: 37403 (Fort Wood/UTC), 37406 (East Chattanooga), 37407 (East Lake/Clifton Hills), and 37410 (Alton Park, Piney Woods, Richmond). In zip code 37407, the poverty rate is four times that of Hamilton County, for example. It is well established that Black and Latinx persons are more likely to become infected with COVID and become hospitalized, and that increased risk is in part due to the higher prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Overall in Hamilton County, only 39% of Blacks are at least partially vaccinated, compared to 48% of Whites. In addition to the disparities in COVID vaccination rates, some communities represented in the QCTs experience other health disparities related to natural and built environmental hazards. Lead in soil, drinking water, and paint is one example, and is highlighted in the Federal Rule. Lead exposure especially affects child health, mostly for those under the age of six, which can negatively affect their intelligence, academic achievement, and ability to pay attention. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southside Chattanooga Lead superfund site involves 8 neighborhoods in south Chattanooga with soil lead contamination that could cause childhood lead poisoning. While the EPA has made efforts to notify residents in these neighborhoods of the pollution problem and the opportunity to get their soil tested, only half of the 5,000 residential properties have been tested for lead (EPA, personal communication). Additional work is needed to ensure impacted residents Lead in drinking water is another lead hazard that needs to be addressed. Lead can contaminate drinking water through service lines, pipes, plumbing, and fixtures (faucets). President Biden recently announced a plan to replace 100% of lead pipes servicing homes in the U.S. Lead poisoning prevention is a top priority of the EPA and has partnered with states such as Tennessee to test drinking water in child care centers. UTC is contracting with the state to work with licensed providers in Hamilton County to test their drinking water and take steps to remediate fixtures and plumbing if necessary. Licensed child care providers in the QCTs are the priority for this project, with a plan to expand throughout the county. References: Times Free Press: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2021/oct/12/one-chattanooga-zip-code-nearly-90-vaccinated/555910/; Hamilton County Health Department: https://health.hamiltontn.org/en-us/allservices/coronavirus(covid-19)/vaccine/vaccinedatadashboard.aspx; Environmental Protection Agency: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.cleanup&id=0403765; https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0410686. |
| Where would your project take place? | The initiative will be housed at UTC. The work will take place primarily in low-income communities of south and east Chattanooga. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 2629327.00 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | We are getting a small grant from EPA/TDEC to test drinking water for lead in Hamilton County child care agencies, with a priority on the 59 centers located in qualified census tracts. $11,731. The funding pays for students to collect the water samples and work with child care agencies to remedy any elevated lead levels. |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | This grant gets us started with one small component of the proposed project. |
| If funded, when would your project start? | February 14, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 18 months |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Infrastructure of UTC Healthy Environments initiative o Recruit, hire, and train qualified staff o Found a community-based advisory board o Secure appropriate educational materials, medical supplies, and environmental testing materials. o Develop website for accountability and transparency Development of annual plan with specific goals and objectives in coordination with the board o Identify priority neighborhoods for outreach efforts for each year o Identify most pressing needs related to public health and environment for those neighborhoods o Identify evidence-based strategies for education, connection with resources, provision of vital services, and improvement of the environment. Implementation and Assessment of each annual plan. Examples of data for assessment: o Number of residents served o Types of services offered o Number of child care centers tested for lead in drinking water o Environmental testing results (lead in water, radon) o Vaccines administered o COVID tests administered o Soil lead testing forms completed for EPA |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | Accountability and transparency are critically important for the success of this project. These will both be ensured through reporting to the advisory board of the Healthy Environments Initiative. In addition, a website will be created and maintained to provide the community with information about the project, activities, upcoming events, etc. Routine assessment of the project will be performed to ensure activities are achieving the goals and objectives. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The overall goal of the project is to improve health and environmental disparities in QCTs in Chattanooga. As has been described, the neighborhoods in QCTs represent largely minority and low-income communities. Residents in these communities are more severely impacted by COVID-19, chronic diseases, and exposure to environmental hazards such as lead as compared to other Chattanooga areas. The community will benefit from this project by having the information they need to make informed choices about their health and environment (improved health literacy), being connected to resources, being provided with vital services within their communities, and having improved environmental conditions. Together, the components of the project will help address health disparities and environmental injustices in south and east Chattanooga to enhance recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthier residents, in turn, results in healthier economies. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | UTC is a community-engaged campus, and its students and employees live in and serve these impacted communities. This project will build on this framework by further engaging with community stakeholders such as non-profit organizations, churches, schools, early learning centers, and businesses, to address community health and environmental needs. Collaboration with community partners and having community members on the advisory board will help us meet the goals of the project. For example, we will work with the Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral office and their coaches to reach out to child care agencies for COVID education and lead testing of drinking water. Another example is that we plan to work with Dr. Lambert to conduct door-to-door vaccine education campaigns. With this hands-on approach, we will build interest and increased trust in the community. |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | This project is needed in Chattanooga and there are many partners, as listed in the project description, who support it. The work aligns with the federal rule to support public health through education, provision of vital services, and elimination of health hazards in those communities hardest hit by the pandemic. A healthier environment contributes to healthier people leading to a healthier economy. I would be happy to discuss this work in more detail and answer questions. I have a detailed budget approved by UTC and my resume that I can provide as well. The scope of the work can easily be adjusted to accommodate various funding levels. We are ready to get started! |