Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center Selected to be Community Quarterback for Westside Health Collaborative

Courtesy of Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is proud to announce that the Westside Health Collaborative has selected MSM’s Prevention Research Center (PRC) to serve as the community quarterback to guide the vision and direction of the Collaborative.

“We are excited that the Westside Health Collaborative members have entrusted us to serve in the community quarterback role,” said Latrice Rollins, PhD, MSW, principal investigator for the Westside Health Collaborative Quarterback project and assistant professor in the MSM Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine. “We look forward to building on the successes of the Collaborative through community health programming and initiatives aligned with our common collective vision to advance health equity.”

The Prevention Research Center at MSM is one of 26 academic research centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The center’s research infrastructure is designed to conduct multi-interdisciplinary, community-based research initiatives, train community-based researchers and public health practitioners, demonstrate the value of community coalitions in conducting research, and communicate and disseminate research findings and public health information widely to advance public health practice and improve health outcomes in communities.

The Westside Health Collaborative was founded by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation nearly a decade ago to address health and social determinants of health in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhoods. Since then, the collaborative and its nonprofit partners have worked together to support the most pressing health priorities for Westside residents.

“The foundation has an enduring commitment to Atlanta’s Westside,” said Daniel Shoy, Jr., managing director, Youth Development and Atlanta’s Westside, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “As we evolved the foundation’s Westside strategy for the next decade to focus on financial security and affordable housing, we are transitioning from our focus on health. Morehouse School of Medicine has a long-standing presence and history of serving communities. We’re excited the Westside Health Collaborative selected Morehouse School of Medicine to play the lead role to continue and sustain its work in the Westside.”

The six core functions of the Westside Health Collaborative community quarterback will, at minimum, include:

• Guide the development and implementation of a strategic community health improvement plan.
• Cultivate community engagement and mobilize partners from diverse sectors to catalyze meaningful community action.
• Guide the development and successful implementation of Collaborative programs and initiatives.
• Leverage financial resources and/or fundraise to support Collaborative programs and initiatives.
• Measure and evaluate the overall outcome and impact of the Collaborative and its programs and initiatives.
• Assure accountability and transparency to the members of the Collaborative and the Westside community.