The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), www.arc.gov the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), www.rwif.org and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky www.healthy-ky.org have announced that PDA Inc. www.pdsconsultants.com a management consulting firm located in Raleigh North Carolina, will be the lead investigator for the regional public health research project called “Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots.”
According to the RWJF, building a Culture of Health means creating a society that gives every person an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life they can whatever their ethnic, geographic, racial, socioeconomic, or physical circumstance happens to be.
A Culture of Health recognizes that health and well-being are greatly influenced by where we live, how we work, the safety of our surroundings, and the strength and connectivity of our families and communities–not just on what happens in the doctor’s office.
This project is going to explore health outcomes and disparities across the Appalachian region. As part of the project, researchers will develop an interdisciplinary research protocol engaging public health experts, community leaders, and social scientists to determine if Appalachian communities experience better than expected health outcomes despite persistent socioeconomic challenges. Preliminary results are expected in 2017.
The project is funded jointly by RWJF and ARC. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will administer the project with ARC overseeing the research activity. The University of North Carolina’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research www.shepscenter.unc.edu and Thomas Arcury PhD, of the Wake Forest School of Medicine www.wakehealth.edu will provide additional research expertise.
“We are pleased that PDA and the University of North Carolina are leading this effort to understand Appalachia’s community health landscape,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl. “Their expertise, interdisciplinary methodology, and commitment to the region will help us learn more about how we can keep Appalachia strong and healthy.”