MDHC target counties
• Community

  Community Interventions: Community-based organizations received funding through the MDHC to conduct evidence-based interventions in the Mississippi Delta. Each funded program is required to focus policy and environmental systems changes to support easy and accessible healthy behaviors.

  • Grantees for Fiscal Year 2010

  Community Health Councils: The Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative will be facilitating the establishment of Health Councils in cities and towns within target counties. Health councils will have broad representation from the community, and be responsible for ensuring that health is a consideration in all sectors of the community in order to support a culture of wellness.

• Schools

  The goal of the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative is to close the gap between what is taught in school and what is practiced at home with regard to physical activity and healthy eating. Two programs support this goal:

  Delta Alliance for School and Community Health (DASCH): DASCH comprises community members and parent and teacher organizations in the Delta to promote physical activity and nutrition in schools, and health education for students and parents.

  Coordinated School Health Program: CSHP is a partnership between the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Healthy Schools, and the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative that awards grants to local schools to support healthy lifestyles in adults.

  • More about DASCH and CSHP (PDF)
• Faith

  The Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative supports the institution of wellness programs within churches for the purpose of increasing access to physical activity, healthy foods, quality healthcare, and tobacco cessation programs. MDHC works through the Delta Alliance for Congregational Health, a consortium of churches in the Mississippi Delta, on local programs and projects for wellness.

  • Delta Alliance for Congregational Health Projects (PDF)
• Work

  The vision of the MDHC is to have a worksite wellness program in every workplace in the Mississippi Delta for the purpose of maximizing the health and productivity of every employee.

  • MDHC Worksite Wellness Projects (PDF)

Heart disease mortality
in Mississippi
• Healthcare

  The goal of the MDHC is to effect change among providers to support evidenced-based clinical and quality improvement across a wide variety of healthcare settings. The MDHC seeks to partner with physicians and public health professionals in the Mississippi Delta to improve management of hypertension among consumers and reduce the incidence of hypertension among adults at-risk for developing the disease.

  • MDHC Initiatives for Healthcare Quality Improvement (PDF)

• System Dynamics Modeling

  System dynamics modeling integrates much of what is known about major cardiovascular risks and local policy options into a single testable framework for prospective policy analysis. Modeling will allow community and public health leaders in the Delta to answer strategic questions about the impact of risk factors and local interventions, and the best use of limited resources.

• Policy Listening Sessions

  The MDHC is conducting listening sessions in each target county with local political leaders including Mayors, Legislators, Board of Supervisors, and Alderman. The purpose of the sessions is to assess the readiness of local government to implement policies that will create conditions for every citizen to achieve their optimal health.

• Community Mapping

  In an effort to understand how external factors within the community affect decisions regarding healthy behaviors, community mapping is being conducted to determine the accessibility of resources such as quality fruits and vegetables, places to exercise, and options for quality healthcare, including hypertension management.

• More about these projects (PDF)

Recognizing the confluence of many factors that have lead to the disparate health outcomes among persons living in the Delta region, the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative has convened a Strategic Alliance composed of leadership representing various layers of influence within the community, including healthcare, education, politics, employment and economic development.

• MDHC Strategic Alliance Members (PDF)