AEH to Utilize CHWs for School-Based Care Coordination
By: Aaron E. Henry Community Health Center
CLARKSDALE, Miss —Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc. (AEHCHC) today announced it is among 71 awardees that received a grant from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity, which mobilizes financial resources for organizations focused on non-clinical interventions that affect a person’s health. Commonly known as the social determinants of health, these factors include an individual’s physical, social, cultural, and economic environment.
The grants, which total $22.7 million and will be disbursed over two years, were awarded with funding from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the AbbVie Foundation, and Eli Lilly and Co. to support underserved communities across the United States. Aaron E. Henry received $400,000 from the Fund for Health Equity for its work on school-based care coordination using community health workers (CHWs) and contracting with a consultant as part of the Health Wealth project to develop a coordinated system of care.
“We are pleased to bolster the indispensable work of Aaron E. Henry and other grassroots organizations striving to reduce disparities and increase equity in vulnerable populations across the United States,” said Dr. Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Co-Chair of the Fund for Health Equity and Board Directosr of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council. “It is a privilege to promote and support these organizations that are deeply connected to the communities they serve, know best what their patients and communities need, and the most effective means of providing it.”
The organizations in the latest round of funding were chosen for their efforts to enhance workforce diversification, reduce health disparities, and expand innovative models of care. A full list of winners can be found here.
The awardees were selected by the Fund for Health Equity’s Advisory Council, which includes the following members:
Co-Chair Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th U.S. Surgeon General of the United States, Founder Bayou Clinic, Inc.;
Co-Chair Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council;
Martha Dawson, DNP, MSN, RN, FACHE, President and CEO President of the National Black Nurses; Association, Associate Professor the University of Alabama at Birmingham;
Jane Delgado, Ph.D., MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health;
Gail Small, JD, Head Chief Woman, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe;
Since the start of the Fund in 2021, more than $42.5 million has been provided to support 149 organizations across the U.S.
About Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc.
Based in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc. (AEHCHC) works to improve the health of people in the Mississippi Delta and Delta Hills communities by increasing access to integrated, comprehensive primary and preventive health care, and related services while promoting economic development. The agency is committed to the philosophy that individuals in need of primary and preventive health services should have access to such services, regardless of ability to pay.
