Multi-sector, Rural-Border Health Disparities Research and Innovation Initiative

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Project Summary Numerous strategies have been identified to promote rural, border health disparities research. These efforts have led to an awareness of the complexities of these health disparities. Rural, border communities are overburdened by a complex set of social determinants that affect community members’ health and well-being. They are also under-resourced and their needs are not recognized by urban and suburban-working decision- makers. However, as is frequently concluded, changes from grass roots and research efforts are often not maintained nor disseminated due to resource limitations. From this perspective, the proposed “Multi-sector, Rural-Border Health Disparities Research and Innovation Initiative (Our Health)” was conceived. The Our Health initiative will convene 15 representatives from diverse sectors to identify research priorities relevant to the health and well-being of people living and working along the US-Mexico border in Imperial County, California. Imperial County has been engaged in the California Accountable Community for Health Initiative; thus all proposed coalition members are actively engaged in research within their own organizations, have participated in a countywide collective effort to improve population health, and know first-hand what it is like to live and work in a persistent poverty county. All coalition members have enthusiastically agreed to engage in a year-long process that involves formal data collection that builds on previous efforts to form a unified approach to building and using evidence to improve practices and policies that address these disparities. Formal data collection methods will include secondary data analyses that do not require human subjects’ approval (e.g., use of existing de-identified data from previous research studies; use of state and national data with specific ties to Imperial County) and focus groups with coalition members to identify research priorities that address health disparities in Imperial County, as well as the infrastructure needed to do this research. These infrastructure needs include, but are not limited to: data repository and data sharing infrastructure; organizational partners with research needs that impact vulnerable populations and the capacity and/or interest to engage in research; academics with expertise and interest in rural, border health disparities research; and, funding for research activities. These activities will converge on the selection of a pilot project that is responsive to the priorities and needs identified by coalition members. This administrative supplement is supported by the parent award, the SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research. Through their integration with the Center, it is anticipated that coalition members and their organizations will identify new partnerships to advance research in rural, border health disparities.