CDC Economic Improvement Project

HEI partners with CommonHealth ACTION and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has initiated an effort to develop a microenterprise and economic empowerment program curriculum for low-income African Americans in the U.S. that is designed not only to improve financial self-sufficiency, but also to protect and improve health. Specifically, the CDC and its partners are interested in how such an economic program might reduce the risks of HIV/AIDS and intimate partner violence among African-American men and women by increasing financial independence and control, income, personal effectiveness, and self-efficacy. The project benefits from a national group of experts helping to design the program components and curriculum, and will also include three Community Consultations Boards - in the District of Columbia, Oakland, and New Orleans - to help guide the development of the model program. CommonHealth ACTION serves as the overall coordinator for the project, working closely with the CDC. Dr. Gómez provides scientific leadership and intervention design expertise for the project.