What to know
Recipients of the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities grant are telling their success stories of how they are addressing COVID-19-related health disparities and advancing health equity through programs and activities funded by the grant.
Overview
Partners in Alabama came together to address social determinants of health and environmental justice issues that were contributing to community health outcomes. Through the implementation of an organized environmental clean-up day and site, residents will be able to enjoy cleaner air, waters, and recreational spaces for years to come.
Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic not only disrupted the economy and public health systems globally, but it also impacted social determinants of health (SDOH), which are conditions of places where people live, learn, work, worship, and play. SDOH have an extensive impact on the health and quality of one’s life. Research has shown that SDOH indicators, such as access to clean water, healthcare, food security, and employment can help reduce the prevalence and severity of illnesses like COVID-19. Addressing differences in SDOH allows for progress toward health equity and helps reduce morbidity and mortality.
With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities grant, the Mobile County Health Department (MCHD) established the Health Equity Office to address SDOH, uncover health disparities, and expand infrastructure support for COVID-19 prevention and control among at-risk and underserved populations. As part of its role, the MCHD Health Equity Office conducted outreach efforts to build community partnerships with COVID-19-affected populations. This led to an environmental survey of Mt. Vernon, Alabama, a small rural community located 25 miles north of the City of Mobile. The survey raised environmental justice concerns, including that Mt. Vernon’s population had higher levels of respiratory illness making them more susceptible to COVID-19 infection. Understanding that trash and litter can contribute to poor air quality when it degrades,1 MCHD took steps to improve air quality in Mt. Vernon, protecting the community’s most vulnerable populations.
Solution
For more than 35 years, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) coordinated Alabama Coastal Cleanup, an annual volunteer event where participants help clean the state’s coastal waterways and beaches. The locations include nine sites along different waterways throughout Mobile County.
In 2022, MCHD recognized the impacts that demand for dining via curbside pick-up and delivery was having in their communities.2 Local areas and waterways were littered with single-use food containers and identified Mt. Vernon as a new cleanup site.3 The town is located at the mouth of three rivers: Mobile, Tombigbee, and Tensaw. Residents in Mt. Vernon and MOWA Choctaw Reservation live, fish and play along these rivers. Any litter that finds its way into Mt. Vernon’s, creeks, streams, and rivers threatens the health of the waterways and contaminates the fish and other mollusks that residents consume. Additionally, littered waterways make it difficult for people to use public spaces for physical activity and community events that bring people together and promotes social connections.
In coordination with the annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup, MCHD Health Equity Office partnered with Mt. Vernon's Willing Workers Community Action Group and MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, a state-recognized tribe in Mobile and Washington Counties, to sponsor an environmental clean-up event in Mt. Vernon on September 17, 2022.
Impact
The team cleaned up 50 miles of land and collected more than 3,000 pounds of trash inland and along the water– that’s roughly the weight of a Toyota Corolla or a hippo! According to both groups, their communities were very pleased with the litter removal. “The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians was pleased to be invited to participate in the national Clean-up Day,” explained Maggie Rivers, Project Director for the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. “We began in 2022 with much success and saw an even greater impact for 2023. We coordinated through our local churches and had six churches to participate, with 74 volunteers ranging in age from 8 to 80. The oldest tribal members worked alongside the young to clean up our community. We collected more than 100 bags of trash in and around our reservation. We concluded the day with a free fish fry for all the participants. Not only did the event help our community look much better, but it gave our community an opportunity to come together, work together, and fellowship together. We look forward to September 2024.”
To ensure continued environmental justice in the area, the MCHD Health Equity Office corresponded with ADCNR, the Mt. Vernon Willing Workers, and the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians to designate Mt. Vernon and the MOWA Choctaw Reservation as an official Coastal Cleanup Zone. The request was approved, making them the 9th cleanup site in Mobile County. As an official cleanup zone, respective partners will receive promotional materials to advertise the event in their areas, cleanup supplies, dumpsters to collect the trash, and T-shirts.
The COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant enabled the MCHD Health Equity Office to address social determinants of health and environmental justice issues that can contribute to a community’s health outcomes, as well as foster connections among community members who otherwise may not have been able to discuss and assess community needs. Now that Mt. Vernon is an official cleanup site, residents will be able to enjoy cleaner air, waters, and recreational spaces for years to come.