“Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”
Community Wellness Centers of America, LLC (CWCOA) is writing this letter to specifically comment on the recent announcement from “REACH” to survey certain health trends in Queens, predominately focused on Asian Americans to gather data and examine trends in that community.
REACH is the national program that serves as the cornerstone of CDC’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health providing valuable research in addressing many health issues throughout the country.
However, this survey scheduled for Queens examining health, lifestyle habits (such as nutrition and exercise), and focusing on exposure to lead, pesticides, and other toxins, will not have equal representation from the African-American community throughout Queens — let alone Southeast Queens, Jamaica.
As reported, the agency is hoping to interview and sample a larger number of Asian Americans to gather enough data and examine trends in that community. Granted, Asians have a large presence in Queens with over one-in-five residents (22.0%) of Asian descent, but most are concentrated in Northeastern and Central Queens and not subject to the degree of lost medical services affecting the African-American population in other areas within Queens.
Blacks of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin made up 18.8% of Queens’ population, and unfortunately do not have the specific medical services required addressing chronic illnesses and disease especially when considering the loss of several hospitals in areas affecting the African-American population.
When you consider the New York State goals for a healthier population for Queens, it’s evident that CDC should have organized this research study not on a blanket approach, but one geared toward populations within designated areas and accounting for the minority representation throughout an area in obtaining more diverse, specific findings affecting the divergent race of an area.
As stated by CDC, getting 400 people who have been randomly selected to participate in the Queens survey is a challenge. According to CDC’s web site, they have contracted with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to conduct the REACH U.S. Risk Factor Survey.
The process for conducting the survey raises many questions especially when it’s not coordinated on a local level. The CWCOA mission to mitigate the disparities in healthcare throughout Queens County and provide much needed services which are easily accessible and evidence based clinically driven would be an ideal organization for legislators to contact for the survey and ensure equal representation amongst minority populations.
In an attempt to secure more information regarding this survey, CWCOA contacted CDC and spoke with a Mr. Youlian Liao whose telephone number is referenced if you have any questions. Mr. Liao was very courteous and reiterated what has been printed regarding the project, however commented by questioning how we got the telephone number. Calls to “NORC” with questions concerning the survey just go into voice mail.
The REACH U.S. Risk Factor Survey primarily uses a unique address-based sampling approach that targets specific geographic areas across the country where REACH U.S. interventions have been implemented. Once the households have been sampled in each of the 28 communities, NORC at the University of Chicago conducts interviews by phone, mail and in-person to gather important health data from selected adults aged 18 years or older. These data allow CDC to track trends in community health in the areas where REACH U.S. interventions have been launched.
CWCOA firmly supports these surveys and wishes to extend interest in realizing successful projects and through our community involvement would enable CDC to conduct the survey successfully, and secure equal representation of the minority population.
Our success in conducting a community wide healthcare initiative was evident when we organized and conducted screening for over three-hundred resident’s titled “Healthy Heart Project” whereby this free screening undoubtedly saved lives and provided the necessary clinical interventions required in attaining a healthier life.
This project could not have accrued without the community’s support of CWCOA and stands as a testimonial to the required intervention to insure that CDC’s survey is highly successful.
As Community Wellness Centers of America finalizes phase II of organizing a new model healthcare delivery system for Queens, we have positioned our organization with the trust and confidence of the community at-large and civic and church leadership, which we know would benefit CDC directly with any healthcare initiative in Queens, New York.
With your support, we can secure a healthier future for the community and ensure equal representation in all surveys for the African-American population.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Evans, CEO/President