Dear Community:

At the Center for Closing the Health Gap, our strength has always come from our community – and there’s no better time to roll up your sleeves and dig in. This August, we have a full calendar of impactful events, and we’re calling on our friends and supporters to help us make a difference.

Whether it’s handing out school supplies, walking in the Black Family Reunion Parade or supporting seniors and veterans, there’s a role for every willing heart. Your time and energy can uplift lives, spread joy and push our mission forward.

If you’re ready to help, check out the list of events below and just visit our website to fill out a quick volunteer form. We’ll match you with opportunities that fit your schedule and passion. Together, we can create real change – block by block, event by event, person by person.

Blessings to all of you for a safe and healthy week ahead!

Renee Mahaffey Harris

President & CEO

Volunteer Opportunities at Closing the Health Gap!

If you’re ready to help volunteer, just visit our website and complete the form to let us know your availability to help out with one of our upcoming events. We're currently looking for volunteers for the following:

• August 9 (Saturday) – Urban One Back to School Drive at the Lincoln Recreation Center in the West End from 3-6PM
• August 16 (Saturday) – 513 Relief Bus in Roselawn for the Agape Love Ministries Back to School Event in Bond Hill from 10AM-2PM
• August 16 (Saturday) - Parade for Black Family Reunion lineup begins at 9AM
• August 16-17 (Saturday-Sunday) - Black Family Reunion at Sawyer Point (Downtown) from 11AM-4PM each day
• August 21 (Thursday) – Senior Expo @ Hirsch Recreation Center in Avondale, 9AM-2:30PM
• August 23 (Saturday) – Forward March: Community Celebration Serving Veterans and Military Members at Great American Ball Park from 8AM-2PM
• August 23 (Saturday) – Live Healthy and Move Wellness Fair hosted by LifeCenter in Forest Park, 11AM-2PM
• August 23 (Saturday) – The Black Collaborative Health Block Party @ Ziegler Park in Over-the-Rhine/Pendleton from 1-5PM
• August 29 (Friday) – Overdose Awareness Event, hosted by Addiction Services Council in Corryville at 2828 Vernon Place from 3-7PM
• August 31 (Sunday) – A Day of Love, hosted by the Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, 10AM-4PM

Strong Men, Strong Futures: A Night of Film, Food and Fellowship

Join the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center for a film viewing followed by a dinner and panel discussion of the latest prostate cancer prevention and care. There will be two screenings of the event:

• Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Probasco Auditorium (2839 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220)
• Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. at United Community Christian Church (1710 Maryland Ave., Covington, KY 41014)

The Black Walnut is an award-winning, compelling and innovative docudrama designed to increase awareness of the alarming prostate cancer disparity impacting Black men. Featuring nine actual prostate cancer survivors, a urologist and a medical oncologist in dramatic roles, the film explores the myriad of barriers Black men encounter in securing healthcare. Black men are more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men and the film aims to encourage men to prioritize their health.

At this event, participants will have the opportunity to:

• View The Black Walnut film and meet the writer and producer Terrance Afer-Anderson.
• Connect and have a discussion with a panel of local prostate-focused physicians and survivors who will provide suggestions on how to address some of the significant barriers and disparities the Black community faces regarding prostate cancer.
• Receive and have access to educational resources and free PSA screenings via blood draw.

Please Register by clicking HERE.

NIH director Bhattacharya’s views on health disparities contradict, experts say

Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has stated in the media that the agency supports the health and well-being of minority groups—but the NIH has terminated many grants funding health disparities research, contradicting his words, experts say.

According to an August 1 STAT News article, Bhattacharya—himself a former racial health disparities researcher—has stated that while race can be included in health studies in some contexts, studying structural racism is “ideological” and “unscientific.” Under his leadership, the NIH has canceled funding for projects about the impact of structural racism on diseases such as kidney failure and cancer.

“Dr. Bhattacharya describes himself as an epidemiologist. It’s a core part of our field that we study groups with higher rates of disease,” said Mary Bassett, François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in the STAT article. “There hasn’t been a single year since Colonial America that the population of Black America hasn’t died younger and died sicker than white America.”

AHA launches new hub on reducing disparities in health outcomes

The AHA Aug. 7 launched a new webpage, Reducing Disparities in Health Outcomes, featuring new and familiar resources for members and their communities. As part of a larger strategy to help address health disparities, this page will be a hub for actionable resources and tools to assist hospitals and health systems on their journeys to transform care and improve health outcomes for all. The new site requires setting up a login and can be accessed here.

Boston’s Live Long and Well Agenda awards $5M in grants with goal of closing health equity gaps

Boston will soon channel $5 million into local coalitions working to tackle longstanding health disparities that have contributed to shorter life spans in parts of the city. The investments, part of the city’s Live Long and Well agenda, are slated to go to four coalitions of three organizations each.

“We believe how long you live should not depend on your race, your ethnicity or your ZIP code. All Bostonians should live long, healthy lives,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, the city’s public health commissioner, at the press conference.

The $5 million, the first of two bundles of money being invested by the Atrius Health Equity Foundation through the city’s agenda, is slated to go to four coalitions. Each group, made of community-based organizations and local community health centers, is set to work together on goals aimed at addressing social determinants of health — the factors beyond a hospital’s walls that contribute to a person or community’s wellbeing, like access to housing, good food or economic mobility.

Improved Technology Access: A Key to Closing the Healthcare Gap for African Americans

In recent years, the healthcare sector has witnessed remarkable advancements brought about by technology. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), have published compelling findings indicating that improved access to technology can significantly mitigate healthcare disparities experienced by African Americans in the United States. The study posits that utilizing health technology presents a viable pathway toward equity in healthcare services, improving access, enhancing care quality, and reducing long-standing inequities that affect this demographic.

As detailed in their published paper in Frontiers in Public Health, the researchers emphasize that connection to technology—ranging from broadband internet to smartphones—can lead to more equitable healthcare experiences. These technologies, including telehealth services and health-related social media platforms, serve as essential tools that can counteract the systemic barriers that many African Americans face when trying to access healthcare. Larnyo notes that their findings underscore the importance of addressing both digital and structural barriers that contribute to inequities.

Racial and ethnic differences in cardiometabolic predictors of white matter hyperintensities burden among males: The HABS-HD study

Background: Cardiometabolic conditions accelerate white-matter hyperintensity (WMH) accumulation-a vascular injury marker linked to increased Alzheimer's disease risk-yet how these relationships vary by race and ethnicity in males is poorly understood. Objective: To quantify racial ethnic-specific associations between cardiometabolic risk factors, blood-pressure indices, and WMH volume in Non-Hispanic White (NHW), Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Hispanic males.

Methods: We analyzed 1378 males (558 NHW, 375 NHB, 445 Hispanic) from the Healthy Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities. Five binary exposures (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, tobacco dependence), four continuous blood-pressure metrics (systolic, diastolic, pulse, mean arterial pressure), and a principal-component cardiometabolic score were regressed on log-transformed, intracranial volume-adjusted WMH volume in race-stratified models.

Results: Hispanic males exhibited the broadest vulnerability: hypertension, diabetes, and tobacco dependence each predicted higher WMH, and the composite score had the strongest association.

Conclusions: Cardiometabolic and hemodynamic drivers of WMH differ markedly across racial and ethnic groups of males, with Hispanic males showing the most pervasive risk profile, NHB males selective associations, and NHW males limited links.

Breaking barriers: TREE Center models a new way forward in health disparities research

The July 2025 supplement of Health Education & Behavior features a powerful collection of eight articles highlighting the innovative work of the Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement (TREE) Center at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Designated a Center of Excellence by the NIH, the TREE Center stands at the forefront of participatory team science aimed at eliminating health disparities through community-engaged, equity-focused research.

This special issue, titled Participatory Team Science in Action, documents how TREE has transformed health disparities research by integrating academic theory with traditional community knowledge. The articles explore a range of topics, from immigrant mental health and Latinx youth resilience to COVID-19 policy response and Tribal–academic partnerships.

Key highlights include:

• Innovative multi-level interventions rooted in community priorities
• Mentorship and leadership development of early-stage investigators from underrepresented groups
• Research conducted in partnership with Tribal, Latinx, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities
• Evaluation of TREE’s impact on community partnerships and knowledge translation

Cincinnati Children's Partial Hospitalization Program: Immediate Admission Openings

Cincinnati Children's Partial Hospitalization Program locations are accepting referrals and are able to complete an immediate admission to either program location.

Patients that benefit most from our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) are often struggling with patient-family relationships, anxiety, depression or may be in need of medication management support.

Cincinnati Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Green Township accepts patients from 10 to 17 years of age. Its Norwood location accepts patients 12 to 17 years of age. The average length of program participation is 8 school days.

Major private insurances, CareSource and HealthVine are accepted.

For more information about Cincinnati Children's Partial Hospitalization Program call 513-910-0783.