Working with the Monticello Area Community Action Agency to reduce disparities in central Virginia

Introduction: The Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income individuals throughout central Virginia.
Intervention: As part of the School of Medicine’s “Social Issues in Medicine” curriculum, we engaged in three initiatives to improve MACAA’s operations. First, we completed an asset mapping project to update MACAA’s database of local organizations’ capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, we conducted resource analyses to quantify the areas in which MACAA could expand its services through new partnerships or programs. Third, we collaborated with MACAA’s directors to develop the “Thriving Futures Health Curriculum”.
Results: We contacted 200 organizations across five functional areas (e.g., healthcare, food insecurity) and documented changes to their services resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Resource analyses identified 19 new potential partnerships for MACAA in Charlottesville/Albemarle County to address housing, refugee aid, substance abuse, education, and financial literacy. We also identified multiple gaps in MACAA’s offerings. For example, only 7% of Nelson County's healthcare resources were devoted to rural areas and Louisa County only had one documented transportation service provider. The 4-week “Thriving Futures Health Curriculum” provides 7 hours of instruction related to 1) gratitude and mindfulness, 2) nutrition, 3) healthcare and preventative care, 4) dental hygiene, and 5) exercise.
Conclusions: Our work has helped MACAA identify areas for expansion and develop new programs that will enable them to better assist underserved populations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

2022 UVA Health Disparities Conference - Breakout Session 3: Charlottesville Health Initiatives and Community Projects