Posted on July 1st, 2022

The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) announced a two-year Accelerating Health Equity Grant awarded by the Pfizer Foundation to support a community garden and diabetes support program in Alabama and Florida. The ADA has partnered with local organizations in Montgomery, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida to develop innovative community-based intervention projects that will address social determinants of health and diabetes care. The ADA's community impact project goals are to:

Expand the 10-acre community garden created in Montgomery to increase access to healthy foods and diabetes support in the community

Establish a community garden and provide diabetes support in Tampa

Host community health worker's training focused on addressing social determinants of health in Black communities nationwide

"Community impact projects are the cornerstone of diabetes support within our communities. It allows the ADA the ability to focus resources on health in low-income communities nationwide," said Dr. Robert Gabbay, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the ADA. "Seventy percent of a person's health and wellbeing is driven by social determinants of health, we want to help fight food insecurity and be positive change for the low-access communities in Montgomery and Tampa by increasing access to healthy foods and initiating environmental change."

The Pfizer Foundation's Accelerating Health Equity Grants program was established in 2020 to support community-based organizations working to improve the health of Black communities across the U.S.

"We're proud to support the critical work of our partners across the country who are on the frontlines of community health, creating and implementing local solutions to advance health equity," said Caroline Roan, senior vice president, Global Health and Social Impact, Pfizer Inc. and president, the Pfizer Foundation.

To date, the Pfizer Foundation's Accelerating Health Equity Grants program has awarded $7 million to over 15 community nonprofit partners. 

Source: NBC12