reach Community Health Project
REACH Healthy Living Project was founded in September 2000 in Glasgow by Shehla Ihsan and focused on health promotion to encourage better dietary and exercise habits within the Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) community.
In September 2001 REACH Healthy Living Project evolved into REACH Community Health Project due to:
1) Identifying the need to meet the specific and diverse healthcare needs of the BME community living in Glasgow.
2) Widening its focus on combining mainstream clinical experience with community engagement and development through partnership working with key stakeholders from across the health arena.
In September 2001 REACH Healthy Living Project evolved into REACH Community Health Project due to:
1) Identifying the need to meet the specific and diverse healthcare needs of the BME community living in Glasgow.
2) Widening its focus on combining mainstream clinical experience with community engagement and development through partnership working with key stakeholders from across the health arena.
The purpose of this change ensured that a coherent strategy for BME health was based principally on needs-based service provision, evidence-based research and community development. Some initial achievements include:
Going from strength to strengthGoing from strength to strength in the past few years REACH has now successfully established itself from a locally based organization to a national organization. Some of the examples to this end:
- The establishment of a culturally sensitive mini-gym
- the provision of various BME-focused health and wellbeing clinics
- the regular hosting of health awareness days, e.g. Diabetes Awareness Day event
- the production of important community-based research including The Missing Link (2004), a study of BME Health barriers and needs in Glasgow
- the development of REACH's Public Policy, Active Citizenship (PPAC) project, involving BME community members in health planning processes.
Going from strength to strengthGoing from strength to strength in the past few years REACH has now successfully established itself from a locally based organization to a national organization. Some of the examples to this end:
- REACH was given recognition in 2006 for its innovative community based approach at a local level via funding from the Scottish Executive's Race Equality and Integration Community Support Fund (REICSF) to develop a comprehensive health package for Health Boards across Scotland.
- In 2006 REACH, in partnership with BEMIS (Black and Ethnic Minorities Infastructure in Scotland), launched the National Project, an extensive study of health service provision and challenges with regards to BME communities in three different Scottish Health Boards
- More recently in 2008, REACH was awarded Big Lottery funding for its ICHEE project, which aims over three years to engage BME communities in health structures within Tayside, Lothian and Lanarkshire Health Boards.
News and Updates
Culturally Sensitive Services
In response to the major health inequalities faced by BME communities living in Glasgow, REACH provides a broad based, integrated health service programme. In partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Primary Care Division, we have developed a Community Health Clinic that offers preventative health promotion information and comprehensive clinical advice to individuals from the BME community. Moreover, REACH’s service delivery is sensitive to issues of ethnicity, race, and religion/faith.
Policy and Research Unit
REACH believes that health planning and legislation should be based on the best available research and evidence. To this end, REACH engages in its own research and policy work in order to influence change with regards to BME Health. In addition to producing community led studies into BME health needs and barriers, REACH
Training and Development Unit
As a central part of our social entrepreneurial strategy, REACH's Training and Development Unit attempts to bridge the gap between BME communities and health service providers. REACH is committed to developing and delivering training solutions to improve health and social care service provision for BME communities in Scotland. Training is available to organisations working for and with BME communities in Scotland within the mainstream, voluntary and private sectors.