Choose Healthy Life Receives $9.9 Million Grant From HRSA to Expand Black Church COVID-19 Initiative

Choose Healthy Life, which has an established network of Black churches to fight COVID-19 and other health disparities in the Black community, will expand its reach from 50 churches in five cities to approximately 100 churches across 13 states and D.C.

NEW YORK – June 17, 2021: Choose Healthy Life and United Way of New York City (UWNYC) announced they are the recipients of a $9.9 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support and expand Choose Healthy Life’s (CHL) network of Black churches from the initial 50 churches in five major cities to approximately 100 churches in additional major cities and rural areas across 13 states and the District of Columbia.

“We must remain vigilant when it comes to promoting the health and wellbeing of our Black communities,” said Debra Fraser-Howze, Founder of Choose Healthy Life and an advisor to two U.S. presidents on HIV and AIDS. “As COVID-19 comes under control, our focus will shift to testing and treating members of the community for critical health conditions that disproportionately impact the Black community. This includes obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, among others. This grant will enable us to do the much-needed work to get our communities vaccinated for COVID-19 while laying the foundation for future expansion to address health disparities generally in our community.”

United Way of New York City received the grant in response to its application entitled “Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Coalition: A Faith-based Approach to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Black Americans,” and the funding is being provided over the next six months.

“The Black church is at the center of the Choose Healthy Life model, which is focused on connecting members of the local community to critical healthcare services,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network and co-chair of Choose Healthy Life’s National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council. “This funding will allow us to expand our reach and continue providing these essential services to Black communities across the country.”