Urban Health

Through the ARCHES Project, the Center’s partners range from schools, homeless shelters, senior centers, faith-based communities and other broad-based efforts that recognize neighborhood economic, social, and physical environments as underlying determinants of health and disease. In addition, the Center undertakes more extensive assessments in partnership with community-based organizations to create programs that reflect community need, voice and culture.  Projects are planned and evaluated individually based on established baselines set from existing data, key informants, focus groups and new surveys conducted that address critical attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and community assets/resources such as human, economic and social capital.  

• Serves as a bridge between Jefferson and urban neighborhoods, facilitating understanding and information sharing so as to improve health outcomes;
• Facilitates collaborations between Jefferson and urban neighborhoods around research, community projects, program planning/implementation and evaluation.
• Improves the understandings of Jefferson as they relate to the health needs and aspirations of the community; and concurrently, to improve the understandings of the community as to the work that Jefferson does that has the promise of improving the health and wellbeing of the community.
• Strengthens the capacity of the Philadelphia neighborhoods by bringing the knowledge and skills available through Jefferson to community identified needs and issues;
• Strengthens the academic offerings and opportunities within University as they relate to urban health and development;
• Initiates and monitors sustainable, collaborative interventions that will improve the health and well-being of Philadelphia neighborhoods.