Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been fortunate to be involved in a learning exchange between the UK and the US. The purpose is to contribute to learning and knowledge about reducing health inequalities through tackling the root causes of poor health, such as, employment, housing, education and the environment. This approach prioritises working with communities to harness their capacity for health improvement.

This exchange is part of a wider programme and is supported by the Department of Health, England, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, the International Union for Health Promotion Education and Health Action Partnership International.

Monday 14th November - Norwood

The final destination of our first day with the MHRC was a resource centre in the neighbourhood of Norwood. We were introduced to the director of the Norwood Research Centre, Melodie Echols. This resource centre is located in the heart of the community and provides a number of services to local residents, including a computer learning centre, volunteer income tax assistance, nurse wellness visits, chronic disease management courses, health talking circles, financial conselling, neighbourhood clean-ups, REACH US (Breast and Cervical Cancer Awareness) and many more.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Norwood-Resource-Center/116157115085577
 The motto for this research centre is "Neigbors Helping Neighbors" which leads on to Norwood's mission statement "...to strive to improve the quality of life for each and every resident of Norwood and to make our neighborhood a model community in the City of Birmingham and the State of Alabama".

We were very impressed with the amount of services available in the resource centre and also the community's abilities to attract funding. In addition, the community had produced a neighbourhood plan in a very professional manner which emphasised environment and economic impacts on health and community safety. It was clear that there were strong coalitions between residents and community partners who had a clear mission - renovation, innovation, diversity and community partnership. The coalitions strength was also demonstrated in their ability to stand up to any industries which may go against their mission statement. 

Monday 14th November - West End

The second coalition that we were introduced to was in the West End Neighbourhood of Birmingham.


This garden has only been established for one-year and the community were experimenting with the possibility of growing fresh produce on waste land. Community members were advised that nothing would grow in the area due to poor soil quality and being on the site of a demolished house. However, they were not deterred and the garden has surpassed all expectations and they are now looking to expand. The community are fully responsible for the maintenance of the garden and there is very much a sense of ownership, respect and pride.

Monday 14th November - Dunbar Abrams, Bessemer

After a fulfilling lunch we were given a tour of three 'Building Healthy Communities' Coalitions.

Our first local coalition was located in Bessemer and was called Dunbar Abrams.

Miss Pippins - member of the Bessemer Building Healthy Communities Committee 
This coalition brought back into use a community building which was originally a school. This was the first school in the area which taught black children. The history of this area is ever present and celebrated with the Civil Rights movement at the heart of this and most other initiatives.

The centre houses a cervical and breast cancer resource library and also holds regular health talking circles and screening programmes.

Monday 14th November - Lunch

The Bright Star Restaurant, Bessemer.


En route to visiting some local coalitions we stopped off at Alabama's oldest restaurant 'The Bright Star', although we weren't as famous as some of the previous guests.


We also experienced a delicacy of the deep south - fried green tomatoes along with some fried (what else!) snapper. This lunch also provided us with the opportunity to get to know our hosts and learn more about our respective communities. 


Monday 14th November - am

Setting the scene; Birmingham, AL, was built on an railway intersection which is represented in the state flag (left) . This mirrors sections of the Union Jack and is symbolic of the cross roads of our coalition between Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham, Alabama.
Bright and early on Monday morning we travelled to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to meet members of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC).

(http://www.uabmhrc.com/)

We were warmly welcomed by Dr Mona Fouad, Dr Theresa Wynn, Maria Norena, Amber Anderson and Joanice Thompson and introduced to a number of leaders of REACH US community-based programmes.



We were given a presentation on the history of Birmingham, which was known as the 'Magic City', as it appeared as if by magic after the abolition of slavery. 

In exchange, the team shared information about Stoke-on-Trent and set the context by showing a short video called Miniature Stoke [please click link to see video]. The purpose of mini Stoke is to bring to life a number of important ‘facts’ about peoples health and well-being in Stoke-on-Trent. It describes a moment in time, and aims to tell the story of what Stoke-on-Trent would be like if it was made up of one hundred people.

When Academia, Politics and Public Health Met

Day 1/2 - Manchester, UK to Birminhgam, AL via Atlanta, GA

We met up at Manchester Airport on the morning of the12th November excited about the 10 days ahead.  This was the first time that we had met as a team, but any apprehension was soon gone as we got to know other quickly and seamlessly. Early on we adopted different roles and responsibilities that have successfully seen us through as a team to date. As the theme of our time in Alabama has centred around building coalitions it has been fascinating to reflect on how we have built our own coalition throughout this time!

Arriving in our hotel in Atlanta late Saturday evening, we had an overnight stay before meeting colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Graydon Yatabe and Kenitra Robinson. In addition to  his many talents Graydon acted as our very own chauffeur as we travelled the 2 hours south-west to Birmingham, Alabama.


Before we arrived at our Birmingham destination we stopped at a local eatery to show our support for the owner. The owner of Max's delicatessen on Colonnade Parkway [http://maxsdelionline.com/index.html] says he is fearful of losing his entire nine-member kitchen crew due to Alabama's new immigration law. 



[12th / 13th November]