The Work

Economic Intervention Development Project

• CommonHealth ACTION is leading an effort of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a model economic intervention for low-income African Americans in the U.S. that is designed not only to improve financial self-sufficiency, but also to protect and improve health.  Specifically, the CDC and its partners are interested in how such an economic program might reduce the risks of HIV/AIDS and intimate partner violence among African-American men and women by increasing financial independence and control, personal effectiveness, and self-efficacy, among other interrelated outcomes.  The economic intervention will include financial education and skills building, basic training on micro-business development, access to business development and financial tools, and individual financial counseling and support services.  The project benefits from a national group of experts and also includes three local advisory groups – in the District of Columbia, New Orleans, and San Francisco/Oakland – to help guide the development of the model program.  In addition, CHA commissioned three literature reviews and convened a national consultation of over 25 experts from across health and economic fields to inform the process.  San Francisco State University’s Health Equity Institute is one of several key partners on the project.