Alabama typically falls low on lists ranking health in the United States, including those focused on COVID vaccination rates, overall health care and maternal and infant health. Within the state, though, there is one region where disparities in health are the highest: the Black Belt.
These 18 counties, nicknamed for the rich soil that stretches across central Alabama, is home to a large population of Black Alabamians. Minimal health care options combined with high poverty rates and a host of other factors compounded over decades have resulted in increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.
The University of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Public Health identified environmental hazards as a contributor to the problem, and they have a plan to address it.
The two institutions announced this week that they are launching a program to provide free home inspections and solutions to approximately 150 low-income homes in the Black Belt.
Inspectors will look for environmental hazards such as indoor air quality, mold, pests, carbon monoxide, lead and asbestos, and if any are discovered, the program will supply repairs up to $10,000 per household.
The inspections and solutions will be funded through a $2 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant that ADPH announced this week.
“The funding is going to be there to not only say, ‘Hey, you’ve got an issue here,’ but to be able to repair and fix those issues so that overall health outcomes are improved in these areas,” project leader Michael Rasbury said.
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Rasbury serves as the associate director of UA SafeState, a university program dedicated to solving environmental and occupational health problems in the state.
“The potential hazards are across the board, “ he said. “There’s a lot, but some could be simple fixes.”
For example, if a home has a gas stove but no carbon monoxide detector, the group would deem that hazardous to indoor air quality and install a detector.
Another potential problem that project leaders expect to find in many of the homes is mold caused by water intrusion.
“The environment in which people live affects their entire lives,” UA SafeState executive director Donald Elswick said. “With our partners, we looked at what is the greatest need? And by need, where can we make the most impact? Because we know we don’t have unlimited resources.”
Census data — along with the Black Belt’s reputation as an underserved, impoverished region — helped the group decide to focus the project there. While the University of Alabama is not located in Black Belt itself, Sharlene Newman, executive director for the Alabama Life Research, said its proximity played a role as well.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Newman said. “We want to actually get into the communities to hear the community’s voice. We want to find out what they’re actually concerned about, not just using what researchers say are the concerns.”
From other work she has done in the region, Newman expects chronic diseases and mental health to be some of the main concerns among the Black Belt populations.
Mayors of Fort Deposit in Lowndes County, York in Sumter County, Linden in Marengo County, and Lisbon in Choctaw County have already expressed support for the project.
Rasbury and Newman expect some nominations for participating households to come from these community leaders, and they will also have representatives attending various community events throughout the region to recruit participants.
The University of Alabama will host a kickoff meeting for the program on March 23 in Tuscaloosa, and the grant will run for 42 months.
If all goes according to plan, project leaders hope to improve the quality of life for at least 150 households by 2026.
Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at [email protected].
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