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Making a Promise to the Neighborhood
MSM is leading the way, with the help of a $500,000 federal grant, to create the “Atlanta Promise Neighborhood,” a national model for improving education and health outcomes for disadvantaged children.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2010
Media Contact
Rosalyn Barnes
404-752-1735 or rbarnes@msm.edu
Making a Promise to the Neighborhood
At Morehouse School of Medicine, we’re on a “social mission” to improve the health of underserved communities. This isn’t just what we teach – it’s a promise we’re making to the community. The 1.7-mile radius around the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) campus, of which MSM is a part, has been designated the “Atlanta Promise Neighborhood,” an area where we will work with several community partners to provide “cradle-to-college-to-career” services to improve education and health outcomes for local children.
“This effort grew out of the AUCC declaring that we believe we ought to concentrate our efforts to improve the health and well-being of our community,” said Dr. John E. Maupin, MSM president.
As it stands today, the Promise Neighborhood is distressed by foreclosures and high unemployment, with 57 percent of local children living in poverty. One in four first-graders in area elementary schools do not pass Georgia’s reading test, and nearly a quarter of third-graders do not read at grade level.
However, as Dr. Maupin points out, the community is already rich in community support and resources. “The city of Atlanta has invested in significant redevelopment here, and numerous churches, schools and community organizations are already doing their part to help families thrive. They’re committed to the neighborhood, and they will be absolutely critical to the success of the Promise Neighborhood,” said Dr. Maupin.
MSM is leading the Atlanta Promise Neighborhood initiative with the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and recently received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to jumpstart the planning work. MSM is one of only 21 organizations nationwide to receive the grant, and we will work with the United Way and a coalition of local organizations to develop model programs for health and wellness services. Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution story to learn more about how we’re keeping this neighborhood at the heart of our “social mission.”
About Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) recruits and trains minority and other students
as physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals committed to
improving the health and well-being of communities. MSM is a member of the largest
consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the world –
the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC). For more information about Morehouse
School of Medicine, visit us online at www.msm.edu.
