The Gulf States Health Policy Center conducts community-based health policy research to improve health outcomes in the Gulf States. Projects examine how socioeconomic, environmental, and health system policies affect health outcomes in local communities. The results provide evidence to inform policy change and health system improvements that will increase community resilience and ultimately improve health rankings in the Gulf States.

Our Research Core projects are five-year examinations of Obesity Prevention and Disaster Impact in Gulf States communities:

• Health Disparities in the Deep South: A Public Health Policy Study of the Effects of Disaster, University of Southern Mississippi
• Policy, System, and Environmental Changes: A Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Obesity, University of Alabama at Birmingham

GS-HPC also funds Pilot Projects which are led by co-Principal Investigators: one from a community organization and one from an academic institution. This collaboration enables GS-HPC to produce research that is relevant, actionable, and grounded in the needs and realities of the local community.

Current Pilot Projects include:

• Physical Activity and Screen-Time Regulations in Child Care Centers: Influence on Young Children’s Health Behaviors
  Mayor of Baton Rouge Health City Initiative and Louisiana State University
• CBPR of Policies and Practices Affecting Adolescent Sexual Health in Mississippi
  Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative and The University of Southern Mississippi
• Compliance Barriers and Initial Outcomes of the Medicaid First Dental Home Policy in Dallas County
  Community Council of Greater Dallas and Texas A & M University
• Making Environmental Policy Work for Communities: A Culturally Competent CBPR Approach to Advancing the Health of Gulf Coast Vietnamese-Americans
  Mississippi Coalition for Vietnamese-American Fisher Folks and Families and Tulane University
• Opt-Out HIV Testing Guidelines and Barriers of Implementation in Alabama
  Whatley Health Services and University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Policies on Intergenerational Relationships in Livable Communities and Their Impact on Health Outcomes
  Via Health, Fitness, and Enrichment Center and University of South Alabama