(NAPSI)—Recent research has revealed that community environments play a crucial role in health outcomes. People living just five miles apart can have a difference in life expectancy of more than 20 years.

To help close the gap and improve life expectancy for everyone, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke—the American Heart Association—is working within communities and offering up to $30,000 to find fresh ideas.

Doctor’s Advice

“I know the central role that social determinants of health play in our long-term risk of heart disease, stroke and other devastating illnesses. Even though heart disease and stroke are preventable, and we tell people what they need to do to reduce their risks, for many people, it’s not that easy. Knowing what to do and having access to what you need to do it are two different things,” explained Keith B. Churchwell, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association’s Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Task Force and senior vice president, operations and executive director at the Heart and Vascular Center and Transplantation Center, Yale-New Haven Health.

Finding Answers

The grant-based initiative to identify innovative, clearly defined urban business solutions to drive community change to improve health and well-being is called the EmPOWERED To Serve Urban Health Accelerator™. Its goal is to increase healthy living behaviors, enhance the chain of survival, and cultivate community transformation by addressing such factors as inadequate housing, early childhood development and healthy food access. To that end, through the Accelerator, select candidates are awarded grants to activate critical projects that will improve urban community health.

Applications from businesses with creative solutions to community issues that prevent people from having equal access to health can be made through June 30, 2018. Candidates must complete an application and upload a 90-second-or-less video at empoweredtoserve.org.

Then candidates are guided through a rigorous, six-to-eight-week curriculum that focuses on customer discovery, marketing strategies and brand message storytelling so they can best show the viability of their projects.

Final candidates will present their projects to a panel of judges from marketing, media and investment companies. The winner will meet leaders in the Association’s affiliates, corporations and the community to help continue their projects.

Learn More

For additional information and to register or nominate candidates, visit www.empoweredtoserve.org.

“Through the EmPOWERED To Serve Urban Health Accelerator™, the American Heart Association awards grants to businesses with creative solutions to community issues that prevent equal access to health. http://bit.ly/2HNCyVB”