Recent News
- Covid-19 is over!… Not exactly
- Persevering Together Today for Strong Tomorrows: A Forecast for 2022
- Self-Care for African Americans
- Taking Care of the Caregiver
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness – Early Detection Saves Lives
- CAA Health and Amazon are Prioritizing mental health in Denver’s underserved communities
- The Relationship Between Housing and Health
- A Special Father’s Day Message
- Celebrating and Reflecting on How Far We’ve Come!
- Examining Vaccine Hesitancy Requires an Equity Lens
- Self-Care, Our First Line of Defense
- CO Links and CAA Health Herstory
- Our Black Lives Matter
- Innovative Partnerships to Make a Difference
- Addressing Mental Health with The Center for African American Health
- Stopping Childhood Obesity with the Community’s Help
- Celebrating Life; Honoring Your Health and Your Family
- What’s New for You at The Center for African American Health
- What We’re Reading: Unhealthy state of affairs regarding Black health
- Why Is It So Risky to Be a Black Mother?

Celebrating and Reflecting on How Far We’ve Come!
In the Spring of 2001, I worked as a consultant with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Turning Point Initiative. Through this transformative project, I was able to witness the first grant given to the Metro Denver Black Church Initiative (MDBCI) from CDHPE. I remember collating MDBCI pamphlets and printing out information for an organization with whom I immediately became completely enamored.
The thoughtfulness of organizing Black churches to mobilize around improving the health outcomes of their members was truly what grassroots efforts were meant to be. Through the wonderful leadership of Grant Jones and tireless work and advocacy of Lucille Johnson, the organization grew and spread its reach on many topics related to health disparities in our community.
From my early days with the MDBCI, I could never have imagined where this organization was destined to go. Seeing our current CEO & Executive Director, Deidre Johnson, manage the transition of leadership and community trust as deftly as she did to her vision of having a building to call our own has been remarkable.
Proving to be a psychological and community resource anchor for years before and during the pandemic, The Center for African American Health (CAA Health) now will be a physical presence for years to come in our new facility. The expansion of focus into social determinants of health will only increase the impact CAA Health has on the health equity of our community. I am proud and grateful to be on the Board during this time of brilliant transition for CAA Health and can’t wait for Deidre and her team to continue to move mountains!
Contributed by Oswaldo Grenardo, MD
Centura Health Physician Group
CAA Health Board Member

Contributed By
Deidre Johnson, CEO And Executive Director Of The Center For African American Health.
June 09, 2021 / Comments Off