Community Leadership for Better Health
Martin Luther King Center & West End Revitalization (2025-Current)
This community-based participatory research project partners with the Martin Luther King Center and West End Revitalization to address health disparities in Rock Island's West End. Students work alongside community members to co-design research, collect data, and identify priorities related to mental and behavioral health and other community health concerns. By centering resident voices and lived experiences, the project strengthens local health data and supports community-driven strategies to improve health outcomes.
Martin Luther King Center | Youth & Community Programs | Rock Island, IL
Closing Care Gaps for Moms in the Quad Cities Area
Community Health Care, The Birthwork Foundation and Akwaaba Quad Cities (2025 - Current)
This maternal health partnership supports efforts to improve prenatal care access and reduce disparities in maternal and infant health across the Quad Cities. Students collaborate with community partners to refine evaluation tools, support participant engagement, analyze survey data, and develop reports that inform program improvement. Through research and community collaboration, the project helps measure the impact of culturally responsive maternal health services and guides strategies to improve outcomes for families.
Community Health Care | Healthcare | Davenport, IA, USA
The Birthwork Foundation | Empower Your Birth Experience Today
Health Literacy for QC Immigrants and Refugees
World Relief Quad Cities (2025 - Current)
In partnership with World Relief Quad Cities, students support health education and outreach for refugee and immigrant community members enrolled in English language learning programs. Through culturally responsive workshops, translated educational materials, and program evaluation, students help improve health literacy, increase confidence in navigating healthcare systems, and identify opportunities to better meet the needs of newcomer families.
Partnering for Healthy Aging
Moline Activity Center (2023 – Current)
In partnership with the Moline Activity Center, students lead evidence-based fitness and wellness programming designed to support healthy aging among older adults in the Quad Cities. Through low-impact exercise, health education, and regular participant engagement, students help promote strength, mobility, balance, and overall well-being while gaining valuable experience in community-based health promotion. This partnership fosters active, connected lifestyles for older adults while preparing students for careers in public health and healthcare.
Moline Township – Information on programs & services provided to the residents by Moline Township
Female-Headed Household Needs Assessment
YWCA Quad Cities and Empowerment Center (2025 – Current)
In partnership with the YWCA Quad Cities Empowerment Center, students conduct community-based research to better understand the needs, strengths, and experiences of female-headed households in the Quad Cities. Students collaborated with YWCA staff to develop a participant-informed needs assessment, analyze survey data, and communicate findings through reports and presentations. The results help guide program planning, identify service gaps, strengthen grant applications, and ensure the Empowerment Center's services reflect the priorities and lived experiences of the women and families it serves.
Home | YWCA Quad Cities | Rock Island, IL & Davenport, IA
Empowerment Services | YWCA Quad Cities | Davenport Empowerment Center
Urban Stream Biofiltration Project
City of Davenport & Partners of Scott County Watersheds (2025 – Current)
In partnership with the City of Davenport and Partners of Scott County Watersheds (PSCW), students research nature-based solutions to improve urban water quality and reduce bacterial contamination in local streams. Through field monitoring, water quality sampling, and biofilter evaluation, students assess the effectiveness of green infrastructure in improving watershed health. This project provides hands-on research experience while generating practical, science-based recommendations that support healthier ecosystems, safer waterways, and more sustainable stormwater management.
FoodPlex Program Evaluation
Heart of Hope-Quad Cities FoodPlex (2025-Current)
In partnership with Heart of Hope, CACHW evaluates the impact of the Illinois Quad Cities FoodPlex, a program that provides medically vulnerable community members with nutritious food, culturally responsive meal plans, and health navigation services. CACHW analyzes participant health outcomes—including changes in blood pressure, A1C, weight, and healthcare utilization—to assess program effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. This partnership helps measure the impact of food as medicine initiatives while supporting data-driven decisions that improve community health.
Home | Heart of Hope Ministries
Parenthood Basics Program
Heart of Hope Ministries, Rock Island (2024-2025)
In partnership with Heart of Hope Ministries, CACHW students designed and implemented the Parenthood Basics Program, a five-week educational series supporting mothers during pregnancy and early parenthood. Students conducted community health research and developed interactive sessions focused on prenatal health, infant safety, parenting strategies, stress management, and postpartum physical and mental well-being. Hosted at the Heart of Hope Community Resource Center, the program created a supportive environment where parents could access resources, build connections, and gain practical knowledge to support healthy families. This project provided students with hands-on experience in community health programming while strengthening local resources for parents and caregivers.
Improving Birth Outcomes in the Quad Cities
Health Outcomes Planning Taskforce - Low Birth Weight (HOPT-LBW) (2022-Current)
In partnership with the Health Outcomes Planning Taskforce–Low Birth Weight (HOPT-LBW), CACHW students and faculty investigate factors contributing to full-term low birth weight births in the Quad Cities and explore evidence-based strategies to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Students conduct research, analyze data, and help translate findings into accessible resources for healthcare providers, community organizations, and families. This collaboration strengthens regional understanding of birth health disparities and supports community-driven approaches to improving outcomes for mothers and infants.
Lead Service Line Project
City of Rock Island (2022-2024)
The Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness and the Upper Mississippi Center partnered with the City of Rock Island to support compliance with the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act (Public Act 102-0613). The initiative aimed to develop a Service Line Material Inventory by identifying the type of water service lines—particularly those made of lead or galvanized materials—across the city.
中国体彩网 students and faculty led neighborhood canvassing efforts, assisting residents with simple tests to determine pipe materials and collecting data linked to GIS. This work was critical in helping the city map service lines and prioritize areas for future replacement.
By fall 2023, 中国体彩网 students had helped survey over 12,000 homes, accounting for 25% of Rock Island residences. The remaining service lines were estimated through predictive modeling, enabling the city to build a complete inventory and begin planning its long-term replacement strategy. This project offered students real-world experience in public health, environmental science, and civic engagement while advancing the city’s ability to secure funding and protect residents from lead exposure.