Areas of Focus

Our work in this area includes analysis of the social and economic conditions that impact the health of different populations and communities, including children, persons with low incomes or low educational attainment, the elderly, and other vulnerable subgroups.   A key research focus is on the social and behavioral determinants of community health and well-being, and how these can be addressed in positive ways through public policies, programs, and services. We have a particular interest in addressing social inequities in health and promoting place-based strategies to advance health equity. We conduct research in partnership with a variety of individuals and organizations inside and outside the University, including Nemours Health and Prevention Services, Christiana Care Health Systems, and the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Research in this area focuses on the effectiveness of current physical and behavioral health services, including accessibility, affordability, and quality.  A significant portion of this research and data analyses is facilitated through a partnership between the Center for Community Research and Service and the Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) by CCRS's Medicaid research program.  We are a member of AcademyHealth's State University Partnership Learning Network (SUPLN) and also a core group of the Delaware INBRE program. Medicaid insures over one-fourth of Delaware's population, and by working collaboratively with DMMA and other state agencies, CCRS is able to analyze Medicaid encounter medical and prescription claims data to identify ways of enhancing the impact of state and federal Medicaid investment. In addition, CCRS investigates issues related to other health services not supported through Medicaid, with special attention to those that address the needs of vulnerable populations.

Promoting the development and well-being of children and families through generating, translating and sharing knowledge is the primary goal of this focus area. The core activities include research, education, dissemination and outreach to the community. Work in this area takes a holistic view on kids well-being, recognizing the inter-dependence of childrens cognitive, social and physical development as they are shaped by their entire community including parents, teachers, schools, coaches as well as broader socioeconomic factors. The Center for Community Research and Service hosts the KIDS COUNT in Delaware program, which is charged with conducting multi-disciplinary research that yields knowledge about the development and well-being of children. This research serves as a key tool to educate the public on the children of Delaware and provides a resource for education, intervention, outreach and advocacy.

Research and services in this area focuses on the roles of public, private, and nonprofit organizations and systems in community development, especially policies, programs, and services that may lead to healthy communities and to other social outcomes that improve the quality of community life. The Center for Community Research and Services hosts Public Allies Delaware which prepares future nonprofit community leaders. Research on community development focuses on a variety of social and economic issues that affect lower-income communities including, but not limited to hunger, nutrition, homelessness, affordable housing, unemployment, crime, violence, and the quality of child care and educational services.

CCRS has actively been engaged with research on homelessness, affordable housing, and housing discrimination since the 1980s. We work with Delaware-based non-profit and government agencies, including Delawares homeless Continuum of Care, to provide evidence-based research to better understand and inform responses to issues such as homelessness, evictions, and veteran housing. We also are involved in projects in Philadelphia and other US jurisdictions. Finally, we work with researchers from CCRS's Health Care Services program and with community partners to examine the impact of housing on health outcomes based on matching administrative datasets. Housing research activities are led by the CCRS Director and also include research undertaken by graduate and undergraduate students.