Background

Infection Associated Chronic Conditions (IACCs) are chronic medical conditions that are initially triggered by an infection. While many different pathogens have been associated with the development of IACCs, different IACCs share several common features:

• IACCs tend to cause severe impacts to quality of life;
• IACCs typically impact a disproportionately high rate of female patients;
• IACCs are often characterized by neurological or immunological pathology; and
• IACCs comprise diffuse organ system interactions; and require multidisciplinary care.

Millions of Americans were living with IACCs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the exact number is unknown. Large-scale epidemiological studies identifying the number or percentage of Americans with any IACC has not been undertaken to date. US population estimates of just a few IACCs published before or at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that these conditions were already widespread

About the Project

The global COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented awareness of the long-term health effects of IACCs. The number of people living with Long COVID-associated conditions or other infection-associated conditions—including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other forms of dysautonomia, mast-cell activation syndrome, persistent Lyme disease/chronic Lyme disease and more—continue to increase.

Through the Infection Initiated Chronic Conditions Understanding and Engagement (ICUE) program, the CDC Foundation, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are bringing together patient advocacy groups and community-based organizations focused on raising awareness and helping people living with IACCs to identify common priorities and opportunities to collaborate, including exploring the development of an IACC Patient Advocacy Coalition (IACCPAC).

Summary Report

We’re pleased to announce that the first summary report, following our series of workshops on the needs and priorities of the infection-associated chronic conditions patient community, by the IACCPAC—a part of the IACCPAC Initiative, led by The Long Covid Alliance, Solve ME/CFS Initiative, COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project, Dysautonomia International, and Patient-Led Research Collaborative, with support from the CDC Foundation through the ICUE program—is now available and can be accessed here.

Partners

• Dysautonomia International
• Commonality, Inc.
• Solve ME/CFS Initiative, Inc.
• Patient-Led Research Collaborative
• COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $77,990 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

BACKGROUND

Clean water and sanitation are critical for maintaining good health and preventing the spread of disease. In the United States, many people take for granted that safe water is accessible just by turning on a faucet, but today an estimated 2.2 million Americans live in homes without running water or basic plumbing. Because of aging water infrastructure and failing septic systems, tens of millions more lack adequate sanitation facilities for the safe disposal of human waste and wastewater treatment. Although water insecurity threatens the health of all communities, research shows that Latino, Black and Indigenous communities are much more likely to experience poor water and sanitation systems. Immigrants and people living in low-income and rural areas are also disproportionately affected.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

To help address the urgent and growing health problems caused by contaminated water, the CDC Foundation is supporting six organizations working to increase public awareness of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues and improve these conditions in communities experiencing limited access or unsafe water systems. The CDC Foundation funding supports organizations working in California, the Appalachia region, the Navajo Nation and urban and rural communities in the Black Belt and Jackson, MS.

These organizations are working to identify the water and sanitation needs in their respective regions and connect community members with available services. They address poor WASH conditions on the household level by increasing access to water testing, distributing water filters, installing home water systems, and establishing water delivery programs and free hygiene pantries to provide soap and other personal hygiene supplies. They also conduct outreach in multiple languages to increase awareness of the importance of safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

As part of this project, each organization also chose a representative to participate in the OpEd Workshop, a unique opportunity to work with a network of media mentors to write effective and powerful pieces about the water crisis and the work they are doing to address it. 

The organizations receiving support are:

• Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) and PEER Consulting
• Community Resource Center
• The DigDeep Right to Water Project (The Navajo Water Project and The Appalachia Water Project)
• El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
• People’s Advocacy Institute
• West Central Alabama Community Health Improvement League, Inc.

Read our recent story about People's Advocacy Institute and their tireless efforts to bring clean water to Jackson, MS.

Read our blog about how these organizations are addressing the water crisis and ensure access to clean, safe water for everyone.

Background: Safe and Supportive Schools

Mental health challenges among our nation’s youth is a growing public health concern, as recent studies reveal an alarming increase in the number of adolescents reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide. Creating safe and supportive school environments is critical for the overall well-being and success of students, providing positive outcomes. When students feel secure in their surroundings, they are more likely to participate in their academic success, form positive social connections at school and home, and are less likely to engage in harmful behaviors and report feelings of stress and anxiety.

Establishing this type of learning environment requires a collaborative approach between schools, families and the community. Family engagement has been identified as a key component in efforts to cultivate positive and inclusive learning environments where students feel welcome, seen and heard. In 2021, CDC Foundation entered into a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support youth mental health and well-being through family engagement, providing opportunities to hear directly from parents and caregivers about their perspectives and attitudes on matters that may impact their child’s school experiences, mental health and overall wellbeing. Fostering an environment that values respect, understanding and where each student feels included contributes to academic achievement and fosters the growth and resilience of students.

About the project:

Through this project, the CDC Foundation is working to empower families by:

• providing opportunities to hear directly from them on their concerns around school and education-related topics that may impact youth mental health and wellbeing;
• sharing the key findings with parents and caregivers as well as organizations that serve the school community;
• gathering information on the types of support and resources they perceive to be the most beneficial to support youth mental health and wellbeing;
• using the feedback from parents and caregivers to develop resources to support youth mental health and wellbeing;
• and disseminating the resources either directly to parents and caregivers or to organizations that serve the school community.

Successful parent engagement involves establishing meaningful partnerships that empower parents to actively contribute to their child's academic and social development. During the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the CDC Foundation partnered with the National PTA to hear directly from parents and caregivers on their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on a variety of topics related to their child’s education and safe and supportive learning environments. The key findings from the surveys were released by the National PTA through a series of press releases and in two virtual town halls. Additionally, the 2022-2023 data were added to an interactive dashboard developed by McGeeney Consulting Partners, LLC. The dashboard allows users to filter between topic area, demographics, and survey waves.

Conference Materials

For the 2023 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo, a poster and supplemental resource were created with the goal of: 

• describing parental concerns about school violence and parental preferences for school emergency preparedness and
• discussing potential modifications to school emergency preparedness protocols to improve parental satisfaction.

View and download these conference materials.

Media Literacy Campaign Materials

During the 2022 – 2023 academic year, the CDC Foundation also partnered with The Public Good Projects, an organization specializing in public health communications, to support promotion of safe and supportive learning environments for students and improved media literacy skills for parents. Through this partnership, a number of resources were developed to support improved media literacy skills, enabling parents to become better consumers of online information on matters related to their child’s school or education in general.

View and download these resources.

This webpage about Improving Mental, Behavioral and Academic Supports to Students and Families, Part 2, is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,939,999 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.