Mississippi

MS Group

Mississippi lies in the heart of the Deep South at the intersection of some of the greatest health disparities in the country. Often times the greatest gaps in the provision of healthcare appear in communication  - the inability to give essential health information to the people who need it the most. Southern Remedy's Community Health Advocate Program and Project UNITY have both developed unique ways to bridge these communication gaps.


Southern Remedy's Community Health Advocate Program

Southern Remedy is a public broadcasting program, established in 2005 as a way to share health information to residents of the Gulf Coast following devastation from Hurricane Katrina. It expanded into the Southern Remedy Healthy Eating Plan introduced in communities by Community Health Advocates (CHAs) - lay people and healthcare providers. The program was so successful that Southern Remedy soon outgrew its structural development. Southern Remedy standardized communications between partners and participants, created a master training program for CHAs and began tracking and assessing participants. With funding and technical assistance from the Mid-South TCC, Southern Remedy was able to track participants, train CHAs, and assess successes of the program. 

Project UNITY

In partnership with Jackson State University, the Mississippi Coalition conducted a community-engaged research study titled, Uniting Neighbors to Inspire Today's Youth (UNITY). Working with a group of young teenage African-American girls, they developed a Mississippi-specific, age-appropriate social media message on healthy eating and good food choices which was pilot-tested with middle school girls in the greater Jackson, Mississippi area. 

Mississippi Community Partners


  • Blackburn Middle Schoolxx
  • Chinese Christian Church of Greater Jackson
  • City of Jackson AmeriCorps Program
  • Governor Phil Bryant's Healthy Teens for a Better Mississippi CHA Program
  • Grace Place, Homeless Ministry
  • Innovative Behavioral Services, Inc.
  • Jackson Heart Study Community Outreach Center
  • Jackson Public School District
  • Jackson Revival Church
  • Johnston Chapel
  • Mayor Tony Yarber's Task Force Family Boot Camp for Fitness
  • Meridian Community College
  • Midtown Health
  • Millsaps College One Campus, One Community
  • Missionary Baptist Churches of Mississippi
  • Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE)
  • Mississippi Methodist Conference, churches throughout the state
  • Mississippi Public Broadcasting
  • Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative
  • Mississippi University for Women
  • Mississippi Valley State University Mini Med School Program
  • Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities
  • New Horizon Church
  • Powell Middle School
  • Rebel Well Employee Health Program
  • Rosa Scott Middle School
  • Selby and Richard McRae Foundation
  • Spectrum Employment
  • Student National Medical Association
  • Tougaloo College, Jackson Heart Study Undergraduate Training Center
  • University of Mississippi
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center
  • William Carey University School of Osteopathic Medicine


Coalition Partners:

Innovative Behavioral Services, Inc. (IBS): IBS delivers comprehensive services to children, families, communities, health and human service provider organizations, and educational entities through activities that promote healthy choices and lifestyles and educational and cultural enrichment for children and families.

Jackson Heart Study Community Outreach Center: The Jackson Heart Study is a longitudinal study of the causes of cardiovascular disease in more than 5,000 African Americans. The major aim of the CORC is to perform community health education activities to disseminate health promotion and prevention messages in the Jackson community

Urban League of Greater Jackson: The Urban League is a non-profit organization that provides direct and indirect services to disadvantaged individuals to improve their standard of living in the areas of education, economic empowerment, quality of life, and civic engagement.

JSD Foundation: The JSD Foundation promotes coalition building and supports collaboration among communities, faith-based organizations, and individuals to implement service projects in the areas of education, children’s and women’s health, and the overall health and wellness of the family.


For more information, contact Donna Antoine-LaVigne at donna.a.antoinelavigne@jsums.edu.