What is RICHES? Project Overview
History
Goals and Objectives
FAQ 

What is RICHES? Project Overview

Resources In Communities Helps Encourage Solutions (RICHES) is a project dedicated to improving the health of women, particularly minorities and those living in low wealth communities, by creating opportunities for community-based organizations to educate,
encourage and support women in adopting healthier lifestyles and behaviors. In the spring of 2009-10, the RICHES Project conducted six regional meetings in Lee, Sampson, Guilford, Edgecombe, Buncombe and Mecklenburg counties. The meetings included capacity building training on the new Health Journal Tool Kit, a portable, easy-to-use, flip chart binder. The tool kit builds on the My Health Journal and includes topics such as recommended checkups, reproductive health, emotional health, family health history and setting health goals. It also provides space for women to chart new health behaviors and keep track of their health history and test results. The tool kit was designed for community groups to use with the women they serve or one-on-one in a
clinic or home-visiting setting. Over 100 community based organizations and agencies are now trained on how to use the tool kit and are able to incorporate it into their various programs and initiatives.

History

The original RICHES pilot project was initiated by the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation in 2007 with funding provided by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. The project was developed with the goal of improving the coordination, communication and information resource-sharing between organizations that shared a common goal: serving women of childbearing years on health and health-related issues.

The initial pilot project successfully identified and worked with more than 200 organizations across North Carolina serving women of reproductive age. Accomplishments included:

• Identification of needs and priorities of
  community-based organizations
• Creation of directory and map of organizations,  and health statistics by county
• Six regional networking and training meetings
• Development and distribution of an electronic toolkit of women's health resources

At the end of the original grant, this project continued with support from the N.C. Division of Public Health. The Foundation was able to continue to share information and resources with the RICHES Network and host six additional regional trainings introducing the My Health Journal (Mi Diario de Salud, in Spanish) to the RICHES community. The trainings were followed by a one-time small community grants program created by the Foundation in FY 08-09 to support local organizations efforts to improve women's health. Funding priority was given to applicants who were members of the RICHES network.   
  
With generous support from the N.C. GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, the Foundation has now extended the RICHES project an additional three years. The Foundation is excited to introduce new material to the RICHES community for 2010 as well as new trainings and resources.       

Goals and Objectives

Goals

• Build the capacity of community-based organizations to address the health and health related needs of the women they serve and the women in their communities
• Create the social norm in communities that women should take care of themselves - by engaging local groups and media.               

Objectives

• Improve the networking and communication capacity of statewide, regional and community based organizations (CBO's) that work with women of reproductive age (especially low income and/or minority women) by identifying and linking these organizations.
• Increase opportunities (face-to-face and electronic) to share information; promote promising practice models; and provide training, support, and technical assistance.
• Increase the long-term capacity of CBO's to promote healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyle choices and to make life plans with the women of reproductive years that they serve and who live in their community.
• Increase the capacity of:      
  • Women of reproductive age to easily access free or low-cost materials, information, referrals and other resources
  • CBO's to build organizational competency for things such as grant writing, promoting their services, accessing research and statistics and getting their message out

FAQ

Want to know more about RICHES? Visit our FAQ section for more information.

Have a RICHES comment, question or suggestion? Please email us at: RICHES@NCHealthyStart.org.

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