Past Projects
Learn about our past projects
See how we have supported populations in Texas.
2020 - 2024
Since the pandemic began in 2020, Texas CEAL has partnered with regional organizations to lead 17 projects helping hundreds of thousands of individuals statewide.
There wasn’t a single individual that escaped the impact of the pandemic.
Whether it was the loss of loved ones, loss of work, or loss of educational opportunities — the pandemic impacted every single person in Texas. Some populations suffered the burdens of the pandemic at higher levels than other populations, facing obstacles to receiving trustworthy resources, to reaching services, and to getting treatment. Texas CEAL projects provided urgent support to these individuals, offering outreach, education, and services.
Past Projects
Raising Awareness About Mental Health, Long-COVID, and Clinical Trial Participation in Vietnamese Americans
August 2023 - March 2024 Harris County, Fort Bend County Dr. Bich-May Nguyen This project aims to address barriers in accessing mental health services among the Vietnamese American population in Harris and Fort Bend counties. For an intervention, we are piloting a support group and working with a licensed mental health counselor to develop culturally-tailored curricula on different dimensions of well-being. We’ll also continue outreach and education about mental health and long COVID through online and in-person connection.
View this projectCOVID-CARE: Community-Driven Approaches to Assess, Resource, and Engage Underserved Communities to Address the Burden of COVID-19
April 2022 - July 2023 Harris County Dr. Jasmine J. Opusunju For this project, we sought to understand the knowledge, perceptions, and barriers related to the impact of COVID-19 and vaccinations among Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in the Houston area. Additionally, with our team of community health workers, we updated and distributed urgently needed educational resources to community members.
View this projectIdentifying Community Impacts and Attitudes of COVID-19 on Health Inequity
January 2020 - March 2022 Harris County Dr. Jasmine J. Opusunju This project aimed to understand the social determinants of health and physical community factors of vulnerable people in the Houston area. To do this, we surveyed vulnerable populations with highly-concentrated COVID-19 exposure rates. We also developed a COVID-19 health education repository, as well as an extensive wraparound resource guide, that our community health workers distributed to the public.
View this projectEngaging Blacks and Hispanics in COVID-19 Clinical Trials, Vaccine Uptake and Educational Campaigns
September 2020 - March 2022 Harris County, Brazoria County, Chambers County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County Dr. Lorna McNeill For this project, we aimed to design, evaluate, and disseminate educational messages targeting Black and Hispanic populations in the Greater Houston area, with the goal of increasing knowledge of COVID-19 clinical trials and vaccines. After testing message efficacy, we created a messaging toolkit on COVID-19 vaccination for community partners and the public to access. We also supported clinical trial enrollment in COVID-19 research and vaccine trials.
View this projectCOVID Communications Resource Hub to Promote Health Equity for Texans
September 2020 - March 2022 Dallas County Dr. Rebecca Seguin-Fowler For this project, we aimed to create an online repository of COVID-19 resources, including educational content for community health educators and informational materials for the public. And through the Texas Department of Health and Human Service, we also disseminated Spanish and English language training for community health workers, reaching our target enrollment of 800 people.
View this projectPromoting Knowledge to Action in COVID-19 Prevention and Engagement Among Underserved Communities
September 2020 - March 2022 Tarrant County Dr. Emily Spence Community listening sessions in the Tarrant County area highlighted many challenges to COVID-19 prevention — including misinformation, low literacy, cultural and language barriers, and the urgent need for improved public health messaging. We aimed to address these obstacles by partnering with health workers to educate community members on COVID-19 prevention, as well as encourage participation in vaccination, prevention, and therapeutic trials.
View this projectDeliberative and Participatory Approaches to Addressing COVID-19 in African American and Hispanic Communities in Texas
September 2020 - March 2022 Dallas County, Tarrant County Dr. Bettina Beech For this project, our goal was to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of underrepresented groups related to both home testing kits and COVID-19 vaccines. To accomplish this, we partnered with local groups and leaders to recruit community members to join us for 90-minute virtual dialog sessions. We also distributed educational resources to the public through our community partners.
View this projectCommunity-Based Research to Identify Structural Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among High-Risk Latinx Populations
April 2022 - July 2023 Dallas County, Tarrant County Dr. Nolan Kline The goal of this project was to learn how well our institution collaborated with our community partners. Through interviews and a common survey, we hoped to learn how we could improve collaborations between our partners and academic institutions.
View this projectCommunity Engagement Strategies for COVID-19 Prevention and Response in Underserved Communities in South Texas
April 2022 - July 2023 Hidalgo County, Cameron County, Nueces County, Starr County, Willacy County Dr. Luis R. Torres-Hostos This project had multiple components focused on reaching Hispanics/Latinos and socioeconomically disadvantaged community members in Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi, and surrounding areas. To meet our project goals, we surveyed community members, led focus groups, and partnered with local high school students to create peer-appropriate COVID-19 educational resources.
View this projectCOVID-CARE: Community-Driven Approaches to Assess, Resource, and Engage Underserved Communities to Address the Burden of COVID-19
April 2022 - July 2023 Harris County Dr. Jasmine J. Opusunju For this project, we sought to understand the knowledge, perceptions, and barriers related to the impact of COVID-19 and vaccinations among Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in the Houston area. Additionally, with our team of community health workers, we updated and distributed urgently needed educational resources to community members.
View this projectUnited Against COVID-19 / Unidos Contra COVID-19
April 2022 - July 2023 Bexar County Dr. Robert L. Ferrer For this project, we hoped to learn how Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged community members were reacting to evolving pandemic recommendations on risk mitigation, use of vaccines and therapeutics, and experience of long-COVID. To do this, we hosted focus groups, surveyed community members, and partnered with community groups to host vaccination events.
View this projectCommunity-Based Research on Perceptions of COVID-19 Boosters in Adults and Vaccination for Children in Vietnamese Americans
April 2022 - July 2023 Harris County Dr. Bich-May Nguyen For this project, we aimed to examine perceptions around vaccination, clinical trials, and trusted information sources among Vietnamese Americans. We also hoped to understand the facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 booster vaccines in adults and immunizations in children. We surveyed community members, led focus groups, and implemented a digital marketing campaign. Our partner organizations also participated in vaccine drives, health fairs, and clinics.
View this project