Center for Urban Health
James Plumb MD, MPH
Professor – Department of Family and Community Medicine
Vice-Chair – Community Medicine
Director – Center for Urban Health
211 S 9th Street – Room 300
215-955-6340 – james.plumb@jefferson.edu
http://hospitals.jefferson.edu/departments-and-services/center-for-urban-health/
Mission, Goals, Capabilities
The mission of the Center for Urban Health
(CUH) is to improve the health and well being of
Philadelphia citizens throughout the lifespan by
marshalling the resources of Thomas Jefferson
University Hospitals, Thomas Jefferson
University and its Department of Family and
Community Medicine (DFCM), and partnering
with community organizations and
neighborhoods. The Center’s goal is to improve
the health status of individuals and targeted
communities and neighborhoods through a multifaceted initiative, the ARCHES Project, which
focuses on six domains/themes: Access and
Advocacy; Research, Evaluation, and Outcomes
Measurement; Community Partnerships and
Outreach; Health Education, Screening and
Prevention Programs; Education of Health
Professions Students and Providers; and Service
Delivery Systems Innovation.
Through the ARCHES Project, the Center’s
partners range from schools, homeless shelters,
senior centers, faith-based communities and other
broad-based efforts that recognize neighborhood
economic, social, and physical environments as
underlying determinants of health and disease. In
addition, the Center undertakes more extensive
assessments in partnership with communitybased organizations to create programs that
reflect community need, voice and culture.
Projects are planned and evaluated individually
based on established baselines set from existing
data, key informants, focus groups and new
surveys conducted that address critical attitudes,
beliefs, and behaviors, and community
assets/resources such as human, economic and
social capital.
Services
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Serves as a bridge between TJU/TJUH
and urban neighborhoods, facilitating
understanding and information sharing
so as to improve health outcomes;
Facilitates collaborations between
TJU/TJUH and urban neighborhoods
around research, community projects,
program planning/implementation and
evaluation.
Improves the understandings of
TJU/TJUH as they relate to the health
needs and aspirations of the community;
and concurrently, to improve the
understandings of the community as to
the work that TJU/TJUH does that has
the promise of improving the health and
wellbeing of the community.
Strengthens the capacity of the
Philadelphia neighborhoods by bringing
the knowledge and skills available
through TJU/TJUH to community
identified needs and issues;
Strengthens the academic offerings and
opportunities within TJU as they relate to
urban health and development;
Initiates and monitors sustainable,
collaborative interventions that will
improve the health and well-being of
Philadelphia neighborhoods.