Dogs are known for a sense of smell so acute they have the ability to detect cancer, monitor diabetes and screen for an array of infectious diseases. Recently, several groups around the world have demonstrated that dogs are also able screen individuals for COVID-19 infections.

“Our collective future depends on all communities having equitable opportunities for health, wellbeing and economic vitality,” says Dr. Lisa Waddell, chief medical officer. “That’s why our partnership with community-based organizations is so important.”

Health departments across the country, many with the aid of CDC Foundation Workforce and Vaccine Initiative staff and community partners, continue to develop innovative strategies to increase uptake and address relevant health equity issues in their jurisdictions.

At some point in our lives, many of us will likely be a caregiver to someone we know with an illness, injury or disease that prevents self-sufficiency. Sometimes it only lasts a few days, but many take on this role for years. With American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people ages 65 and older more pre-disposed to dementia than other racial and ethnic groups, including Alzheimer’s, this increases the likelihood of being a caregiver in tribal communities.

Throughout the current pandemic it has become clear that racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. To address the gaps, the CDC Foundation and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine created a Health Equity Task Force to monitor and assess the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations.

Drs. Rose S. and Eugene “Gene” J. Gangarosa, MD, MS, EIS '65 have a long-standing passion for public health and are linked to the CDC Foundation by their dedicated support, including their two endowed funds focused on safe water.

What do wizards, wrestling and COVID-19 education have in common? Quite a bit, according to the Olympia Family Theater, an innovative nonprofit community theater in Washington State. The theater engages playwrights and performers in productions that can both entertain and inform audiences, with the goal of creating a stronger and healthier community through the arts.

COVID-19's accompanying stress, isolation and uncertainty have raised concerns about the mental health impacts of the pandemic. In response, the CDC Foundation supported the How Right Now/Que Hacer Ahora campaign.