November 25, 2017
By Sue Ellen Woodcock
The Revere Cares Coalition is celebrating two decades of working with the City of Revere to make it a healthier, more aware community.
Twenty years ago, Revere Cares was born out of a collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to strengthen the health of Revere. The goal of the coalition is to improve the well-being of Revere’s residents by preventing substance abuse and promoting healthy eating, active living and healthy relationships. ?On Dec. 7 the coalition will celebrate its time in Revere with a special celebration at the Comfort Inn & Suites. Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo will be a special guest and community awards will be presented.
Revere CARES was founded in 1997, under the direction of Executive Director Kitty Bowman, with a comprehensive community health assessment spearheaded by MGH’s Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI), which collaborates with underserved communities to improve health. During 1995-1996, CCHI partnered with a committee of residents, local officials, police, Revere Public Schools and others to guide a series of focus groups, key informant interviews, and a town hall meeting, and to review city, state, Revere Police, and school data. The results were alarming and included high rates of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use among teens with large increases in use from middle to high school. The vast majority of teens believed these substances were readily available and 51 percent of high school students reported having drunk alcohol. The committee identified youth substance abuse as its priority and restructured as Revere CARES, and work began immediately.
