Center History

Milestones

1925	Philanthropist George Eastman donates $4 million to the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry, with a caveat: “to make Rochester one of the healthiest communities in the world.”
1925 - 1997	URMC departments and centers independently integrate community health into their education, patient care, and research activities.
1997	The URMC becomes a key contributor to Monroe County Department of Health’s (MCDH) HEALTHACTION process to establish community-wide priorities for health improvement. A partnership between the URMC and MCDPH called the Center for Rochester’s Health is created to conduct research in support of HEALTHACTION priorities.
1999	URMC announces “audacious” goal to make Rochester the healthiest community by 2020.
2002 - 2005	The 16th U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher M.D., Ph.D., a UR alumni, becomes a senior advisor to URMC’s community health initiatives.
2004	URMC officially makes community health its fourth core mission. Association of American Medical Colleges awards the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry its prestigious Outstanding Community Service Award.
2006	The Center for Community Health (CCH) is established to further advance the community health mission.
2008	CCH is relocated in city-based facility to enhance its awareness and accessibility, especially among at-risk populations
2010	The Center opens a new and innovative Healthy Living Center to help individuals make healthy, lasting changes to improve and maintain their health.
2011	URMC, MCDPH, and five community partners are awarded a 5-year, $3.6 million Community Transformation Grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.