# eREACH - Expanding Research and Recruitment by Adults through Community Health workers that automating screenings and referrals plus improving communication and health information delivery

> **NIH NIH R43** · BENTEN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · 2022 · $456,161

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Longstanding health disparities in underserved populations result in higher infection rates, disease, and
chronic conditions in older and minority populations. Without referral and linkage to healthcare services and
clinical trials, many individuals, including older African Americans/Blacks (AA/Bs) in particular, are unlikely to
receive the healthcare they need.
The University of Florida’s nationally-recognized HealthStreet program was created to directly respond to
health disparities and serve as a one-stop portal for linking, referring, and navigating under-represented
populations to mental health, medical, psychiatric, and social services (e.g., food pantries, jobs, and housing)
through the use of community health workers (CHWs). Barriers (e.g., time required for extensive CHW training,
intakes, follow-up calls, etc.) mean not enough community members (CMs) make and attend referral
appointments (e.g., 27% appointment confirmation rate). Mobile health (mHealth) can address existing barriers
to create a scalable program to better utilize the CHW’s time.
Benten Technologies proposes to design, develop and test a mHealth platform called eREACH that will
support HealthStreet’s CHWs to provide e-screenings and referrals, deliver education in the form of short,
animated movies viewable on a mobile phone or tablet, and utilize virtual agents to facilitate follow up calls and
the dissemination of information. These mHealth tools will give the CHWs time to nurture a relationship with
the CM and, in so doing, build a sense of trust in the clinician-participant relationship. The Phase 1 SBIR
Specific Aims are to (1) Use formative research with AA/Bs over 60 years of age who are at-risk for diabetes,
hypertension, and/or mild cognitive impairment with family members and relevant stakeholders to identify the
needs and requirements for screenings and linkage to care; and (2) Pilot test eREACH with 30 AA/Bs and their
family members to evaluate acceptance and feasibility. In the long term, the number of individuals identified,
referred, and linked to care by eREACH will support the continuity of care needed to address various health
issues for underserved populations, increase participation rates in clinical trials and improve outreach to
vulnerable senior citizens.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10384548
- **Project number:** 1R43AG076186-01
- **Recipient organization:** BENTEN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Tony Xuyen Ma
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $456,161
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10384548

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10384548, eREACH - Expanding Research and Recruitment by Adults through Community Health workers that automating screenings and referrals plus improving communication and health information delivery (1R43AG076186-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10384548. Licensed CC0.

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