Middletown’s Community Health Center Participating In Ambitious U.S. Health Study

Article originally published in the Hartford Couranthttps://www.courant.com/health/hc-middletown-health-center-study-0728-20160728-story.html

MIDDLETOWN — A massive federal project to study the health habits of 1 million or more Americans over a decade has chosen the Community Health Center to be one of 11 organizations in the country to participate in the first phase.

The National Institutes of Health said the Precision Medicine Initiative is “one of the most ambitious research projects in history” that will use data and health information to find better ways to treat and prevent disease.

The NIH announced the $55 million study July 6. The pilot study will involve four regional medical centers, six Federally Qualified Health Centers, and the Mayo Clinic.

Mark Masselli, founder and CEO of the Community Health Center, said the program may be ready to start signing up volunteers in the fall. The health center has 203 locations around the state: school-based health centers, primary care offices, and mobile clinics that provide care including mental health to 145,000 patients. The non-profit’s headquarters is in Middletown.

Masselli said health centers are vital to the process because they reach the “underserved” populations that often have no health insurance or inadequate health insurance and are often not represented in major research initiatives.

Volunteers will share basic identifying information like height, weight, age and ethnicity, along with details about their lifestyle and environment. Genetic information will be collected through blood and urine tests. Doctors will map the health status of participants over time, and the data gathered will help researchers find the most effective ways to treat and prevent illness.

Masselli said the study’s enormous expected sample size could lead to major gains in health care quality around the world. He said a study on heart health in Massachusetts that began in the 1940s and is still going on today had about 15,000 participants and remains one of the largest studies ever conducted.

Having reliable medical data from more than 1 million people would significantly speed up the time between study and action.

“This could well change the trajectory on health outcomes in this country and around the world,” Masselli said in an interview. “It’s not an easy undertaking, but it has exciting potential. We’re hearing from people all over about it. This is something that touches every American.”

“This range of information at the scale of 1 million people from all walks of life will be an unprecedented resource for researchers working to understand all of the factors that influence health and disease,” NIH Director Francis Collins said in a news release. “Over time, data provided by participants will help us answer important health questions, such as why some people with elevated genetic and environmental risk factors for disease still manage to maintain good health, and how people suffering from a chronic illness can maintain the highest possible quality of life. The more we understand about individual differences, the better able we will be to effectively prevent and treat illness.”

The NIH, the research division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the Precision Medicine Initiative will start with the 10 health care providers in the pilot period, then expand over time to include more and more providers who will eventually sign up the 1 million or more volunteers.

Masselli said the health center did not apply to participate, and was asked to be in the pilot group unexpectedly. He said the selection is “a reflection of the staff we have” and the work that they do — and apparently known within the NIH already.

President Barack Obama announced the effort on precision medicine — individually tailored health care — in 2015.