About chaps
What is chaps?
CHAPS was founded as an official 501c(3) non-profit organization in 2013 to enable and empower children to make healthier choices for themselves and to educate children about all facets of their health. Originally called the Children's Health Awareness Program in Schools, in January 2024, the name was changed to the Community Health Awareness Program and Screenings in order to meet the overall community's health need, especially among vulnerable populations. Our team aims to hold community outreach events to provide preventative care resources for community members, especially individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and underserved communities. Through events and workshops, we aim for our community to become proactive about their overall health by providing educational and medical resources, and free testing and screening guidance.
Our Services
In order to accomplish our goal, we aim to 1) identify community members who are at high risk for chronic illnesses and/or are interested in learning about preventable diseases, 2) support community members in becoming proactive about lung, gut, brain, and heart health by disseminating health information and resources regarding preventative health measures, and 3) navigate community members to screening services.
Our focus areas are the following:
1. Through our partnership with the GW American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI), the GW University Hospital, and GW Cancer Center, we identify community members at high risk for lung cancer and navigate them to the GW Lung Cancer Screening Program. We accomplish this through two avenues: 1) outreach in the community at farmer's markets, health fairs, and senior wellness centers and 2) outreach in the Emergency Department at GW University Hospital by identifying high risk patients for lung cancer and tobacco cessation.
2. We provide free blood pressure, blood oxygen level, pulse rate, and body temperature tests at the site.
3. We provide health guidance and education through the following: 1) encourage community members to receive annual blood tests for diabetes and cholesterol checks, 2) encourage community members to know their family history of disease and illness, and 3) educate community members on the importance of lung health (lung cancer screening, asthma control and tobacco cessation), gut health (nutrition), and brain health (good sleep and physical activity).
Why Chaps?
CHAPS provides an avenue for community members to become more proactive about their overall health and get access to medical, educational and screening resources. Our team engages in community outreach and tabling events to provide preventative healthcare and medical resources for individuals at high-risk for certain chronic illnesses, such as cancer. Socioeconomic disparities are prominent barriers that prevent many, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, from getting access to the medical care they need and deserve. CHAPS aims to meet community members where they are and bring free medical resources and screening to them.
There is a lot of information out there, but we don't always know how or where to begin. Through CHAPS, our team shares our experiences and knowledge in order for our community to make healthful choices and get access to medical resources and screenings. We dedicate this website and our initiatives to anyone who wants to become more proactive about their overall health.