Skip to main content
Have a personal or library account? Click to login
Community Power and Global Learning: A Case Study of the Four Pillar Model of CORD from India to Michigan Cover

Community Power and Global Learning: A Case Study of the Four Pillar Model of CORD from India to Michigan

Open Access
|Apr 2026

Figures & Tables

Figure 1

Global Learning to Advance Health Equity Framework, Global Learning for Health Equity Network.

Table 1

The Four Pillar Model of CORD.

1. ParticipationThe people in the communities develop and drive the programs. This means that programs are not developed in academia, at Board meetings, in think tanks, or even via focus groups. The people in the communities identify their unique needs, and together, they come up with solutions for their concerns.
2. IntegrationInterventions are not single‑pronged but integrated across sectors. People need solutions to their food insecurity in conjunction with housing insecurity, access to care, immigration status, etc.
3. NetworkingWe live in societies with many resources. CORD’s philosophy is that by networking with organizations, people, and services already in place, we can be more effective and fill in gaps where they exist.
4. SustainabilityWhen the first three pillars are fulfilled with capacity building for communities as program drivers, holistic programming, and working with community networks, then programs automatically become sustainable long‑term.
Table 2

July 11, 2025—Notes on current concerns from discussions between neighbors of participants, CORDUSA – Global Network at Community Action Network’s Bryant Community Center.

TOPICNOTES
Food Insecurity
  • Food distribution centers closing

Access to Healthcare
  • Losing benefits

  • Medicaid/Medicare cuts

  • Loss of access to vaccines

  • High cost of medications

Domestic Violence
  • “System doesn’t help women who are targeted”

  • Concern for security

Immigration
  • Concern about ICE raids/family

Racism
  • Affects all interactions in all parts of society

  • Concerns about quality of care

  • Concerns about safety of Black and Brown children

  • Microaggressions at work/school

Access to Education
  • Cutting of student loans

  • “Children with special needs will not get the attention they need at school with this administration”

  • Good education is required for employment, but pipeline is at risk

Elder Care
  • Difficulty getting social security

  • Difficulty getting quality care

  • Society not geared for elder care

Women’s Health
  • Access to care under great threat

Access to Housing
  • Increased rental rates for all, especially for seniors

  • Lack of housing stability for lower‑income people

Financial Issues
  • 401K at risk

  • Unsure how to save money in this economy

  • Concern about job security

Table 3

Other local community partners.

Tappan Middle School – helps with navigating educational challenges. The principal of the school held a CGN workshop wherein she addressed individual needs of the women such as language barriers, technology questions, and post‑COVID learning difficulties, and has been an active participant in our group.
Safe House – Domestic Violence Shelter – helps with education and resources re: domestic violence. After several workshops with Safe House, women expressed more comfort in reaching out for services and a greater understanding of available resources.
Washtenaw County Health Departmenthelps with healthcare resources. We have distributed pamphlets from the Health Department and noted an increased participation in Health Department programs and support groups by our members.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Departmenthelps with security resources and community engagement. The women asked for the Sheriff Dept to help them learn how to address their safety needs and expressed an increased sense of security after their educational sessions.
Briarwood Mall Community Outreachhelps connect more women to each other and other community organizations. The local mall holds community outreach events and includes CORDUSA – Global Network as a community partner to network with more local organizations.
Table 4

Alphabetized index.

CAN – Community Action Network
CHC – Corner Health Center
CGN – CORDUSA – Global Network
CORD – Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development
GL4HE – Global Learning for Health Equity
MIHP – Maternal Infant Health Program
RWJF – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.5043 | Journal eISSN: 2214-9996
Language: English
Submitted on: Oct 31, 2025
Accepted on: Dec 11, 2025
Published on: Apr 17, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2026 Vidya Kumar Ramanathan, Alexander Plum, Narender Paul, Kathleen Babuska, Morgan Pigott, Kshama Metre, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.