Johnson & Johnson announced  that it is collaborating with more than 100 community-led health organizations supporting historically marginalized communities across the United States — building on the Company’s multiyear, multimillion-dollar efforts to improve health equity.

Studies have shown that people of color in the U.S. face disparities in access to health care, quality of care, and mortality when compared to their White counterparts.¹ And despite continued advancements in U.S. healthcare, race-based and ethnicity-based disparities persist.

“We recognize that to effectively address healthcare disparities, changes must occur at all levels in our society. Supporting the work of grassroots organizations, community health centers and national associations is integral to identifying and implementing enduring healthcare solutions,” said Vanessa Broadhurst, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs at Johnson & Johnson.

Community-Based Program Support

J&J is supporting multiple organizations across the U.S. working in communities to promote health equity, including:

• It Takes Philly’s Black Doctors Consortium initiative, dedicated to improving the quality of and access to care in a high-touch concierge-style setting, a unique approach to clinics in Philadelphia’s low-income communities facing health challenges.
• Black Women’s Health Imperative aims to empower Black women to take charge of their health through diabetes prevention and self-management classes.
• The National Association of Community Health Centers will use this funding to enhance new models of care that improve health outcomes for communities of color and expand workforce programs to create pathways for nurses of color to advance in their careers.

Health Equity Innovation Challenge for Start-Ups

J&J recently held a Health Equity Innovation Challenge to support innovative solutions developed by entrepreneurs and start-ups. Among hundreds of applications, five exceptional local health innovators were selected to receive $75,000 in seed funding and mentorship from J&J leaders to help expand and scale their programs. Helene Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., President, Spelman College, chaired the judging committee. Awardees included: Dion’s Chicago Dream (IL), the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association (NY), Oben Health (CA), SisterLove, Inc. (GA), and Students Run Philly Style (PA).

“By betting on grassroots initiatives, we are investing in the very fabric of change—local leaders who intimately understand the needs and challenges of their communities,” said Dr. Gayle. “Their proximity, empathy, and innovative approaches are the driving forces behind improving health outcomes.”

J&J’s My Health Can’t Wait Initiative

National Minority Health Month marks the start of J&J’s second year of My Health Can’t Wait, a community wellness initiative. Together with partners including the African American Male Wellness Agency, to date the initiative has reached over 100,000 people, delivered 16,000 health screenings and distributed 35,000 packets of educational materials to communities of color. Over the next six months, My Health Can’t Wait will visit 25 cities across the United States. The first appearance will be on April 27 in Houston, Texas at the “Black Men’s Wellness Day” event.

J&J’s My Health Can’t Wait initiative will also sponsor several patient-focused initiatives that are helping to create greater urgency around specific health inequities that disproportionately impact communities of color. This includes Save Legs. Change Lives. which is addressing peripheral arterial disease-related amputation that disproportionally affect Black and Hispanic Americans.

Consistent with J&J’s Our Credo commitment to “help people be healthier by supporting better access and care in more places around the world,” J&J is applying a health equity lens across its business, from enhancing diversity in clinical trials to supporting representation within the health workforce. With a community-centered approach, J&J is committed to closing the gap between communities and the healthcare they need.