Johnson & Johnson supports more than 100 community-led organizations in marginalized communities to provide resources and tools to advance accessible, quality health care in the U.S.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., April 3, 2024 – Johnson & Johnson announced today 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-UpsJ&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 InitiativeNational 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.
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Johnson & Johnson’s Commitment to Health EquityHealthcare is advancing at a rapid pace, yet significant gaps in access to quality care persist. At J&J, we are on a mission to advance equitable access to quality care through championing nurses and community health workers and enabling community-centered and culturally conscious care. We do this by collaborating with those closest to the challenge to connect more people to care. Learn more at www.jnj.com/global-health-equity.
About Johnson & JohnsonAt Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com.
List of Community-Led Organizations Supported by J&J:
Acclinate
African American Male Wellness Agency
Alliance of Multicultural Physicians
American Academy of Dermatology
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American College of Cardiology
American College of Gastroenterology
American Heart Association – Puerto Rico
American Medical Group Association – Quality and Innovation Collective
American Pharmacists Association
Arthur L. Garnes Society
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization
Asociación de Cardiologos del Noroeste
Association of American Indian Physicians
Association of Black Cardiologists*
Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists
Balm In Gilead, Inc.
Bayamón Heart and Lung Institute
Black EyeCare Perspective
Black Health Matters
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Capital Area Food Bank
CareMessage
Centro Medico Episcopal San Lucas
Children’s Home Society Of New Jersey
Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network
CME Outfitters
Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses
Columbia University - Community Health Worker Training Program
Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Dion’s Chicago Dream
Diverse Surgeons Initiative
Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Program
Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy
Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures
Greater New York City Black Nurses Association
Hip Hop Public Health
Howard University College of Pharmacy
Illustrate Change - Association of Medical Illustrators Diversity Fellowship
Illustrate Change - Columbia University - Skin of Color Pilot Study
Inside Edge
It Takes Philly
Kappa Alpha Psi
LUNGevity
Mary’s Center
Mayagüez Medical Center
MedTech Color
Morehouse College
Morgan State University - ASCEND
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of Community Health Workers
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
National Black Caucus of State Legislators
National Black Nurses Association
National Blood Clot Alliance
National Breast Cancer Foundation
National Council of State Legislaturers
National Governors Association
National Health Council
National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Medical Fellowships*
National Minority Quality Forum
National Optometric Association
National Urban League
Nurses Educational Funds, Inc.
The Nurses Legacy Institute - Chief Nursing Officer Institute*
Oben Health
Ophthalmic World Leaders
Partners In Health*
Pathways Community Hub Institute*
Pathways to Housing DC
SisterLove Incorporated
Skin of Color Society
Sociedad de Cirugía Vascular y Endovascular de Puerto Rico
Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Cardiologia
Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine
Society of Black Academic Surgeons
South Asian IBD Alliance
Students Run Philly Style
Susan G. Komen Foundation*
Taproot Foundation*
Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Trenton Health Team, Inc.
UnidosUS
University of California, Los Angeles - Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program
University of Maryland Eastern Shore - School of Pharmacy and Health Professions
University System of Maryland Foundation, Inc.
University of South Carolina - Center for Community Health Alignment
Village Capital
Women in Government
Women in Optometry
Women of Color in Pharma
Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy
*Funding also provided by the Johnson & Johnson US Foundation, Inc.