SAN FRANCISCO & CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Health Assurance Foundation (“Foundation”) announced its launch as a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote a stronger healthcare system by investing in local communities and make the healthcare system equitable, proactive, and accessible.
To kick start its mission, the Foundation is proud to announce its pilot program in collaboration with The MetroHealth System, the safety-net health system of Cleveland, Ohio, which has served Northeast Ohio for nearly two centuries. This initiative focuses on investing in community health workers: critical frontline, community-based workers who are trusted members of the local areas in which they serve.
Led by Washington, D.C.-based Rhonda Bray, founder and former C.E.O. of healthcare technology firm Rhythm Management Group, and former Cleveland Clinic nurse, the Foundation launches at a critical time in U.S. healthcare. Recent studies reveal that half of U.S. adults struggle with healthcare costs, and one in four adults have skipped necessary healthcare services due to cost and access issues. This inaccessibility and inequity of the U.S. healthcare system often hits vulnerable populations the hardest.
The Foundation’s program with MetroHealth will address the access gap in healthcare by empowering community health workers—an essential force in healthcare—who tirelessly work with their local communities to provide medical resources and educate them about the healthcare system.
Bray, who will serve as Executive Director of the Foundation, emphasized the critical need for this initiative, stating, "In a time when the U.S. healthcare system is so broken, it often leaves our most vulnerable populations behind. The Health Assurance Foundation will help alleviate some of these issues and make important strides in promoting more access to healthcare. Starting with MetroHealth is a valuable opportunity to build on the health system's extensive research into the impact of social drivers of health, and we hope this investment can create a roadmap and scalable model for further community health efforts."
Nabil Chehade, MD, EVP and Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at MetroHealth, said, “MetroHealth’s community health worker program has already led to some tremendous benefits to patients and community members, including increased prenatal and well-child visits, better-controlled diabetes and hypertension, and improved access to primary care and ancillary services. We are grateful for Health Assurance Foundation’s shared vision to grow this impactful model of care and their investment in MetroHealth to help build a more proactive, affordable and equitable system for healthcare.”
Through its Institute for H.O.P.E.™, MetroHealth community health workers have also played a pivotal role in screening adult patients for social drivers of health.
“Community health workers are quickly becoming integral in healthcare organizations,” said Srinivas Merugu, MD, President, Institute for H.O.P.E. “They are highly relational, culturally competent and help form strong connections with patients. They may make appointments, deliver meals, and have conversations with patients in ways that aren’t always accessible in traditional care. Thanks to the Health Assurance Foundation, we will be better able to work with community stakeholders and our teams to expand these roles further.”
The pilot program's launch follows significant advances for community health workers nationwide, including the reimbursement of community health worker services through Medicaid and some state-level entities.
“Community health workers help underserved and marginalized communities by connecting them to important resources both within and outside of healthcare,” added Bray. “Through their critical work, they also help alleviate some of the burden on overburdened hospital systems. This dual impact is essential for creating a more equitable and efficient healthcare environment.”
The Health Assurance Foundation will be headquartered in San Francisco, California, and includes leading technology supporters like Commure, Transcarent, Hippocratic AI, Homeward, Tendo, and Maribel.
About The Health Assurance Foundation
The Health Assurance Foundation is a not-for-profit organization leading the way in promoting health equity, wellness, prevention and access. The Foundation aims to radically transform our healthcare system by collaborating with key stakeholders, embracing innovative technologies, and having inclusion and diversity at its core. Through our work, we see a future where healthcare is not just about treating illness but creating a more proactive, affordable, and equitable care system.
About The MetroHealth System
Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.