2025 Black Health Summit In Action: Advancing Black Health Equity in the Community

As National Minority Health Month draws to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on how we’re continuing the work of the Black Health Summit—leaning into it, by bringing it even closer to the communities we serve.

This year, we’re proud to announce the Black Health Summit In Action, which brings the Summit’s mission beyond the stage and directly into communities where real-time challenges and solutions are taking place. By centering grassroots leadership and community-designed solutions, these activations put health equity into motion—on the ground, in partnership, and with lasting impact. 

Raising awareness is only the first step. Through Black Health Summit In Action, we’re supporting practical, community-informed strategies and investments grounded in trust and partnership to address the health disparities impacting Black residents across South Florida.

The Health Foundation is advancing the priorities identified in previous Black Health Summits by supporting community-driven solutions that address structural barriers to health. Building on priorities that have emerged from previous Black Health Summits, this year’s work is a direct response to the community-identified priorities, specifically the need for greater access to quality health care, affordable housing, community safety, and culturally responsive outreach. 

In past Summits, residents and grassroots leaders made clear that health equity cannot be achieved without addressing the conditions that shape daily life—where people live, how they access care, and whether systems reflect their realities.

The Health Foundation’s focus this year reflects a commitment to trusted leadership, access to care, and culturally responsive strategies designed by and for the communities most impacted. Black Health Summit In Action includes:

• Allapattah Collaborative Affordable Housing & Ownership Initiative
  Stable, affordable housing is a foundational determinant of health, yet gentrification and economic displacement continue to threaten historically Black communities across Florida. In response, the Health Foundation is supporting the Allapattah Collaborative CDC’s efforts to develop a mixed-use project in Little Santo Domingo. With 32 affordable housing units and eight storefronts, this initiative supports residents in remaining rooted in their neighborhood while expanding pathways to small business ownership and long-term economic stability.
• Expanding Access to Care in Underserved Communities
  Too many residents in Black communities remain uninsured or underinsured, facing persistent barriers to care. The Health Foundation is actively exploring investments to support free and low-cost health services in medically underserved neighborhoods like Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka. These efforts are designed to increase access to preventive care, chronic disease management, and the kind of wraparound services that improve health outcomes over time.
• Dade County Street Response (DCSR)
  Led by Armen Henderson, MD, MBA, Dade County Street Response is working to close long-standing health access gaps in Liberty City, one of Miami’s most underserved neighborhoods. The clinic provides free medical care, case management, legal advocacy, and health education to low-income, working residents, many of whom fall outside the formal healthcare system. The Health Foundation is proud to support and spotlight DCSR’s work as part of a broader commitment to improving health access for Black men.
• Take Your Loved One to the Doctor Campaign (Lauderhill & Overtown)
  Building on the national campaign launched initially by radio personality Tom Joyner, the Health Foundation is supporting a local activation of Take Your Loved One to the Doctor—a community effort that encourages Black men to prioritize their health and the well-being of their families. Powered by the Health Foundation and in collaboration with Melissa P. Dunn of MD Marketing, the initiative will utilize trusted messengers and local partnerships to dismantle systemic barriers to care and reframe health as a shared community value.
• Circle of Brotherhood Peacemakers Program
  Trust, representation, and community leadership are central to sustainable health solutions. That’s why the Health Foundation continues to invest in the Circle of Brotherhood’s Peacemakers Program—a community-based violence intervention initiative that received a grant from Everytown for Gun Safety’s Community Safety Fund, recognizing its impactful work in gun violence prevention. The initiative deploys trained violence interrupters to mediate conflict, build trust, and connect residents to essential services. 

Through these intentional investments and community-centered activations, the Health Foundation is continuing to move the Black Health Summit’s mission forward—on the ground, in partnership, and with lasting impact.

We look forward to bringing the Black Health Summit back in June 2026—and to once again gathering with our partners and community to share ideas, celebrate progress, and continue advancing health equity together. We’re excited for what lies ahead!

With gratitude,

Loreen Chant
President & CEO
Health Foundation of South Florida
               

Nelson Adams, III MD
Co-Chair Black Health Summit
Host Committee; Board Member     
Health Foundation of South Florida
Founder of Metro-Miami OBGYN Associates