The University of Miami (UM) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU) each received a $1M three-year grant to advance health equity in our region. These partnerships have been designed to raise awareness of health inequities and engage and partner with communities to develop community-based interventions to reduce health inequities and advance scientific knowledge. Each partnership will educate and train scholars and practitioners to mitigate disparities and advance practice and policy changes. 

The Health Foundation Community-Academic Collaborative at UM is developing and implementing community-engaged projects to improve health outcomes in underserved communities. The collaborative will also support a health equity symposium and the development of a health equity toolkit for community partners. The project’s early focus is advancing the 33136 Initiative in Overtown, jointly developed with Jackson Health System to address health disparities in Miami’s Health District. 

The Partnership Advancing Equitable Access to Health and Wellbeing (PATHWell) at NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine is advancing a national model for studying, disseminating, and measuring the causes and impacts of health inequities in underserved communities. The partnership will also support interventions and create tools, training, and education programs to influence transformative reforms impacting our community’s health and well-being. Early efforts include the development of a health equity index and dashboard to monitor health equity status in Broward and a food insecurity tracker with Feeding South Florida to guide their allocation of meals to the community. 

It’s truly exciting to see UM and NSU each partnering with the Health Foundation to advance health equity in our region. Although progress has been made, there is still much to be done in the years ahead. With the continued dedication and commitment of these institutions, we can improve health outcomes for underserved communities.