Health Foundation of South Florida selects five South Florida collaboratives to develop new programs for reducing health inequities across Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

The Health Foundation of South Florida has selected five collaboratives to develop new programs and pilots to address the social needs of patients with the goal of improving health outcomes among low-income and racial and ethnic minorities. Comprised of leaders from across the healthcare and social services sectors as well as community-based organizations, each collaborative is focused on one of three core areas: chronic diseases (such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma); access to healthcare; and Black maternal and infant health.

The Health Foundation is providing funding for the collaboratives to participate in a four-part planning and development workshop, which launched last week and will end in March 2023. Attendees will receive technical assistance to design a potentially fundable pilot program that is both community-informed and outcome-based. The workshop will be led by Health Management Associates, a nationally recognized research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. 

Our first Health Equity Collaboratives workshop session launched virtually last week, and more than 70 community and health leaders attended. Three more sessions will follow between now and March 2023. 

After participating in the workshops and designing the pilots, the collaboratives will have the opportunity to apply for a multi-year implementation grant from the Health Foundation in 2023. 

The initiative is aligned with the Health Foundation’s strategic focus on advancing health systems that integrate social needs and clinical care. Unmet social needs, such as unstable housing, food insecurity, and lack of transportation or steady income, are known to exacerbate poor health and influence health outcomes. The Foundation’s overall mission is to reduce health disparities in vulnerable communities across the region.  

Below are the collaboratives that were selected, the member organizations comprising each and their respective areas of focus.  

BROWARD MATERNAL COLLABORATIVE

Area of Focus: Black maternal and infant health
Lead Partner: Community Care Plan
Collaborative Members: Broward Health; Memorial Healthcare System; Broward County Healthy Start Coalition; and Urban League of Broward.


FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Area of Focus: Access to healthcare
Lead Partner: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Collaborative Members: Baptist Health South Florida; Catalyst Miami; Legal Services of Greater Miami; and Florida Health Justice Project. 

FLORIDA KEYS HEALTHY START

Area of Focus: Health care access barriers
Lead Partner: Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition
Collaborative Members: Florida Department of Health, Monroe County; The Gabriel Project; Lower Keys Medical Center; Rural Health Network of Monroe County; and Womankind.

HEALTH CHOICE NETWORK

Area of Focus:  Chronic disease disparities
Lead Partner: Health Choice Network
Collaborative Members: Feeding South Florida; CareerSource South Florida; Miami Dade College; Broward College; Legal Services of Greater Miami; YMCA of South Florida; Camillus House; Sunshine State Health Plan; American Heart Association; Borinquen Health Care Center; Banyan Community Health Center; Broward Community and Family Health Centers; Jessie Trice Community Health System; and Miami Beach Community Health Center.

BLACK MATERNAL AND INFACT HEALTH COLLABORATIVE OF MIAMI-DADE

Area of Focus: Black maternal and infant health
Lead Partner: Jackson Health System
Collaborative Members: YWCA South Florida; Metro Mommy Agency; and Southern Birth Justice Network.