AHA Launches 2021 Health Equity Initiative, Looking for Hospital Partners

The American Hospital Association's 2021 Hospital Community Collaborative aims "to advance health equity in their communities and build local capacity to improve community health."

The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently announced the launch of the 2021 Hospital Community Collaborative (HCC), a cohort program created by the AHA Center for Health Innovation, focused on addressing health equity and disparities.

The initiative, which first launched in 2019, aims to “advance health equity in their communities and build local capacity to improve community health," according to the press release.

This year's cohort will focus on disparities caused by, made worse, or underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and health systems interested in addressing health inequities and disparities can enroll in the 2021 cohort.

Participants will have access to virtual tools and resources to address social determinants of health in the communities they serve, including frameworks for strategic partnerships and opportunities to learn from and teach other organizations.

"Healthcare has a long way to go to effectively address health inequity, but there are evidence-based approaches to start tackling—or continue the battle against— the social factors that put marginalized populations at risk," Nancy Myers, vice president of leadership and system innovation at AHA Center for Health Innovation, said in a statement. "By joining the Hospital Community Collaborative, health care providers can explore and deploy new approaches, both simple and complex, to develop effective community partnerships and make health care accessible for all people."

Additionally, the AHA acknowledged that a $1.7 million grant from the Novartis US Foundation made the new, multi-year phase of the HCC program possible.

"Health inequity is real and it contributes to poor health and loss lives, a reality that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic," Patrice Matchaba, president of the Novartis US Foundation, said in a statement. "By tearing down silos and offering critical resources, we can help hospitals and health systems reach outside their four walls to help people live better, fuller lives."