Public & Population Health

This third post in our Weitzman Institute blog series on conducting health equity research during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights research-related challenges and opportunities in working with community-based organizations and local government agencies.

This research brief summarizes a portfolio of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation investments, including a research program managed by AcademyHealth, that examined how businesses might use anchor approaches to invest in the health and well-being of the communities where they are located.

This post is the first in the Health Equity Research Beyond COVID-19 Series, which highlights lessons learned when conducting research with marginalized and vulnerable communities during the pandemic, and implications for how to ensure the way in which we go about doing research is patient- and community-affirming.

Overall, community health workers roles in Medicaid Managed Care Organizations appear to focus on supporting clinical care and making referrals for social issues, rather than addressing community-level concerns, according to these national, cross-sectional survey results.

Three recent Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellows reflect on the need for hospitals to consider a ‘new way’ of measurement as they increasingly enter complex partnership working arrangements, including shared goals, centralizing, community power and ensuring clear institutional accountability to improve impact on health and health equity.

This fact sheet describes key takeaways from focus groups conducted to assess the initial awareness of and access to the Healthy Opportunities Pilots services in North Carolina.

Researchers and AcademyHealth members highlight their ARM 2022 presentation on the benefits of having an affirming provider to address health inequities among LGBTQ+ older adults, as well as share resources to increase capacity for LGBTQ+ affirming care.

Public and Population Health theme co-chair, Angela Hagan, offers insights to key topics that will be explored at the meeting on health and well-being, including health equity in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, commercially-insured, and community populations interwoven with COVID-19’s outsize impact on public and population health.

This report describes parents’ experiences with their children’s Medi-Cal coverage and their recommendations for improving children’s health care, as well as how health plans can collaborate with families on systems change.