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      Advancing health equity in communities nationwide through Health Zones

      Uber Health partners with CVS Health to target transportation challenges, reduce heath disparities

       

      Eileen Howard Boone, Former SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy, Chief Sustainabilty Officer

      Briefing

      In 2017, 5.8 million people in the United States delayed medical care because they did not have transportation. Transportation is one of the elements used by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to measure social vulnerability, along with socioeconomic status, disability and housing. Sufficient public transportation options, which include ride sharing, have been identified as key drivers of health and health equity.1

      CVS Health has launched Health Zones, a new nationwide initiative of concentrated local investments design to reduce health disparities and advance health equity in high-risk communities across the country. The initiative features an integrated approach to addressing six key social determinants of health – housing, education, access to food, labor, transportation and health care access — in these five markets:

      • Atlanta, Georgia
      • Columbus, Ohio
      • Fresno, California
      • Hartford, Connecticut
      • Phoenix, Arizona

      Working with trusted national and local partners, CVS Health can address community health care needs, ensuring at-risk communities have access to resources and opportunities that can help them thrive.

       

      Targeting transportation challenges

      One such national partner is Uber Health, Uber’s health care arm. Our new collaboration will provide critical transportation support at no cost to people who need it most when seeking access to medical care, work or educational programs. Rides with Uber Health will be available to target populations in Atlanta, Columbus and Hartford, with plans to enter additional cities later in 2022. Uber Health’s HIPAA-supported solution is used by more than 2,000 U.S. health care organizations.

       

      People in the United States Who Delayed Medical Care Due to Lack of Transportation

      2003: 3.6M

      *Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0361198105192400110

      2017: 5.8M

      *Source: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305579

       
      With the Uber Health platform, we’ll provide critical transportation to people within communities who need it most, giving them access to health care services. As a result, they will be able to live healthier lives and access jobs and educational programs to help them reach their full potential.
       

      An ongoing effort

      Health Zones is part of CVS Health’s overall commitment to advance health equity in America. CVS Health has invested $1.3 billion in affordable housing over the past 20 years. Through these investments, we can provide underserved communities with quality housing, economic support and educational training opportunities based on the unique needs of the population. CVS Health will use robust data and analytics to refine our approaches over a five-year period to achieve the greatest impact.

       

      Our Health Zones initiative allows us to make a real impact on the health of communities across the country by working closely with organizations that share our commitment to addressing social determinants of health..

      Related tags

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