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e encourage innovators located in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Philadelphia to submit ideas designed to address health inequities in communities of color.
The goal of the Challenge is to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities by promoting health equity, specifically through locally-generated solutions that can:
- Prevent and Treat Illnesses that Disproportionately Affect Communities of Color
- Enhance Equitable Access to Healthcare
- Stimulate Diversity in Science
- Advocate for More Trusted Community-Based Healthcare
- Promote Health Equity Through Community Engagement and Education
Focus Areas
Prevent and Treat Illnesses that Disproportionately Affect Communities of Color
Such as advancing innovative solutions aimed at preventing or addressing health conditions through new screening and diagnostic technology platforms
Enhance Equitable Access to Healthcare
Such as technology solutions that help advance health equity and care for diverse individuals
Stimulate Diversity in Science
Such as solutions that encourage more young people of color to pursue careers in STEM and solutions that expand the diversity of the local clinical and research workforce
Advocate for More Trusted Community-Based Healthcare
Such as promoting culturally competent care or addressing bias in clinical care
Promote Health Equity Through Community Engagement and Education
Such as connecting with community members on how to gain access to healthcare resources and solutions like preventative care
Areas of Geographic Focus
The Johnson & Johnson Health Equity Innovation Challenge focuses on dismantling health inequities within Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Through the Challenge, Johnson & Johnson aims to highlight how socioeconomic gaps drive the greatest need for healthcare education, access, and care. The Challenge is an opportunity to elevate solutions with the potential to significantly impact cities with the greatest gaps and expand into other communities across the country.
- Atlanta
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Atlanta
- Atlanta neighborhoods have a higher percentage of Black people who had a lower probability of receiving CPR when compared to their white counterparts.
There is a 12-year or greater difference in life span among neighborhoods in Fulton County in Atlanta. Those living in Atlanta’s predominantly Black areas fare worse when compared to those who live in more affluent neighborhoods.
Atlanta has the widest gap in breast cancer mortality rates between Black women and white women of any U.S. city, with 44 Black patients per 100,000 residents dying from the disease compared to 20 per 100,000 white women.
The Asian-American population in Atlanta often faces language and education barriers when accessing proper health care.
- Chicago
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Chicago
- Black Chicagoans living on the South Side have experienced staggering health disparities compared to many of the non-Black Northside residents, with a 10-times-higher risk of infant mortality and four-times-greater mortality rate resulting from diabetes.
Black infants are almost 3 times as likely to die in their first year of life compared to non-Black Chicagoans.
Many residents on the South and West Sides of Chicago live in healthcare provider and pharmacy “deserts,” with no access to either within a half-mile to mile radius.
- Los Angeles
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Los Angeles
- Black men and women in Los Angeles County have higher stroke mortality rates than other racial or ethnic groups. Despite a recent decrease, stroke mortality rates for Black men have gotten worse.
In Los Angeles, Black babies are three times more likely to die in their first year compared to their white counterparts. Black mothers are also three times more likely than white people to die from pregnancy-related causes.
Black and Latinx Californians were twice as likely as white Californians to report any negative experiences with healthcare providers in recent years.
Black Californians had the highest rates of new prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer cases, and highest death rates for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.
- New York City
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New York City
- Among Black adults in New York, the rate of premature death due to stroke was more than 3 times that of their white counterparts.
Indigenous peoples in New York City have higher rates of poverty and unemployment than white residents and lower rates of health insurance coverage.
In New York, the number female Asians and Pacific Islanders who have had a pap smear is lower than the NYC average (67% vs. 85%).
Black and Latinx New Yorkers are less likely to have health insurance and adequate access to care, and more likely to experience food insecurity, complications with childbirth, and chronic health conditions.
- Philadelphia
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Philadelphia
- In Philadelphia, Black men have the lowest average life expectancy.
Philadelphia is highly segregated and, in 2020, was one of the lowest ranked cities in Pennsylvania for both health outcomes and factors.
Hypertension and related illnesses (e.g., kidney disease, heart attack and strokes) impact Black men earlier and more often than other racial/ethnic groups in Philadelphia.
In Philadelphia, Latinx/Hispanic populations exhibit some of the highest rates of chronic conditions like asthma and childhood obesity when compared with other racial and ethnic groups.
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Atlanta
- Atlanta neighborhoods have a higher percentage of Black people who had a lower probability of receiving CPR when compared to their white counterparts.
There is a 12-year or greater difference in life span among neighborhoods in Fulton County in Atlanta. Those living in Atlanta’s predominantly Black areas fare worse when compared to those who live in more affluent neighborhoods.
Atlanta has the widest gap in breast cancer mortality rates between Black women and white women of any U.S. city, with 44 Black patients per 100,000 residents dying from the disease compared to 20 per 100,000 white women.
The Asian-American population in Atlanta often faces language and education barriers when accessing proper health care.
-
Chicago
- Black Chicagoans living on the South Side have experienced staggering health disparities compared to many of the non-Black Northside residents, with a 10-times-higher risk of infant mortality and four-times-greater mortality rate resulting from diabetes.
Black infants are almost 3 times as likely to die in their first year of life compared to non-Black Chicagoans.
Many residents on the South and West Sides of Chicago live in healthcare provider and pharmacy “deserts,” with no access to either within a half-mile to mile radius.
-
Los Angeles
- Black men and women in Los Angeles County have higher stroke mortality rates than other racial or ethnic groups. Despite a recent decrease, stroke mortality rates for Black men have gotten worse.
In Los Angeles, Black babies are three times more likely to die in their first year compared to their white counterparts. Black mothers are also three times more likely than white people to die from pregnancy-related causes.
Black and Latinx Californians were twice as likely as white Californians to report any negative experiences with healthcare providers in recent years.
Black Californians had the highest rates of new prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer cases, and highest death rates for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.
-
New York City
- Among Black adults in New York, the rate of premature death due to stroke was more than 3 times that of their white counterparts.
Indigenous peoples in New York City have higher rates of poverty and unemployment than white residents and lower rates of health insurance coverage.
In New York, the number female Asians and Pacific Islanders who have had a pap smear is lower than the NYC average (67% vs. 85%).
Black and Latinx New Yorkers are less likely to have health insurance and adequate access to care, and more likely to experience food insecurity, complications with childbirth, and chronic health conditions.
-
Philadelphia
- In Philadelphia, Black men have the lowest average life expectancy.
Philadelphia is highly segregated and, in 2020, was one of the lowest ranked cities in Pennsylvania for both health outcomes and factors.
Hypertension and related illnesses (e.g., kidney disease, heart attack and strokes) impact Black men earlier and more often than other racial/ethnic groups in Philadelphia.
In Philadelphia, Latinx/Hispanic populations exhibit some of the highest rates of chronic conditions like asthma and childhood obesity when compared with other racial and ethnic groups.