Johnson & Johnson expands commitment to advance health equity in the United States

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., April 3, 2024 – Johnson & Johnson announced today that it is collaborating with more than 100 community-led health organizations supporting historically marginalized communities across the United States — building on the Company’s multiyear, multimillion-dollar efforts to improve health equity.

Studies have shown that people of color in the U.S. face disparities in access to health care, quality of care, and mortality when compared to their White counterparts.¹ And despite continued advancements in U.S. healthcare, race-based and ethnicity-based disparities persist.

“We recognize that to effectively address healthcare disparities, changes must occur at all levels in our society. Supporting the work of grassroots organizations, community health centers and national associations is integral to identifying and implementing enduring healthcare solutions,” said Vanessa Broadhurst, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs at Johnson & Johnson.

Community-Based Program Support
J&J is supporting multiple organizations across the U.S. working in communities to promote health equity, including:

• It Takes Philly’s Black Doctors Consortium initiative, dedicated to improving the quality of and access to care in a high-touch concierge-style setting, a unique approach to clinics in Philadelphia’s low-income communities facing health challenges.
• Black Women’s Health Imperative aims to empower Black women to take charge of their health through diabetes prevention and self-management classes.
• The National Association of Community Health Centers will use this funding to enhance new models of care that improve health outcomes for communities of color and expand workforce programs to create pathways for nurses of color to advance in their careers.

Health Equity Innovation Challenge for Start-Ups
J&J recently held a Health Equity Innovation Challenge to support innovative solutions developed by entrepreneurs and start-ups. Among hundreds of applications, five exceptional local health innovators were selected to receive $75,000 in seed funding and mentorship from J&J leaders to help expand and scale their programs. Helene Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., President, Spelman College, chaired the judging committee. Awardees included: Dion’s Chicago Dream (IL), the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association (NY), Oben Health (CA), SisterLove, Inc. (GA), and Students Run Philly Style (PA).

“By betting on grassroots initiatives, we are investing in the very fabric of change—local leaders who intimately understand the needs and challenges of their communities,” said Dr. Gayle. “Their proximity, empathy, and innovative approaches are the driving forces behind improving health outcomes.”

J&J’s My Health Can’t Wait Initiative
National Minority Health Month marks the start of J&J’s second year of My Health Can’t Wait, a community wellness initiative. Together with partners including the African American Male Wellness Agency, to date the initiative has reached over 100,000 people, delivered 16,000 health screenings and distributed 35,000 packets of educational materials to communities of color. Over the next six months, My Health Can’t Wait will visit 25 cities across the United States. The first appearance will be on April 27 in Houston, Texas at the “Black Men’s Wellness Day” event.

J&J’s My Health Can’t Wait initiative will also sponsor several patient-focused initiatives that are helping to create greater urgency around specific health inequities that disproportionately impact communities of color. This includes Save Legs. Change Lives. which is addressing peripheral arterial disease-related amputation that disproportionally affect Black and Hispanic Americans.

Consistent with J&J’s Our Credo commitment to “help people be healthier by supporting better access and care in more places around the world,” J&J is applying a health equity lens across its business, from enhancing diversity in clinical trials to supporting representation within the health workforce. With a community-centered approach, J&J is committed to closing the gap between communities and the healthcare they need.

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Johnson & Johnson’s Commitment to Health Equity
Healthcare is advancing at a rapid pace, yet significant gaps in access to quality care persist. At J&J, we are on a mission to advance equitable access to quality care through championing nurses and community health workers and enabling community-centered and culturally conscious care. We do this by collaborating with those closest to the challenge to connect more people to care. Learn more at www.jnj.com/global-health-equity.

About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com.

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List of Community-Led Organizations Supported by J&J:

1. Acclinate
2. African American Male Wellness Agency
3. Alliance of Multicultural Physicians
4. American Academy of Dermatology
5. American Academy of Ophthalmology
6. American College of Cardiology
7. American College of Gastroenterology
8. American Heart Association – Puerto Rico
9. American Medical Group Association – Quality and Innovation Collective
10. American Pharmacists Association
11. Arthur L. Garnes Society
12. Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
13. Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies
14. Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization
15. Asociación de Cardiologos del Noroeste
16. Association of American Indian Physicians
17. Association of Black Cardiologists*
18. Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists
19. Balm In Gilead, Inc.
20. Bayamón Heart and Lung Institute
21. Black EyeCare Perspective
22. Black Health Matters
23. Black Women’s Health Imperative
24. Capital Area Food Bank
25. CareMessage
26. Centro Medico Episcopal San Lucas
27. Children’s Home Society Of New Jersey
28. Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network
29. CME Outfitters
30. Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses
31. Columbia University - Community Health Worker Training Program
32. Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment
33. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
34. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
35. D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families
36. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
37. Dion’s Chicago Dream
38. Diverse Surgeons Initiative
39. Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Program
40. Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy
41. Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures
42. Greater New York City Black Nurses Association
43. Hip Hop Public Health
44. Howard University College of Pharmacy
45. Illustrate Change - Association of Medical Illustrators Diversity Fellowship
46. Illustrate Change - Columbia University - Skin of Color Pilot Study
47. Inside Edge
48. It Takes Philly
49. Kappa Alpha Psi
50. LUNGevity
51. Mary’s Center
52. Mayagüez Medical Center
53. MedTech Color
54. Morehouse College
55. Morgan State University - ASCEND
56. National Alliance for Hispanic Health
57. National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators
58. National Association of Community Health Centers
59. National Association of Community Health Workers
60. National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
61. National Black Caucus of State Legislators
62. National Black Nurses Association
63. National Blood Clot Alliance
64. National Breast Cancer Foundation
65. National Council of State Legislaturers
66. National Governors Association
67. National Health Council
68. National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
69. National Hispanic Medical Association
70. National Medical Fellowships*
71. National Minority Quality Forum
72. National Optometric Association
73. National Urban League
74. Nurses Educational Funds, Inc.
75. The Nurses Legacy Institute - Chief Nursing Officer Institute*
76. Oben Health
77. Ophthalmic World Leaders
78. Partners In Health*
79. Pathways Community Hub Institute*
80. Pathways to Housing DC
81. SisterLove Incorporated
82. Skin of Color Society
83. Sociedad de Cirugía Vascular y Endovascular de Puerto Rico
84. Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Cardiologia
85. Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine
86. Society of Black Academic Surgeons
87. South Asian IBD Alliance
88. Students Run Philly Style
89. Susan G. Komen Foundation*
90. Taproot Foundation*
91. Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
92. Trenton Health Team, Inc.
93. UnidosUS
94. University of California, Los Angeles - Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program
95. University of Maryland Eastern Shore - School of Pharmacy and Health Professions
96. University System of Maryland Foundation, Inc.
97. University of South Carolina - Center for Community Health Alignment
98. Village Capital
99. Women in Government
100. Women in Optometry
101. Women of Color in Pharma
102. Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy

*Funding also provided by the Johnson & Johnson US Foundation, Inc.