Health Equity Takeover

We are parents, siblings, friends, educators, professionals, transformers and allies to all of those who are unheard, underrepresented, and underserved.  We are the entrepreneurs, leaders, designers, philanthropists, radical thinkers and human centered innovators looking to bring lasting change to elevate people’s life trajectory.  We are obsessed with bringing innovative sciences and modernized approaches as a power boost to the already great work being accomplished against the systemic inequities that have plagued our nation from the beginning. The Healthy Equity Takeover isn’t just about health. Because, we all now know that health isn’t just about “health”, but is a product of how we can, and cannot, interact in the world relative to others in our society. The United States has always aspired to be the land of the free, and we believe it still can be- by enabling the people to bring peace and justice to all.

We are committed to changing health outcomes for future generations in marginalized communities due to systemic, discriminatory practices that are embedded in our systems of health care, education, government, and ourselves. We are proposing a new system; one rooted in human centered design, governed by the community, and carried out by people that care more about justice than the bottom line. We utilize true leaders from all sectors of business, government, philanthropy and the community to define the underlying problems and develop feasible, viable solutions together to improve their health outcomes for generations to come. We intend to flip the script on people’s current understanding of how the world must work. We have a lot to learn from marginalized communities; they’ve survived every hardship on not much more than hope and unity.  We hope to unify as many equity advocates as possible.

Since the formation of the United States, race, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, zip code, and wallet size have all dictated health outcomes. People living at the lowest income and education levels are at higher risk for obesity, black women are 2-3 times as likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women, and transgender people can be denied healthcare (CDC). If “all lives matter,” then why does our mere existence dictate our health outcomes? Health Equity Takeover is about more than figuring out what factors we need to look at to tackle the right problems; it's about looking at ourselves and our practices from a completely different angle and rebuilding our systems in ways that truly benefit the people that need it, use it, care for it, and maintain it. While there are many health disparities we want to tackle, our team will first focus on food insecurity, poor maternal health, and asthma which may be exacerbated by COVID-19. As they relate to these three topics, our current focus will be on the health disparities persisting in communities due to racial inequities. As the Health Equity Takeover grows, we plan to tackle other health disparities in the US.

The Health Equity Takeover is a multi-faceted approach to independently raise up our most marginalized communities. Our approach starts with gathering a group of leaders across all sectors to focus our efforts and sponsor solutions by providing the necessary resources, what we call an advocacy group. We then immediately meet with community leaders and utilize human centered design to better understand the community and rapidly break down barriers to introduce feasible and viable solutions to the health disparities the community may face. These solutions are constantly tested with community members until a viable, sustainable system is in place. From what we’ve already seen, the ability to pivot quickly and use available resources is crucial to an effort’s success. Projects and best practices with proven success can then be implemented elsewhere, as we plan to scale and replicate successful projects while still suiting the unique needs of every community across different ecosystems in the US. We imagine this will elevate all of the most underserved in our nation; therefore, we aim to raise the lowest possible lows so that we can all have a better standard of living.

This project serves all those that have been underserved throughout their lives. We intend to utilize our team’s knowledge, expertise, and best practices we’ve seen to connect the well intended individuals of these communities together. Our initial focus is on Black and Brown communities, and how we can reduce the racial health inequities that persist in their lives. We connect with community leaders in these underserved areas, as they have in-depth knowledge about their people, in order to collaborate and develop solutions with the community members at the center of all solutions. We then share, scale, and replicate solutions for others around the US with the intention of creating an easily accessible collection of best practices from these communities that are driving towards equity driven outcomes in order for more communities to thrive like them. We are talking directly to community leaders like this in Brooklyn, NY and Atlanta, GA and are being transparent throughout our process, so that the leaders can see why we are making the decisions we are, and can connect with us on any problem area at any time.

Our work elevates opportunities for people who have been marginalized (AKA left behind) for most of US history by listening to them, taking their feedback, and building something with them to improve the health within their communities.

We bring these issues to light loudly and proudly so that people can more comfortably talk about them and we can all build solutions to end the inequities. We work with groups already taking action against these tough problems; we help them do more than they ever thought possible by bringing in the surplus they need to get it done right.

Everyday we see disparities in the US and ask ourselves:

How many times do we have to say that these inequities are systematically entrenched in our current structures? 

How many times do we have to see people of color disproportionately affected by poverty and illness?

How many times do we have to watch cops allow their partners to kill an innocent human? 

How many times do we have to #BelieveWomen before we take action against their rapists? 

How many times do we have to educate and re-educate people on systemic racism? Or sexism? Or transphobia? Or homophobia? Or islamophobia? Or white privilege? Or equality? Or equity?

How many times do we have to see inequity before we must act on it? 

How many times? 

We are tired of asking these questions. The time for change is now. 

With the racial disparities being highlighted by COVID-19, the overt racism that persists in our country, and the anger we see in so many people, we know now is the time to make real change. They say “never waste a crisis,” and this is the biggest one yet. We have a chance to do things better, much better. Let’s take that chance together.

This is not a project. This is a relentless quest to save lives. As members of the underserved, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations, we have actively experienced first-hand the systemic issues that impact underrepresented communities every single day. 

We are sick and tired of the status quo. Our leader, Robin Glasco, has seen the monotony of normalcy for health inequities result in a preventable death during childbirth of her best friend. The preservation of sameness is widening the gap and resulting in higher costs of not just money, but lives. Accepting the current approach only allows for the increase of health disparities in the US. It is embarrassing compared to other developed nations. 

We are on a quest to solve health inequity and have formed into a diverse tribe with a mindset that everyone deserves the opportunity to live better, healthier lives. We are bringing our passion and purpose along with an arsenal of friends who have had enough. 

Enough of incrementalism, enough of academic exercises rooted in old mindsets, enough of checking the box.  It is time that we level the playing field. It is time for a new approach for health equity.

Robin Glasco, our self-proclaimed MC, has spent her life advancing opportunities for people of color. She has made health products more affordable for the masses and has led the African American Employee Association. She has always been a “boots-on-the-ground” advocate, trying to service vulnerable populations struggling to achieve basic health outcomes. As black woman in America in 2020, she is the leader we need now more than ever. Her work partner, our grandmaster, Simeon Sessley has experienced viewing healthcare practices from many countries, exploring different perspectives- from Bangalore, India; Abu Dhabi, UAE; London, England and Georgia, USA. During his work in these areas, he has seen, heard, and smelt what best health practices are across the globe and as a man of color recognizes first hand, the inequities that occur within the US. He has been in a war against diabetes and COPD for African American men in the US and this fight will continue further with the Health Equity Takeover. Over the years our team has collaborated with some of the biggest names across all industries and, we have found our “tribe” along the way, gravitating towards each other to unite under a common goal. We are a group of people that have and will always fight for the less fortunate, the unlucky, and the marginalized. We want to empower equitable outcomes across America so that our country can live up the promise of being the land of the free and the home of the brave.

This project was a direct response to the disparities illuminated by COVID-19, yet built upon lifetimes of work in dismantling systemic inequities. People were isolated, angry, and looking for answers. The advocacy group we gathered agreed that we need large scale change, and that they’d help where they could. However, their distance from the problems marginalized people face became apparent. We didn’t have direct access to people experiencing inequities and in a new socially distant world, we didn’t know how to reach them. Our initial intent was a week-long sprint focused on the marginalized communities in Brooklyn, NY and food insecurity. However, with stay at home orders in place, we turned to secondary research and scouring the internet for real reactions and stories about this issue. Through our diligence, we observed what this community was like online, what their leaders and experts were saying and focusing on to better understand the problem these communities faced. Through these efforts, we identified and got in touch with community leaders, validating the need for our design sprint concepts with them directly. By continuing our work with these community leaders directly we were able to develop a real solution we could test and pitch.

Note: This response was crafted by Health Equity Takeover Design Team

“I’m still working on that,” says our leader, Robin Glasco. While she may not see it, we’re following her on this mission because of who she is and how she leads- which is inline with the rest of us. Robin and Simeon both show exemplary leadership qualities while maintaining an air of humanity. Simeon overcommunicates, which ends up feeling like, and being, total transparency in the process. Robin knows her strengths, and her weaknesses, and lays it all to bear on the table. This creates an open, honest atmosphere for people to share their successes and failures during the process. Both leaders make it feel easy to ask questions, get feedback, and challenge their decisions for the sake of a better outcome for the people we serve. Their openness should not be mistaken for naiveté- they’ve both spent their entire adult lives advocating for and working with some of the most underserved populations across the globe. Robin and Simeon have a vision for the future, and we at Health Equity Takeover believe in it. 

We’re advocating for their leadership skills- we see it everyday. 

Sincerely,

Theresa, Adam, Tim, Max

Currently, within the work we see being done on health equity, most of it is being pushed by people that care about their communities, want to see them do better, and have taken action themselves to provide resources for the communities they live in. We’ve also seen how frustrated people are about the lack of transparency and communication from organizations that attempt to offer support to local communities. Individuals want to help but are not sure their organization is doing so, even when it’s in their job description.

So, we want to bring those kinds of people together- community leaders, clinicians, patients, people that are (and want to be) doing what is morally right and just. We are using their combined expertise, genius, and experiences to find the right solutions to the right problems and then helping them build it, scale it, and sell it. This is no hand out, nor is it a way to leech off the poor some more. This is about building up people that deserve it based on merit and heart-of-gold-ness. This is about equity, and so we can only define our innovations by the positive impact they have on the people we hope to elevate. Companies have tried to define it more concretely, but in a world where change is the only constant, we must accept that our definition of innovation will change with the times as well. We welcome it and we are ready for the challenge. Bring. It. On.

We believe that by creating open and honest relationships between struggling communities and groups that want to help, we will foster a functioning system of support that will enable community organizations to grow. We believe this growth is crucial for community justice and empowerment, which directly combats systemic inequities and oppression. This growth will allow more community members to actively support and contribute to their local economy (which will boost the economy). With an engaged and supportive community, people will feel safer, more at ease, able to focus on other aspects of their life instead of survival. People will have time to cook healthy meals, talk to their families, and sleep soundly at night. Doesn’t that sound nice? Why hasn’t this happened yet? 

Well, remember how this theory started with “open and honest relationships”? 

We haven’t gotten there yet, but we can.

We’ve assembled an advocacy group to help us understand the pertinent problems that communities are facing, especially within the COVID-19 pandemic. They pointed us in the direction of food insecurity, as food is directly linked to health, and a lack of food security is most definitely a sign of other insecurities. Immediate actions included interviews with experts in the field, community leaders and organizations, and community members of Brooklyn, NY to better understand the problems they are (and have been) facing. Our first output/ current prototype is the Digital Green Book. We learned about the amazing work already being done in these communities in order to survive; nonprofits work day and night on shoestring budgets to keep their communities fed, safe, and educated. The Digital Green Book allows these leaders to connect with each other to learn about each other’s practices, as well as services offered in order to spark collaborative efforts between them. For instance, we imagine unemployed rideshare drivers partnering with food banks to deliver food to homebound neighbors. Through this platform, community leaders can fill the gaps in their services, community members can find new business opportunities in the needs that local organizations have, and everyone involved can grow by doing what’s most needed.

By starting in Brooklyn, NY, we aim to create a model that our team, and others, can scale and replicate to further our efforts towards health equity. Our goal within the next year is to work closely with Emergency Department Clinicians in New York City within Brooklyn, NY (which has been severely impacted by a large number of deaths due to COVID-19) to understand what types of virtual learning will work best for addressing trauma, Continuous Improvement and implementing rapid solution prototypes. The second goal of the first year is to begin to socialize and establish community partners in the nearest zip codes to SUNY Downstate Medical College that have some of the highest health disparities nationally and locally. The third goal is to invest in the development of a digital platform to collect and gather all the best practices from these community leaders. 

Over five years we aim to find novel and meaningful ways to foster extramural trust between the Emergency Department Clinicians and the communities they serve by creating collaborative solutions as well as share the best practices gathered from these community leaders with other Clinicians across the country.

The largest barriers to achieving health equity include food stability, housing, literacy, safety, and transportation. A lack of any, or many, of these aspects makes it immediately more difficult to lead a healthy life. Our ability to overtake those issues are not limited to the challenges of simply eliminating those factors for individuals; these problems are too big for metaphorical bandages. Our barriers are rooted in empowering the communities affected by these issues and enabling them to lead the charge towards their own communal improvement. Every community has aspects that make them unique, and so their solutions will also be unique, and are best guided by people with deep knowledge of the issues. So, as Health Equity Takeover, our biggest barriers to overcome are community trust and digital trust, so that we can openly learn from and engage with affected individuals. If we cannot convey to the communities we are involved with that we are truly there to help them with their issues, and instead come off as a white horse coming in to save the day, then we will fail. The change needs to come from the community, not a savior; too many times have they seen large organizations check off their philanthropic goal by donating a sum of money to support an area and then walk away. Furthermore, if we cannot enable local and national organizations to have equitable, human centered exchanges, then we cannot ensure large scale buy in for large scale change.

A few critical things are needed in order to build trust- time, an open mind, and a listening ear. We are willing and able to spend the time it takes to socialize with new potential partners, and share with each other where our passions lie and how they intersect with each other. Taking the time to set expectations going into these partnerships allows for smoother interactions down the road, and practicing our belief that being open and transparent allows others to join in and ultimately create a more productive environment. While we are steadfast in our belief that everyone deserves a fair shot at a happy, healthy life, we are always open to hearing new perspectives, new ideas, and new solutions for getting there. As the melting pot of the world, the US is defined by having unique cities filled with characters from all over the globe, so of course there will be widely varied ideas of how to tackle health equity. As mentioned, we listen, a lot. Everyone has their own lived experiences, and learning from them is the best way to start designing for people. It holds especially useful when we listen to the people we are designing for, and embed it into our solutions. Like we said, we cannot be the white horse coming in to save the day, and building trust takes time. We plan to spend a lot of time with, in, and around these communities to receive that trust when they deem it earned.

Since January of this year, we have been fortunate to partner with two New York City based Emergency Medicine Physicians at New York Health and Hospitals as well as State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. While our initial plans were to support only these two clinicians in bringing elements of Human Centered Design to their Medical Residents, this year has shown just how vulnerable their local population is to major barriers which made them susceptible to COVID-19. Now, our partnership is expanding daily by bringing them meaningful solutions for Clinical Burnout as well as Respiratory Challenges for Adults and Children. We fully expect to expand this relationship across New York City (e.g. Jacobi Hospital), the State of New York (SUNY - Upstate Medical Center) as well as other locations across the U.S. (e.g. Grady Healthcare in Atlanta, GA; Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC).

Our business model aims to provide value to communities with large health disparities by providing them easy access to best-practices from comparable communities that have gone from despair to equitable outcomes. The value of these best-practices is that it will be viewed as a peer-to-peer engagement from local community leaders rather than impersonal white papers or “talking at” an underserved community. The channels we will use to deliver these peer-to-peer engagements will include leveraging a proprietary digital learning platform (currently being developed) as well as through on-site rapid experimentation with clinicians and community members as appropriate. Our target audience for our engagements will include Emergency Medicine Clinicians (e.g. Nurses, Doctors) as well as local Community Leaders who will be responsible for co-creating sustainable results. In summary, our business model creates novel ways to impact equitable health outcomes while generating revenue from new product developments ranging from global startups to large companies who want to contribute to our cause.

The curation of best-practices as well as video recordings of peer-to-peer engagements around Health Equity will become assets to other Medical Colleges across the country that desire to have virtual learning modules from real-world examples. Therefore, we plan to monetize the digital platform which provides access to these best-practices in a freemium style model so that limited access is offered unless a subscription or membership transaction occurs. 

For the initial budgeted expenses to finish developing the digital platform and outfit a physical location in Brooklyn, NY as well as adequately staff personnel we have budgeted approximately $550K for the second half of 2020.We plan to raise money as well as request in-kind donations from Health Insurance Companies who will be able to see a reduced number of claims and ultimately cost-savings as our efforts to create Equitable Health Outcomes holds true. In addition, we plan to seek money from local Economic Empowerment Groups that want to support scaling best-practices to their communities and creating an environment for a healthy workforce to thrive.

For the initial budgeted expenses to finish developing the digital platform and outfit a physical location in Brooklyn, NY as well as adequately staff personnel we have budgeted approximately $550K for the second half of 2020.

As trust is the biggest barrier we have to overcome, the Elevate Prize Foundation’s program and connection to influencers, industry leaders, and experts would help build trust enormously. Access to other thought leaders that believe in meaningful work the way we do would broaden our potential partners exponentially. Over the years, we’ve all discovered that knowing people that can vouch for us can build trust at a much faster rate than cold call introductions. This connection can also help the Health Equity Takeover expand to other cities, and ultimately help millions of people create their own self-sustaining communities. We could more quickly get into the hard work of undoing years of systemic health disparities in the most affected, most apprehensive communities in the United States.

Our immediate barriers to entry for many of these affected communities is the lack of trust, yet we know that many of these communities lack mentorship in most all of these areas. Having partners willing and able to provide expertise in these areas that are customized to their needs will ensure sustainability and long term success.

Since most of the work that will be done will be local community based, we’ll need to partner with people and organizations from those communities. With that, we would like to establish meaningful partnerships with key individuals who are notable former residents of Brooklyn, NY such as those listed below to support our ongoing efforts in our flagship location: 

• Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks

• Stephon Marbury, former NBA Player and Consumer Goods Maker

• Damond John, CEO of FUBU and successful African-American Leader

• Spike Lee, Film Maker and Social Activist

Additionally, we believe many of our solutions beyond the digital platform will require a comprehensive community effort, for large scale awareness, we would like to first partner with national grocery retailers, home good retailers and home insurance corporations such as:

• Kroger

• Safeway

• Met Life

• National Basketball Association

• Wayfair

• IKEA