Project #RESUS

Shared Harvest is the health career talent match and retention platform worth celebrating. We solve the nation's crisis of staffing and burnout.  Long before COVID-19, the US Healthcare System was in crisis, struggling to achieve true health equity.  Not only do BIPOC community members experience barriers to accessing healthcare (caused largely by a lack of trust), but BIPOC frontline workers are mentally, emotionally, and financially exhausted - leading to higher-than-ever rates of burnout, resignations, depression, and suicide. Discriminatory practices within the healthcare system have made it more challenging for BIPOC practitioners to advance and sustain in the field, threatening progress towards increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce. Presently, over 30% of the US population identify as Black or Hispanic compared to only 12% of the healthcare workforce.  Additionally, in the next two years, 34% of the clinical workforce is projected to leave the industry due to burnout.  This data tells us that we cannot afford to lose BIPOC frontline workers.   Increasing diversity in healthcare is critical, but it can’t happen until the system addresses the inequities experienced by BIPOC practitioners and frontline health workers.  

In 2020, the American Medical Academy and American Public Health Association collaborated on a position statement acknowledging racism in public health and a commitment to an antiracist agenda.  The statement recognized inequities that had long been ignored or underappreciated in its consequential effect to the sustainability of the healthcare pipeline.  These inequities have led to BIPOC healthcare providers carrying larger student loan debts, experiencing delays in professional development, being more exposed to racist and aggressive environments, and higher reports of poor mental wellbeing compared to their White counterparts - adding to already stressful environments.  According to the Education Data Initiative, 40% of Black graduates have student loan debt from graduate school compared to 22% of White graduates.  Additionally, four years after graduation, 48% of Black students owe, on average, 12.5% more than they borrowed, while 83% of White students owe 12% less than they borrowed.  A 2022 article included in the Missouri Medicine Journal entitled “Physician Suicide: A Call to Action” estimates that we lose 300-400 physicians annually to suicide in the United States.  A survey conducted by the American Medical Association discovered that nearly one in five physicians of racially/ethnically minoritized/marginalized backgrounds report an increase in experiences of being treated with less dignity and respect by their patients due to their race since the onset of COVID-19 (18.1%). The report concludes that the greatest issues impacting the BIPOC healthcare workforce are 1) racism and discrimination, 2) excessive stress and burnout, 3) financial insecurities and practice sustainability, and 4) poor mental wellbeing.  Shared Harvest has listened to the cry for help for five years and believe it is time to RESUScitate the BIPOC medical pipeline augmenting our service initiatives with technology to scale our impact.  We cannot afford to wait any longer to address these alarming statistics and do better by our BIPOC healthcare workforce.  The time to act is NOW.

Founded by three female doctors in 2018, Shared Harvest is a mission-driven benefit corporation and 501c3 dedicated to spreading compassion through wellness, service, and relief. Our work focuses on addressing health equity by strengthening the BIPOC healthcare practitioner workforce and medical pipeline. At the onset of the pandemic, we launched empathy-driven technology (myCovidMD™) that matched minority providers with residents disproportionately impacted by the pandemic to address their social determinants of health. We connected residents to real providers who understood their circumstances; and grew a task force of 500+ culturally competent BIPOC clinicians and community health workers - reaching over 15,000 vulnerable residents over the course of three years. We’re now helping institutions, health payers, government, and public health agencies find diverse clinical talent during the national emergency.  Our innovation in value-based care ensures each provider contract includes a student loan repayment and wellness offering that's fair and impactful. 

National data indicates that BIPOC community members consistently experience higher rates of chronic disease and lower healthcare access than White community members; and historical trauma has led to great mistrust in the healthcare system.   Studies show that when a BIPOC patient receives care from a BIPOC practitioner, they are more comfortable seeking, asking questions about, having trust in, and following-up with their care, demonstrating just how important it is to strengthen our BIPOC healthcare workforce.  Based on nationally recommended practices, Shared Harvest launched Project #RESUS in 2021 in direct response to this research and what our founders experienced and witnessed firsthand.  As founders, we dealt with the trauma of losing classmates and co-workers to suicide, and saw many leave the field altogether because of burnout. Expert recommendations include implementing the following to strengthen and better support the wellbeing of our BIPOC healthcare workforce:  1) raising wages and providing student loan debt support, 2) creating professional advancement and pipeline development programs, 3) offering mentorship, coaching, and peer support 4) providing confidential and autonomous mental health services, and 5) institutionalizing and prioritizing practitioner wellness by creating and embedding wellness tools, practices, and policies into our healthcare systems and structures.  Project #RESUS and the Shared Harvest application addresses many of these recommendations by providing access to 1) free and confidential mental health services from a variety of mental health partners, 2) direct student loan contributions, integrated debt monitoring dashboard, and financial wellness seminars 3) virtual and in-person networking and mentorship opportunities with access to clinical co-working spaces, 4) practice development webinars, and 5) a curriculum and speaking engagements to raise awareness and provide technical assistance on how institutions can create healthier environments for BIPOC health workers and measure their impact.  Our solution also includes the use of an in-development application that will be used to connect frontline healthcare workers to volunteer opportunities, mental health services, and CME opportunities. Support from MIT Solve will be used to further develop, test, and launch our application, named Jouvé.  

Our solution is aimed at serving BIPOC frontline healthcare professionals and under-resourced community members.  By keeping our BIPOC frontline workers well, we are increasing access to culturally appropriate and responsive healthcare, which in turn will enhance health outcomes for BIPOC community members. Burnout leads to frequent turnover and high rates of stress related health issues and medical errors. In a report published by the Annals of Internal Medicine, it is estimated that physician burnout costs the U.S. healthcare system $4.6 billion a year.  Many medical practitioners also experience mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, racial trauma, and social isolation. In one study completed by The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, 69% of physicians reported experiencing depression, and 13% had thoughts of suicide.  As mentioned previously, Project #RESUS 1) supports the mental health of BIPOC practitioners by offering free and confidential mental health services, 2) assists practitioners with paying down their student loan debt while staying connected through community-based healthcare service volunteer opportunities, and 3) promotes the professional advancement of practitioners by offering professional development educational sessions. All three of these goals also support the greater community by ensuring that our BIPOC healthcare workforce is strong, well, and sustained long term.  

The Kaiser Family Foundation also reports that California has the highest rate of BIPOC residents (64%) in the continental United States.  In Los Angeles County, where our volunteer practitioners are currently deployed, the Los Angeles County Racial Equity Strategic Plan reports that “as of 2021, the County’s population is 49% Latino, 26% White, 15% Asian, 8% Black, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native.”  Furthermore, “nearly 30% of Los Angeles County’s population lives in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage.” In South Los Angeles specifically, more people die of lung cancer, stroke, diabetes, influenza, pneumonia, and heart disease than in any other place in the state.  Many of these disparities identified were caused by generations of racist policy decisions and deeply rooted systemic injustices, causing many BIPOC communities to lose trust in decision makers. Our solution will help to re-build that trust and will help to ensure that that trust can be sustained long-term by keeping our BIPOC healthcare workforce well and working. Since inception, we have served over 140 BIPOC healthcare workers in the program. Project #RESUS aims to reach 500 BIPOC providers by the end of 2023.  We believe our work supports and uplifts the foundation of healthcare and the advancement of health equity.  By keeping our practitioners well, enhancing their financial security, and supporting their professional development, we help to sustain BIPOC practitioners in the healthcare workforce long-term.

Shared Harvest was founded by three Black female doctors - Dr. NanaEfua Afoh-Manin, who leads the organization; and Dr. Brianna Young and Dr. Joanne Moreau.  Our Leadership Team is anchored in over a combined 40+ years in healthcare and medical education.  The lived experiences of our founders inspired the creation of the organization and have directed its priorities and work.  All three saw how important BIPOC practitioners are to addressing health equity, but yet they all struggled with paying off their student loans, lost friends and colleagues to suicide, and experienced racism from co-workers and patients.  All three were also on the frontlines during COVID, witnessing the devastating impacts the virus had on BIPOC patients and practitioners.  The founders are the trifecta of health equity, with backgrounds in emergency medicine, pediatrics, and public health respectively.   The founder and Chief Medical and Innovation officer, Dr. Afoh-Manin received her medical degree from the University of Rochester and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center and her Masters fellowship at Columbia University.  She is a 2023 Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and previous cofounder of a telehealth platform, myCovidMD.  Dr. Afoh-Manin has dedicated her career to biopsychosocial medicine and structural change. She is an innovator and thought leader who has assisted institutions with designing and implementing programming/initiatives that help close the intergenerational wealth gap and enhance support for BIPOC students and young professionals. Board Chairperson, and interim COO, Christine Simmons is an exceptional C-suite Business Strategist and Impact Maker.  She is the former Chief Operating Officer of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and previously president and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks. Prior to her role with the Los Angeles Sparks, Simmons served as executive VP of Magic Johnson Enterprises. She has held senior positions managing and expanding supplier diversity at both Disney and NBCUniversal.  Simmons also serves on the advisory councils for Women in Sports and Events and University of California Regents . Her firm, Alis Volat Propriis, helps bring stories and economic impact to life. Her operational leadership is a true asset to the organization.  Derek Johnson is our interim CTO.  He is well versed in enterprise sales and has led a number of tech organizations.   Johnson is a Senior Business Development Executive and strategic advisor with 25 years of experience at the intersection of technology with business value.  He brings a full spectrum experience across numerous technology disciplines, including Product Development, Organization Transformation, IT Services, and IT Consulting.  He has a proven track record of success in Strategic Alliances, Direct Sales, and Global Account Management in positions across The United States, South America, India, and China. To date, Shared Harvest and our team have provided $125,000 in direct student loan debt relief for BIPOC practitioners, hosted 24 professional networking events,  and produced Part I of a three-part storytelling and awareness-raising docuseries.  

Across all of Project #RESUS, we have served 200 practitioners.  In total, our previous/existing application has had 7,000 volunteer users.

In line with the goal of the MIT Solve Healthcare Challenge, Shared Harvest has launched the Project #RESUS initiative and the Jouvé Health platform in order to increase access to diverse medical talent and build a stronger and more resilient BIPOC healthcare workforce. Both go hand-in-hand.  The data and statistics described throughout this application demonstrate that a) our BIPOC healthcare workforce is struggling, and 2) our BIPOC community members are being left behind.  The COVID-19 pandemic did not cause these issues - but it did shed light on an exhausted system that is in need of resuscitation.  We can’t afford to wait for the next natural disaster or pandemic to act; and our work will also help to prepare the healthcare system for the next disaster and/or pandemic.  By engaging in this work, we believe that we will 1) save the healthcare system money by reducing costs associated with practitioner burnout and workforce turnaround; and 2) improve healthcare outcomes for those in the community by creating a sustainable pipeline of trusted practitioners, ultimately increasing access to care.  When practitioners and patients have what they need to be well, both will thrive and sustain long-term.  We are applying to MIT Solve now because we have already seen some early success in Los Angeles County.  Having access to the MIT Solve resources and support can help us grow the platform, launch our go-to market strategy, and identify funders and angel investors.  

Project #RESUS is innovative because there is nothing else out there like it.  We are the only program in the country specifically designed to support the long-term mental health, financial, and professional wellness of BIPOC practitioners while at the same time increasing access to culturally-responsive healthcare services for BIPOC community members.  Our vision is to build an application that is a one-stop-shop for BIPOC practitioners and future employers.  We aim to level the playing field for access to fair contracting that address the primary drivers for clinical health, wellbeing, and overall career success, while at the same time creating transparent, fair, and competitive means to attract and retain diverse healthcare talent.    Community-based organizations will also benefit from the platform through access to well-vetted human resource volunteer capital.   The application will utilize the United Nation’s seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to categorize the practitioners’ specialities and the social causes most important to them.  Users can select an opportunity that fits their needs, and the community-based organization can review potential volunteer profiles and initiate a match.  Once volunteer project based initiatives are completed, the community-based organization will provide a score card that translates to reward parts earned.  Reward points (debtcoins) are redeemed dollar-for-dollar to issue direct credits toward their qualified student debt or tuition needs.  We anticipate loan providers also connecting with the platform to make direct payments even more streamlined.  The platform is built to establish longevity with each member, from their earlier engagement through volunteering and community impact, up through when they match with a career position in healthcare. Practitioners will complete surveys about their volunteer opportunities to ensure that the opportunities promoted on the platform are relevant to their needs; and community-based organizations will complete surveys about their experiences with the platform and practitioners to ensure that our practitioners are reaching underserved communities.  Additionally, surveys will include measurement tools endorsed by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to provide ongoing assessment of depression, anxiety, and burnout as they progress through their respective career pipeline with opportunity to tap into real time interventions and support.  Finally, annually, practitioners will complete a self-reflection survey, which will ask the practitioner about any positive or negative changes to their mental health, student loan debt, and/or professional development.  Feedback from these surveys will inform future programming.

To create long-term and wide-reaching impact on BIPOC practitioner and community member wellness, we must build momentum around and enhance support for Project #RESUS and finalize our Jouvé application. Our goals for the next year include 1) Complete MVP3 of our technology build and complete architecture roadmap by July 2023;  2) Launch the beta version of the application and sign-on 250 additional providers by September 2023;  3) Implement UI/UX edits, creative changes, and feedback, and sign-on an additional 250 BIPOC providers by December 2023 while simultaneously coordinating the release of the second documentary in the film series; 4) strengthening support of Project #RESUS by increasing the number of national stakeholders, and corporate and philanthropic partnerships by 20% and the amount of financial and in-kind support, with a goal of raising $2M by December 2023;  and 5) Launch go-to-market strategy in collaboration with the AHA, and health equity influencers and key stakeholders, to raise awareness of Project #RESUS with practitioners and community health partners. 

To achieve Goal 1, we will continue to work with our technology consultant to finalize the design and beta-test the concept.  This goal is currently in process, and we anticipate that this process will be completed within the next six months.  To achieve Goal 2, we will 1) develop and post an RFP that outlines the scope of work for the application project, 2) test and improve the application, and 3) finalize and launch the application.  To achieve Goal 3, we will 1) finalize our in-development fundraising plan for Project #RESUS, which includes a schedule of grant applications, the development of a corporate sponsorship package, and fundraising events; 2) sell advertising spots on the application; and 3) develop a plan for the recruitment of medical schools and healthcare institutions to become Project #RESUS partners, who will in turn pay a fee for a certain number of practitioner users. We estimate that the Goal 3 process will take a full year to complete. To achieve Goal 4, we will continue to host screenings of our film and panel discussions about BIPOC practitioner burnout - both of which will be avenues to promote Project #RESUS and inform professionals about Project #RESUS and the Jouvé application.  We will also host beta-testing activation.  Our go to market strategy will include a seven-city-tour via film festivals inclusive of a screening of the film, talk-back, and installation, which will include a demo of the platform and health equity metrics.  

Our five-year goals include 1) having practitioners from all 50 states enrolled in the application, 2) paying down $40 million in student loan debt across members on the platform, 3) improving retention of BIPOC health workers by 35%, and 4) measurable reduction in practitioner burnout and increases in the positive health outcomes for BIPOC community members.  In five years, we also aim to impact policy with our novel technology that we hope to have adopted federally as a worthy option for graduate student loan and an extension to the public service loan forgiveness program. 

We have aligned our impact goals with the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Vital Signs Core Metrics for Health and Healthcare Progress.  According to NAM, thousands of measures are in use today to assess health and healthcare in the United States. However, their sheer number, as well as their lack of focus, consistency, and organization, limits their overall effectiveness in improving performance of the health system.  Thus in 2015, NAM proposed a streamlined set of 15 standardized measures, with recommendations for their standardization being adopted as ”vital signs” of the nation’s health.  Over the next year, the NAM will convene multiple stakeholders at all levels who apply these standardized measures. Shared Harvest aims to be a stakeholder and our impact goals align with the Vital Signs:  Healthier workforce, care access, community engagement, and financial security. 

Community Engagement indicators are measured through our pop-up clinics, virtual health events, and activities targeting vulnerable communities.  We collect demographic data as well as types of services provided in addition to self-reported satisfaction of services.  We seek feedback from our community-based patients and partners to ensure that our events are meeting the healthcare needs of the community, oftentimes documenting their experiences to demonstrate the positive impact of this work.  

NAM released the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being in October 2022 to drive collective action to strengthen health workforce well-being and restore the health of the nation. Collaborations will focus on implementing the National Plan’s priorities through a new Change Maker campaign. A group of Change Maker Accelerators will commit to goals outlined in the National Plan, measure progress accordingly, and make a commitment to institutionalize well-being as a long-term value. The Clinician Well-Being Collaborative will offer a range of technical support to the Change Maker Accelerators, while building out the campaign to inspire more participation over the next two years. Our Project #RESUS is aimed at improving the healthcare workforce BIPOC provider pipeline as core to our Change Maker campaign; and is a three year longitudinal program that tracks workforce burnout and financial wellness longitudinally;  including sustained employment; access to mental health and practice support; and perceived improvement of financial burden measured by progress made in reducing their student loan debt.

We will include standard measuring tools adopted across stakeholders in the collaborative that will be shared in an open API built into our technology backend.  This includes: 1) the Maslach Burnout Inventory Survey - To measure burnout in individuals who work with people (human services and medical professionals). This is a Human Services 22- point Survey for Medical Personnel that covers 3 areas: Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and low sense of Personal Accomplishment (PA); and 2) The Patient Health questionnaire that measures depression and suicidality among health workers. These tools are valuable and reliable instruments endorsed by NAM and stakeholders in the health equity ecosystem. 

Keeping our BIPOC healthcare workforce well and increasing the number of well BIPOC providers in the healthcare field is the heart and soul of our work.  Our theory of change is based on the concept that if we address the most basic needs of and critical pain points impacting our BIPOC healthcare workforce, we will keep the existing BIPOC healthcare workforce strong and thriving, and we will increase the number of BIPOC practitioners entering the field.  If we increase access to trusted networks that address financial inequities and racism in healthcare this will improve the retention of clinicians who are valued in the community.  We measure wellness by way of access to mental health support, student loan relief, and peer support.  Our theory of change also focuses on the concept that when BIPOC community members have access to trusted healthcare professionals who look like them and have similar lived experiences as they do, they are more likely to continue to engage in healthcare services, which will ultimately reduce health disparities and increase wellness of our BIPOC community members.  In order to ensure that BIPOC community members have access to BIPOC practitioners, we must increase the number of BIPOC professionals entering the healthcare field.  Right now, there are not enough BIPOC practitioners to serve community members.   We have identified core areas of concern for BIPOC practitioners, including mental health issues, financial insecurity, and delays in professional development - all of which have also been identified by numerous national experts as critical issues in need of addressing as well.  Project #RESUS provides services directly in line with these core areas and makes accessing these services easy, affordable, and separate from their employer - making our BIPOC practitioners more comfortable with reaching out for help when needed.  If we break down barriers and incorporate accessing these services into the foundation of healthcare professional practice, we believe we will enhance the BIPOC healthcare workforce and BIPOC community member health outcomes.

Our app development, Reactjs, serves as the cornerstone technology for both our front-end and back-end operations. In addition, we have adopted MongoDB as our preferred database solution for all our data storage requirements.

Authentic, inspiring, and supportive leadership that is trusted by and safe for BIPOC healthcare practitioners and community members is the heart and soul of Shared Harvest’s work.  Individuals’ identities and lived experiences are integral to how they move through the world.  For our practitioners and our patients, their identities and lived experiences have caused layers of inequity, including difficulty accessing traditional and mainstream services, being left out of services altogether, and experiencing discrimination.  Our organization exists to be inclusive of the needs of underrepresented and under-resourced communities, giving them access to peers, mentors, and providers “who get it.” We encourage our practitioner participants to learn from and lean on one another, and we share stories of our similar lived experiences, challenges, and successes to inspire and give hope. When working with patients, we rely on the support of community-based institutions, such as churches, community groups, and nonprofits, to help build trust among the community and ensure that we are accessing those who need care most.   Our practitioner services are free of charge and are available in-person and virtually to accommodate different needs; and our community-based services are available in person directly in the community via pop-up style events, co-working clinic spaces, or mobile treatment units.  For those unable to access in-person care, we also provide telehealth services in addition to free broadband internet services to ensure they can overcome the digital divide.  A commitment to equity and inclusion is our mission.

The business model is Business to Business to Consumer (B2BC) Software as a Service (SaaS) designed to make the program offerings of Project #RESUS accessible at scale.  It serves university hospitals and enterprises via a membership model or pay per talent match.  It services consumers through a membership model to access its financial wellness and mental health resources.  Membership is designed to be paid by a third party (directly by institutions, universities, and membership associations) rather than the consumer. Nonprofit organizations can connect with volunteer human resource capital service at extremely discounted project based bundles. 

Shared Harvest’s Jouvé Health is a digital platform connecting health workers with companies and nonprofit organizations to increase community engagement among young professionals with substantial student loan debt while serving as a  pipeline retention tool. It has developed a model that allows these professionals to use the skills they have gained during their academic training to volunteer with an organization advancing health equity, build their resumes while tapping into peer to peer support, and professional mental health resources targeting high achievers as they progress in their careers.  The Shared Harvest model leans on partnership with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and partners in behavioral health. These health companies will be able to promote health career opportunities in both health tech, hospitals, and community clinics on Shared Harvest’s job boards. The partnerships will allow BIPOC health workers and those with burdensome student loan debt to match with competitive opportunities secured in knowing that they will receive a fair and competitive wellness benefit and student loan repayment benefit operated by SHF.

Shared Harvest has three verticals on its Enterprise Services side:

1. Volunteer matching: The volunteer creates an account including choosing their preferences for volunteer work and career ambitions;

2. Healthcare worker staff: The healthcare employer becomes a member of Shared Harvest. They can post an unlimited number of project-related needs. Then, the employer can search through Shared Harvest network and reduce the burden of managing wellness benefit package; and  

3. Emergency response: Shared Harvest’s myCovidMD.org was instrumental during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in helping those in hard-to-reach communities get tested, vaccinated, and transported to the doctor’s office or hospital when needed. This program matches health professionals with community health partners to provide assistance with health navigation, telehealth, and talent acquisition during public health emergencies.

As a social enterprise, our business model includes a revenue driving stream as well as grant support through our 501c3.  We have a Development team with a combined 35+ years in federal and private grant writing and have partnered with a leading nonprofit firm in Southern California with a forecast grant and corporate sponsorship strategic goal of $1.94M. This includes online and in-person fundraising campaigns, Give or Get, and individual donations.  

In addition,  we have built in revenue-generating products. Our documentaries and educational guides will be sold to corporate DEI departments, medical institutions, and hospitals with proceeds to support programming and access to mental health services through our platform.  Licenses to the film series will be sold to film festivals and Government agencies focused on advancing health equity.  We are excited to be able to leverage already established partnerships with the American Hospital Association, Direct Relief, and the American Medical Association to raise awareness of our educational product and support the build out of our sales funnel. We forecast an annual revenue through this funnel at $1.08M or $90,000 month over month.    

As part of our sales revenue, we will engage and bill health plans for our value-based care coordination and case management for third party reimbursement with a medium reimbursement rate of $32K. We estimate a conservative number of two hundred Community Health Partners (CHPs) will enroll forecasting a revenue of $6.4M.

A few examples that have proven viability thus far include: 

1. We were recipients of a $1M HRSA grant to provide valued-based care coordination and management of community health workers.  Through this program we were able to expand our pool of community health partnerships. 
2. We bid and received a contract from Charles Drew Medical Society for $35,000 to provide value-based care coordination in South Los Angeles
3. We were recipients of the Direct Relief for Health Equity grant of $250,000 sponsored by McKenzie Scott, AddVie, and Lily with an invitation to host a film screening and Talk Back in November 2023 annual meeting.  
4. We were selected to be a partner with Los Angeles Department of Health for a $310,000 grant to support value-based care coordination of pediatric vaccines and vaccine health education
5. We received a $500,000 grant from California Department of Public Health partner of Physicians for a Healthy California as part of the Test 2 Treat program  
6. CEO, Dr. Afoh-Manin was the recipient of the Anthem Award for Nonprofit Leader of the Year 
7. We currently have $1.4M in potential grant applications in the pipeline for Q2.