Humana Foundation Advances Equity Through Community-Engaged Research Practices

Grantmakers In Health’s Maya Schane spoke with Heather Hyden and Soojin Conover of the Humana Foundation about the Foundation’s recently published report, Strengthening Science and Community Impact Through Equitable Research Practices. The report examines innovative research methods adopted by the Foundation’s partners to promote health equity in public health research through community-engaged research practices.

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Collaborating for Impact: Providing Trust-Based Grantmaking and Technical Assistance to Support Local Resilience to Extreme Weather Events

In the last few years, there has been an increased number of extreme weather events, including wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and heatwaves in the United States. In 2023, the United States experienced 28 disasters that cost at least $1 billion, the largest number of billion-dollar disasters in a single year on record (Smith 2024). While some areas of the country are more susceptible to these threats, there are no regions immune to disasters. According to a recent Gallup poll, 37 percent of adults in the United States report they have been personally impacted by at least one extreme weather event in the last two years, which is higher than the 2022/2023 survey result at 33 percent.

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Working Through Challenges to Sharing Power With Community: Highlights from a session at Grantmakers in Health’s Annual Conference

The people closest to the issue best know the solutions. For health funders, sharing power with community could mean giving residents a voice in shaping your grantmaking priorities or where grant dollars are spent. Many funders understand that solutions are more likely to be successful when the people who are most affected have a voice in shaping them. But when it comes to including that voice, the work often stalls before it starts.

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Creating a Healthier Future for Children: Precaution Is Prevention

With chronic childhood diseases and an array of learning and developmental disabilities on the rise, a burgeoning body of science is illuminating links between environmental exposures and children’s health. Health funders interested in childhood development and lifelong health are increasingly moving upstream to support precautionary action as a critical prevention strategy.

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Advancing the Use of Health Data

With a few actions, grantmakers can boost the use of health data in their communities. This article draws upon the work of The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and describes how it is using data and creating new data resources for its grantees and others in its service area – Cincinnati, Ohio and 20 surrounding counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

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Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Immigrants and Refugees

Resettling in a new country brings a unique set of mental health challenges for immigrants and refugees. Most immigrant parents who arrive in new communities are faced with immediate challenges to their survival – securing a job, finding a place to live, buying food, and enrolling their children in school.

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Grantmakers Partner to Improve Children’s Development

The rallying cry “Think nationally, act locally” has proven to be remarkably successful for Healthy Steps for Young Children. Spearheaded by The Commonwealth Fund and launched at 24 sites around the country, Healthy Steps’ success is due in no small part to the commitment and organizational and financial support provided by a partnership of national, community, and new health foundations.

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Using Strategic Philanthropy to Advance State Health Care Reform: Maine’s New Dirigo Health Plan

Learn about development of Maine’s innovative Dirigo Health Plan, an ambitious, comprehensive health care reform initiative.  Dirigo Health will offer a health insurance product to individuals, the self-employed, and small businesses; expand eligibility in Maine’s Medicaid program; and improve quality and contain costs. 

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Skimming the Fat: The CATCH Initiative

With reports from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services regarding the prevalence of
and danger associated with obesity in America, a
“call to action” was issued to all communities nationwide to
help address this health problem. In a world where fast food
and soft drinks are a common meal and Internet surfing or
computer games replace exercise, children today face serious
health consequences.

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