Consumer Health Foundation

Grant making is the core work of the Consumer Health Foundation, but it is not the only strategy we use to advance our mission.

• Capacity Building – helping our partners institutionalize knowledge, skills, and relationships aimed at building healthier communities in which everyone has a voice.
• Strategic Alliances – developing, supporting, and participating in alliances that allow us to attract the support, expertise, and resources of others in the public and private sectors
• Mission-Consistent Investing – making investments that are consistent with our mission and the fiduciary obligations and goals of the Foundation
• Annual Meetings/Convenings – bringing together people to build knowledge, develop creative solutions and engage in collective action

The Foundation also works to catalyze innovative solutions to improve health and health care access in our community. Current projects in this area include:

The Wellness Opportunity Zone

Designate neighborhood Wellness Opportunity Zones where incentives are provided for innovative connections between and among all public and private policies, programs and practices affecting health and well-being. 

Why: Residents of our region understand that health is about more than access to health care. They want their communities to have all of the economic, social and environmental structures that will enable them to live healthy lives. Policymakers are also beginning to recognize that decisions outside of the health care arena have a major impact on the health and wellness of communities and their residents. By designating communities as wellness opportunity zones, we can leverage resources within communities and across sectors to advance health and eliminate inequity.

The Ngozi Project

Create a personalized, one-stop, regional health information and referral center that will connect consumers to existing resources and services and empower them to demand high quality, affordable health care.

Why: Consumers rely on their family and friends for information about existing health care services. They also turn to frontline workers from community-based organizations, churches or government agencies to help them access the services they need. Unfortunately, many family members and frontline workers lack basic resources and tools that could be used to help consumers navigate the health care system.  We need to develop resources that inform consumers of their rights and responsibilities in seeking care and make them available in multiple languages and accessible for consumers with low literacy.