Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1471341
11 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP How Jefferson Health is harnessing philanthropy to address health disparities By Kelly Gooch I n recent years, hospitals and health systems have launched pro- grams or other initiatives to tackle health disparities, from outreach pro- grams and education to recruiting a chief diversity officer. Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health is no exception, with an approach centered on funding programs through philanthropy. Jefferson established the Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity in 2017, with the goal of advancing health eq- uity in and around the city via partner- ships with residents, nonprofits and other relevant stakeholders. Since then, some activity highlights of the collaborative include partnering with the Southeast Asian Mutual Assis- tance Associations to develop the Hans- jörg Wyss Wellness Center in South Phil- adelphia, as well as awarding $600,000 in catalyst grants, through a Jefferson benefactor, to address mental health; trauma, safety and violence; housing; and built environment in the city. Now the collaborative aims to raise $100 million by 2024 for health equity initiatives as part of Jefferson's $1 bil- lion Reimagine Campaign. Elizabeth Dale, EdD, executive vice president and chief advancement of- ficer with the Jefferson Office of Insti- tutional Advancement, told Becker's she is excited about the efforts being made. She discussed Jefferson's strate- gy for health equity fundraising, shared progress related to the health system's fundraising goal and passed along ad- vice to her peers who are interested in health equity philanthropic efforts. Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length. Question: What is the health sys- tem's strategy for raising funds for health equity? Dr. Elizabeth Dale: Stephen Klasko, MD, who was president of Thom- as Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health, early on in his presidency said we could grow to multihospital network and be a mul- tibillion-dollar organization, but he'd consider his tenure a failure if we do not address the health inequities in the city. Philadelphia is in top 10 larg- est cities, and we have a lifespan gap between ZIP codes of 20 years. So, my development team and I took that so seriously. Amid a $1 billion fundrais- ing campaign, we said, "We're put- ting a stake in the ground, and we're so committed to health equity, we're going to set a goal of raising $100 million to address health inequities in the course of our Reimagine Cam- paign." We're planning to conclude that campaign in 2024. We have been able to demonstrate to the board and leadership the impact philanthropy makes, with benefactors who have given us major gifts like $5 million from Andréa and Kenneth Frazier for the Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention, a partner- ship between Jefferson Health and Philadelphia-based Temple Health. Q: Jefferson set a goal to raise $100 million for health equity initiatives. How is this going? ED: It's going extremely well. We've raised more than $45 million for a va- riety of initiatives, including creating the Hansjörg Wyss Wellness Center for refugees and immigrants. It's in the heart of the Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant community. During the pandemic, it saved and improved so many lives. Total fundraising is about $7 million on that project. We decided to do this because we have one of the top refugee health programs in the U.S., and people were getting their primary care in the emer- gency room. Some of our philanthrop- ic initiatives are rooted in also help- ing the health system operate more efficiently. By opening the wellness center, we were able to reduce total cost of care and improve preventative medicine. But what's unique is every- thing we do, we spend so much time talking to the community. Asking the community and getting input is funda- mental to what we're doing. Q: What advice do you have for oth- er hospitals interested in health eq- uity philanthropic efforts? ED: My advice would be to get the com- mitment from the board and the pres- ident. When you have commitment at the top of the organization, it serves as a cohesive force in mobilizing. We have 18 hospitals, a two-campus university and an insurance plan. The board and president being fully committed is a game-changer in fulfilling a spirit of philanthropy on health inequity within the whole organization. Plus, it speaks well to all our benefactors. Also, the Rippel Foundation, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foun- dation, put us through 18 months of training and the philosophical un- derstanding of how to raise money and how to develop a program in fundraising for health equity. Having a partner like the Rippel Foundation, we had to commit one Friday a month to go through a symposium and we had reading materials. And I'm fully committed to this work, but it gave me the language, tools to use in de- veloping our program. n "My advice would be to get the commitment from the board and the president. When you have commitment at the top of the organization, it serves as a cohesive force in mobilizing." Elizabeth Dale, EdD, EVP, CAO, Jefferson Office of Institutional Advancement