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People

Our approach to fostering healthy people is to center equity in all aspects of our community health ecosystem and to support innovative ideas that make it more inclusive.

Equitable systems support
community health

Access to fair and equitable health care often depends on a patient’s social or economic experience. At Health Forward, we address barriers built into our health care system that prevent people from living their healthiest lives.

We focus on supporting whole-person care — the physical, behavioral, oral health, and social services required to achieve better health outcomes for all. We advocate for policies that improve health. And we ensure the people entering the health care workforce look like, and understand the culture of, the people they are serving.

Key Strategies

Outcomes

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Accordion Content
  • Improved organizational effectiveness and capacity to deliver whole-person care
  • Increased availability of, and access to, whole-person care
  • Improved workforce understanding and capacity to address clinical and community trauma; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging best practices; and competency and capability in antiracist practice
  • Strengthened and connected communities of care
Accordion Content
  • Improved understanding and use of clinical, community trauma, and antiracist practices
  • Increased use of race, ethnicity, and language data in quality improvement (e.g. screening and prevention)
  • Improved team-based and integrated care to reduce health disparities
  • Increased funding for incentives to attract and retain a diverse talent pool
  • Increased diversity of talent in the whole-person care spectrum
Accordion Content
  • Increased Medicaid enrollment
  • Increased funding for public health system transformation
  • Increased race, ethnicity, and language competency and use in quality improvement
  • Improved team-based and integrated care

Our intended impact

The impact we seek will not happen overnight. We know change is possible if we come together as a community and strategically focus our efforts to move toward systems that benefit all of us.

High-quality, equitable community health ecosystem

Strong community organizations and voices

Equitable and just places that foster health and economic advancement

View our purpose, mission, and values

News and updates

Keep up-to-date with our latest news.

View All News

News Release

New report reveals high economic risk of anti-DEI laws in Kansas and Missouri

February 29, 2024

Funding Announcement

Health Forward Foundation awards $10.65 million to nonprofits providing whole-person care

November 9, 2023

News Release

Kansas City organizations unite to take action on health equity

October 12, 2022

Funding Announcement

Health Forward partnership provides free rides to health care and social service locations

August 30, 2021

Meet our team

Meet the team that makes our People work possible.

Hayat Abdullahi
Director of Community Impact
Andrés M. Domínguez
Impact Strategist – People
Kelli Doyle
Impact Strategist – People
Robin Johnson
Impact Strategist – People
McClain Bryant Macklin, JD MBA
Vice President of Policy and Impact
Kael Martin
Impact Strategist – People

Funded partners

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  • Ad Hoc Group Against Crime
  • Aligned
  • Alliance for a Healthy Kansas
  • Altruism Media, Inc.
  • Belton School District #124
  • Benilde Hall
  • BlaqOut, Inc.
  • Care Beyond the Boulevard
  • Caritas Clinics
  • Cass Community Health Foundation
  • Community Care Network of Kansas
  • Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Inc
  • Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
  • Counselors Obediently Preventing Substance abuse (COPS)
  • Don Bosco Community Center
  • Donnelly College
  • Donnelly College
  • El Centro Inc.
  • Equatorian Community Association
  • Footprints Inc.
  • Footprints Inc.
  • Friends of Yates
  • GateWay of Hope
  • GateWay of Hope
  • Great Jobs Kansas City
  • Guadalupe Center, Inc.
  • HCC Network
  • Health Partnership of Johnson County
  • Hope Family Care Center LLC
  • Hope House, Inc.
  • House of Hope, Inc.
  • Jackson County 4Kids
  • Jewish Vocational Service
  • Kansas City CARE Health Center (KC CARE)
  • Kansas City Kansas Community College
  • Kansas City Medical Society Foundation
  • Kids Win Missouri
  • Kids Win Missouri
  • Legal Aid of Western Missouri
  • LevelUp Kids Inc.
  • Mattie Rhodes Center
  • Mercy & Truth Medical Missions Inc.
  • Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City
  • Metropolitan Community College Foundation
  • Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault
  • Mid-America Regional Council
  • Mid-America Regional Council Community Services Corporation
  • Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund
  • Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund
  • MINDDRIVE, Incorporated
  • Mission Vision Project KC
  • Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence
  • Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corporation
  • NEWHOUSE, Inc.
  • Northland Health Care Access
  • Nurture KC
  • Nurture KC
  • Pawsperity Inc.
  • Poetry for Personal Power
  • Reconciliation Services
  • reStart, Inc.
  • Rose Brooks Center, Inc.
  • Safehome
  • Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
  • SAVE, Inc.
  • Seton Center Family & Health Services
  • Sheffield Place
  • Sisters In Christ
  • Sisters In Christ
  • Swope Health Services
  • Swope Health Services
  • Synergy Services, Inc.
  • The Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute
  • The Family Conservancy
  • The Kansas City Public Library
  • The Village Initiative
  • Thrive Allen County
  • Together KC
  • Truman Medical Center (dba University Health) Charitable Foundation
  • Truman Medical Center (dba University Health) Charitable Foundation
  • Turner House Clinic Inc dba Vibrant Health
  • Turner House Clinic Inc dba Vibrant Health
  • University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Uzazi Village
  • Veterans Community Project

Request a consultation

Health Forward welcomes and encourages conversations to learn more about your organization, your work, or an idea that may align with our strategic purpose areas — People, Power, Place, and Platform.

Schedule a conversation

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