A Vision of More Equitable Health Care
In 2020, the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York announced a new vision statement and strategic plan that will guide the work of the Health Foundation through 2025. An extensive planning process that began in 2019 resulted in a new organizational vision statement, as well as three long-term goals and corresponding mid-term goals to pursue that vision. The plan also reaffirms the Health Foundation’s commitment to young children impacted by poverty; older adults; and the community-based organizations that serve them.
The Health Foundation’s mission will continue to be improving the health and health care of the people and communities of western and central New York.
The Health Foundation’s vision is: A healthy central and western New York where racial and socioeconomic equity are prioritized so all people can reach their full potential and achieve equitable health outcomes.
This vision is pursued through a set of long- and mid-term goals supported by strategic approaches that include: program development, grantmaking, community partnerships and convenings, capacity building, and advocacy. Our longstanding commitment to supporting programs, partnerships and organizations that improve the health of our community remains strong and unchanged.
We see our vision statement as a natural evolution of our work, because the Health Foundation has always focused on improving the health of underserved communities. Our vision represents a sharpened, more specific approach that recognizes the role of race and socioeconomic status in health disparities.
Long and Midterm Goals 2020-2025
The Health Foundation’s long-term goals in support of our vision are:
Goal 1: Individual well-being is promoted and addressed for both children and older adults
Midterm Goals Supporting Goal 1:
– Communities are equipped to deliver trauma-informed practices and invested in preventing trauma.
– Children have access to high-quality social-emotional learning support.
– Social isolation and related behavioral health issues among older adults and caregivers are addressed.
Goal 2: Community-based organizations and health systems are collaborative and sustainable
Midterm Goals Supporting Goal 2:
– Community-based organizations are financially sustainable, strong and working collaboratively with health and other systems.
– Communities and health systems are working collaboratively to become age-friendly.
Goal 3: Racial and socioeconomic equity are prioritized and all people are served by trusted, unbiased, high-quality care.
Midterm Goals Supporting Goal 3:
– Equitable care and insurance are available and accessible for all people.
– All mothers are served by trusted, unbiased, high-quality infant and maternal health care.
– Family caregivers of older adults are valued and supported.
We will pursue our new vision through a set of long- and mid-term goals supported by strategies that include: program development, grantmaking, community partnerships and convenings, capacity building, and advocacy. See our Theory of Change on this page for an overview of our new goals and some of the strategic approaches we will use to pursue them.
Equity Considerations
Our team recognizes this will require a long-term and rigorous commitment to developing and instituting organizational policies, practices and behaviors that are based in the principles of racial and socioeconomic equity. While we acknowledge this is an ongoing journey of learning and improvement, our initial efforts include (but are not limited to):
- Engaging with, listening to and learning from experts and leaders in racial and socioeconomic health equity;
- Proactively building new relationships with grassroots organizations that may have previously faced barriers to working with the philanthropic community;
- Using our platform to advocate for positive change and challenge policies that perpetuate unfair systems and inequities in health care