Who We Are

Led by the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Heath, Communities Together for Heath Equity (CTHE), is a diverse and representative group of over 80 community-based organizations (CBOs) and stakeholders working to ensure comprehensive services that address the spectrum of social determinant of health (SDOH) for over 350,000 community members citywide.

Mission

Establish a sustainable model of community engagement to ensure that community voices are heard, wellness goals are identified, and CBO engagement takes place within a transformed healthcare system, grounded in a shared health equity agenda.

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History

Since its inception in 2014, CTHE’s persistent advocacy efforts served as the catalyst for the State’s first CBO Planning Grant and was the first of three regional CBO-led consortia funded by New York State Department of Heath (NYSDOH) to ensure SDOH needs were addressed and community voices were equitably and meaningfully integrated into the healthcare transformation process.

Through the planning grant, CBOs organized to have a voice in the implementation of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, serving as true partners to the NYC Performing Provider Systems (PPSs) and as active participants in the NYS health care delivery system. Efforts sought to improve responsiveness to community needs. This was achieved by bringing CBOs together to prepare and strategically plan for their full and robust involvement in health planning and system transformation. Their planned activities improved the understanding of the vital role CBOs play in facilitating community engagement and the critical importance of the SDOH in contributing to the health outcomes of individuals and their communities. To learn more, read more in the CTHE Strategic Plan.

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The CTHE consortium’s planning process established a sustainable model for CBO collaboration, including the processes necessary to facilitate partnerships with PPSs, payors, and Value-Based Payment (VBP) readiness. This was to support CBO-led community engagement, needs analysis, and service provision to address the SDOH needs.

The creation of borough hubs allowed CTHE to develop, implement, and prepare a sustainable, representative, and engaged CBO consortium by building its infrastructure and facilitating collective readiness. It aimed at promoting visibility and raising awareness among CBOs and all payors about the value of CBO involvement and support to transform the delivery system, and to develop meaningful linkages as part of a comprehensive approach to community health.

Since then, CTHE has sustained and expanded its infrastructure and reach, responded to urgent community needs throughout the pandemic, and organized CBOs to establish a model of community engagement for bridging equity gaps, enhance coordination of services across small grass-root organizations, and develop best practices to engage and collaborate with CBOs and other stakeholders to address SDOH.

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