The Institute is focused on three strategic priorities:

Humankindness in action

Healthier communities

Economic mobility and stability

Strategic goals & initiatives

Educate:

and become the leading research and training institute for culturally compassionate, competent care.

Amplify:

by recognizing existing humankindness and health justice work and scaling best practices.

Innovate:

as we develop an implementation hub model for novel humankindness and health justice initiatives.

Our strategies in action

Research and evaluation

The Institute is working with a number of clinicians and partners across CommonSpirit to better understand the science of humankindness and its impact on health justice. A few current projects include:

Understanding Peripheral Arterial Disease Screening with a Focus on Equity Gaps (Sacramento, CA)
Leveraging Digital Patient Navigation to Address COVID Vaccine Hesitancy in Vulnerable Populations (Central Coast, CA, and Little Rock, AR)
Community Health Worker Integration to Address Social Determinants of Health in the Clinical Care Setting (Phoenix, AZ)
Assessment of ED Utilization of Individuals who Participate in the Medical Safe Haven Clinics (Sacramento, CA)

Medical-legal Partnership (MLP)

The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) estimates that 1 in 6 Americans has a civil legal problem that if resolved would improve health outcomes. One study even showed 95% of the highest-utilizing patients had two or three legal problems. And when these legal problems were addressed, health improved and overall health care costs declined by 45%. Particularly with low-income patients, a medical approach alone is often not enough, and legal help is required to address complex social needs. Legal assistance can help remove barriers to healthy housing, nutrition, safety, stability and insurance to access and pay for health services.

In partnership with the law firm Polsinelli, the Institute will launch a pilot program to provide legal services to patients of a designated clinic.

Service activities

In several communities across CommonSpirit’s national footprint, the Institute has partnered with local organizations to pilot service opportunities for CommonSpirit Health employees. For example, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Institute supported a school supply drive that provided backpacks, notebooks, pencils and more to more than 200 children in low-income communities. And in Houston, Texas, the Institute will create over 200 Shelter Packs to distribute to unhoused individuals across the city.