My new Health Equity mission at Episcopal Health Foundation

My new Health Equity mission at Episcopal Health Foundation

By Ann Barnes, MD, MPH

I am humbled to announce that I will lead Episcopal Health Foundation as president and CEO beginning this fall.

The challenges we face to improve health for all can at times seem daunting. Texas remains the state with the highest uninsured rate in the country and health inequities across the state have become even more apparent during COVID-19. Too many of the root causes of poor health remain overlooked or unaddressed, leaving many low-income communities and communities of color behind. 

I know these challenges because I have seen them firsthand. I am a proud native of Houston’s Fifth Ward, and after medical school I came back to my hometown to work with communities that are too often overburdened and lacking needed resources to get and stay healthy.

Here in Houston, I’ve committed myself to creating opportunities for all people to live their healthiest lives. At Harris Health, I led the development of a health equity strategy and championed efforts to integrate local community resources with health care. In striving to improve health for all, I’ve collaborated with amazing people: researchers and doctors, community leaders and volunteers, children, and their families. They have all shown me that by working together we can overcome these challenges, no matter how difficult they may be.

I am thrilled to join EHF, to continue the foundation’s work focused on #HealthNotJustHealthCare, building on efforts to investigate and address social, economic, and behavioral determinants of health, and partnering with stakeholders across Texas working to further healthy lives. 

It’s also an honor to take the reins from outgoing CEO Elena Marks. Elena has guided EHF since its creation in 2013 and made it into the established and nationally recognized health-focused foundation it is today.

I’m excited to get started, and I hope you will join us in the months to come as we continue EHF’s mission to improve the health of all Texans. Stay in touch with us here: https://lnkd.in/gy6WQP_t

#Health4All #health #populationhealth #publichealth #communityhealth #DriversOfHealth #socialdeterminantsofhealth #SDOH #healthequity