Shared Value in Emerging Markets: How Multinational Corporations Are Redefining Business Strategies to Reach Poor or Vulnerable Populations

This report illuminates the enormous opportunities in emerging markets for companies to drive competitive advantage and sustainable impact at scale. It identifies how over 30 companies across multiple sectors and geographies design and measure business strategies that also improve the lives of underserved individuals

Buffalo\u27s Community Health Centers: Healthcare for People with Low Incomes

Community health centers are non-profit, community-oriented healthcare providers. Generally, they are a subset of Federally Qualified Health Centers, institutions that receive special funding because they provide medical care to underserved populations. They offer preventative and primary healthcare, including physical exams, routine testing and screening, immunizations, dental care, pediatrics, women’s health, prenatal care, and nutritional services. These clinics are open to all, but designed to reach out to underserved populations, especially low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, recent immigrants, and rural populations. The National Association of Community Health Centers estimates that nationally, their clinics provide health services for over 23 million people, and this number is increasing. To give one example from Buffalo, the Jericho Road Family Practice serves more than 30,000 people each year

“The Clementine Collective”: A Corner Store intervention of clementine fruits in a high need neighborhood in Staten Island, New York

Individuals living in underserved neighborhoods face significant barriers to getting fresh produce. It has been extensively researched that providing individuals with fresh fruits and vegetables can have a positive physical and mental impact on the lives of individuals in underserved neighborhoods and the lives of their families. Unfortunately, individuals who reside in such neighborhoods are often viewed as not being motivated to consume fresh fruits and vegetables, even where barriers to eating such foods are removed. This study aims to determine whether, in the COVID-19 era, individuals in underserved neighborhoods would consume fresh fruits if presented with them in an appealing and consistent manner. To test the hypothesis that individuals in such high-need neighborhoods would consume fresh fruits during COVID-19 if readily and consistently available, clementine fruits in the quantity of 50 per day were placed in a stand in a corner store in the New Brighton neighborhood of Staten Island. The results show a discernible response on the part of the corner store customers and supported the hypothesis that individuals if given the chance, these individuals would consume fresh fruits distributed and available in a consistent manner. While further research needs to be done, especially with respect to responses from store owners, variety of fruits consumers will eat, and overall buy-in for such programs from consumers, community members and local non-profits, the results of this study demonstrated that consumers in underserved neighborhoods would consume a variety of fruits and vegetables from a corner store the COVID-19 era

The Provider Perspective on Behavioral Health Care for Transgender and Gender NonConforming Individuals in the Central Great Plains: A Qualitative Study of Approaches and Needs

Purpose—Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals interact with mental health care systems at high rates and experience substantial barriers to care. Rural TGNC individuals face additional disparities in accessing appropriate mental health services. Little research has focused on the mental healthcare providers who work with TGNC individuals in underserved areas. The current study sought to describe the mental health care services delivered by providers perceived as affirming by TGNC community members in the Central Great Plains. Methods—We conducted qualitative interviews with 10 providers to understand how providers seek cultural competency and conceptualize and work with their TGNC clients given the barriers to care. Results—Providers held diverse theoretical orientations and described challenges to working with TGNC clients including the impact of stigma and marginalization and financial and structural barriers to care. Emphasis was placed on individualizing care, helping clients manage stigma and build resiliency, connecting clients to resources (when available) and support systems, and navigating the intersections of physical health care and mental health care such as writing letters for medical transition. Providers largely educated themselves on TGNC topics and had previous experience working with marginalized populations. Conclusions—Overall, the providers’ approaches to working with TGNC clients mapped on to models of cultural competency but few providers described their work in the context of an evidence-based model. Implications for increasing the quality and availability of mental health care services for TGNC individuals in underserved areas are discussed. Public Policy Statement—Affirming mental healthcare providers working with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) clients in underserved areas strive towards cultural competency, but lack of resources and structural barriers to care prohibit wide dissemination of affirming evidence-based care. This study highlights the need for increased research and evidence-informed policy regarding the delivery of mental health services to TGNC individuals in underserved areas

Identifying and Evaluating Equity Provisions in State Health Care Reform

Identifies state policies that promote equitable access to quality health care and analyzes whether reform proposals in five states meet those equity benchmarks. Discusses innovative measures and the need to implement truly universal health insurance

Equity in the Digital Age: How Health Information Technology Can Reduce Disparities

While enormous medical and technological advancements have been made over the last century, it is only very recently that there have been similar rates of development in the field of health information technology (HIT).This report examines some of the advancements in HIT and its potential to shape the future health care experiences of consumers. Combined with better data collection, HIT offers signi?cant opportunities to improve access to care, enhance health care quality, and create targeted strategies that help promote health equity. We must also keep in mind that technology gaps exist, particularly among communities of color, immigrants, and people who do not speak English well. HIT implementation must be done in a manner that responds to the needs of all populations to make sure that it enhances access, facilitates enrollment, and improves quality in a way that does not exacerbate existing health disparities for the most marginalized and underserved

Promising Practices: The Importance of Outreach to Underserved Populations

Underserved groups have been handicapped by barriers that have resulted in low participation rates in the job market, especially if they have a physical or mental disability. It is often times difficult to get the attention of these underserved groups without making extraordinary efforts to reach out to their communities. Understanding the barriers that cause the low participation in our programs is the first step in removing these barriers. This overview is not intended to be all-inclusive, but simply to discuss a few of the barriers that have caused this lack of participation and how specific projects have taken steps to address them

Non-college-bound English learners as the underserved third: How students graduate from high school without being college- or career-ready

Not all high school students go to college. Yet, because there is currently such a dominant emphasis on “college for all,” preparing non-college-bound students for career-readiness has received short shrift. This issue is particularly important for English learners (ELs) because close to half of high school ELs do not advance to postsecondary education. Through a longitudinal ethnography of two underperforming, non-college-bound ELs, I examine how and why a relatively well-resourced school allowed these students to graduate without college- and career-readiness. I argue that although there were substantial structural inequalities that led to the under-education of the two ELs, educators at the school were largely unaware of such barriers and attributed the ELs’ underachievement to the students’ own deficits. I counter this institutional deficit orientation with alternative stories of student assets that illuminate the substantial strengths and talents that the focal ELs possessed, which, if recognized and integrated into their education, could have led to career-readiness.Accepted manuscrip

Undercounted, Underserved: Immigrant and Refugee Families in the Child Welfare System

Focuses on the specific needs of immigrant and refugee children in the child welfare system and presents best practices and policy recommendations for better serving these populations

Health Reform and Communities of Color: Implications for Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Updates a November 2009 report with details of the 2010 healthcare reform bill, including provisions specific to health disparities, mainly for improved data collection and documentation, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and prevention efforts