We are pleased to announce that the Community Connect program at Children’s Minnesota has been selected as a Top Finalist for the inaugural Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity by The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente. The award recognizes health care organizations for their initiatives to achieve a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more health care disparities.
“This honor is testament to the remarkable work of the Community Connect team to address health disparities impacting kids and families in our community,” said Maria Christu, senior vice president advocacy and health policy, chief legal officer at Children’s Minnesota. “We hope the program’s success in helping to address social determinants can inspire other organizations to take action to help eliminate health care disparities.
About Community Connect
As the Kid ExpertsTM, Children’s Minnesota recognizes that a child’s experience at home, in school, and in their neighborhood are the biggest determinants of overall health. Community Connect is a program that goes beyond basic medical care to support those social determinants of health impacting kids—with particular attention to families of color and Native American families who experience greater disparities in health outcomes. Resource navigators help connect families to a broad range of existing resources, including food access, transportation services, legal assistance, housing support, early childhood education programs, employment search assistance and more.
Children’s Minnesota is one of five organizations recognized as a Top Finalist and the only one in Minnesota. A virtual ceremony to honor the top awardee and acknowledge Top Finalists will take place Friday, Nov. 19.
Learn more about the Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity here.
