M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity
The M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity is an extension of the work being done in community by our Community Advancement team. The center creates space for M Health Fairview and community partners to work alongside one another toward a shared goal of improving the health of the communities we serve and to which we belong.
Located within the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub, the center formalizes the system’s efforts to innovate and work with the community in reducing racial and other disparities in community health outcomes. We are grateful for the essential collaboration and leadership of trusted community partners and neighbors.
The following strategies are helping us work towards a vision of increased community health:
Community Incubator
Addressing the social determinants and drivers of health and individual social risk factors.
Engagement Infrastructure
Building trusting partnerships and enabling community and patient voice.
Inclusive Institution
Transforming structures to create an increasingly equitable and inclusive environment.
Driving our vision
Research shows that 80% of health occurs outside of our hospitals and clinics. Our community must address health equity and the social determinants of health through an enhanced model of care and service delivery.
M Health Fairview has built and supported a strong presence in the community through existing partnerships with government, community-based nonprofits and private organizations — a decades-long, demonstrated commitment to addressing the social determinants of health.
NEW: Accelerator Fellowship
We are excited to announce the launch of the Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship. The Accelerator Fellowship is a year-long leadership development program designed to support community leaders in advancing innovative projects that promote health equity and address the social determinants of health.
Social Determinants of Health Initiatives
M Health Fairview is building and leading initiatives to address the social determinants of health.
Food is Medicine
Using the healing power of food to nourish our patients, enrich our communities, and transform our systems.
Housing is Health
Supporting stable and affordable housing as a foundation for strong, vibrant communities and inclusive growth.
Connection is Cure
Building trust through social connections, centering linguistic and cultural diversity, and bridging silos across our hospital system and communities.
Population Health Equity Initiatives
Our health system applies equity-centered, culturally responsive approaches to healthcare. We identify challenges and opportunities, create or expand programs and partnerships, and then scale or deepen learnings and successes across our system and the communities we serve. Current initiatives include:
Native Health Equity Initiative
The initiative, called Healing in Four Directions, seeks to build trust and form partnerships to better serve our Native patients, employees, and community.
Birth Justice Initiative
The initiative is a cross-departmental effort partnering with community, patients, providers and employees to align and amplify equity-driven solutions across our system and in our communities, improving outcomes for birthing individuals and their babies.
Center for Community Health Equity Workgroup
Thank you to the experts from across our health system who give of their time and talents on the Center for Community Health Equity Work Group. This leadership group is helping shape and guide our work.
Michele Allen, MD, MS
- Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
- Endowed Chair of Health Equity Research
- Director, Program in Health Disparities Research
- MPI, Center for Chronic Disease Reduction and Equity Promotion Across Minnesota (C2DREAM)
- Director, Community Engagement to Advance Research and Community Health (CEARCH), CTSI
Damien Fair, PA-C, PhD
- Co-Director, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
- Professor, Division of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Faculty, Department of Pediatrics
- Professor, Institute of Child Development
David Haynes, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Informatics at the University of Minnesota
Abe Jacob, MD
- Chief Quality Officer, M Health Fairview
- Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Faculty, Department of Pediatrics
- Pediatrician, Internal Medicine, and Pediatric Hospitalist
Jim Letts, MD
- Family Medicine Provider, M Health Fairview Clinic - Roselawn
Katie Lingras, PhD, LP
- Director for Inclusive Excellence and Well-Being, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School
Will Nicholson, MD
- Vice President of Medical Affairs, M Health Fairview
Ana Núñez, MD, FACP
- Vice Dean, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
- Integration Strategist, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Chris Warlick, MD, PhD
- Department Head for the Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical School
Center for Community Health Equity staff contacts
Diane Tran
- Executive Director, M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity
Christina McCoy
- Manager, Community Health Equity Initiatives
Kate Grannon
- Community Health Equity Impact Manager