Through this gathering, the partners better understood one another’s goals for regional health and the roles they each play in that vision. Together, they are leveraging each other’s strengths and supporting RFU’s important outreach efforts.
The panel was led by RFU President and CEO Dr. Wendy Rheault, who was joined by Dr. Amanda Simanek, director of the Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research; Ms. Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of Community Care Connection; and Dr. Lisa Hopp, interim dean of the College of Nursing. The breakfast aimed to facilitate peer-to-peer networking and collaboration across sectors among equity advocates who are focused on developing solutions and system change in the community.
“I was impressed with the collaboration among community partners and funders under the auspices of RFU, as well as its Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research,” said Venoncia M. Baté-Ambrus, PhD, MS, MA, executive director of Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County. “I had several key takeaways.”
Among the takeaways was the importance of data as a catalyst for improved health in the community. Dr. Simanek reminded attendees of the groundbreaking work of the community-driven Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research, including better understanding of the social drivers of health and designing interventions to alleviate health equity issues.
