Health Equity Efforts at Englewood Health

Englewood Health’s mission is to transform lives through healthcare, from preventive services to highly specialized, lifesaving treatments. Key to this mission is ensuring that our services are available to all patients and community members. As part of our population health efforts, we work to address the health needs of the community with a focus on advancing health equity across all populations we serve.

“Health equity” as defined by the CDC is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Englewood Health takes a strategic approach to meeting this goal. Through research and data collection, we are gaining more insights into our community members’ needs, which helps us to create programs and enhance access to care and services to meet those needs. Through our health equity efforts, we:

• Provide access to customized healthcare and information needed for each individual to achieve their best possible health outcome.
• Leverage our internal strengths and clinical expertise to improve health literacy, increase compliance with recommended screenings, and promote healthy lifestyle choices.
• Forge strong community partnerships to connect individuals with the additional resources they may need, such as food and transportation, to wrap around our quality healthcare services in the delivery of true person-centered care.

Our health equity initiatives are always evolving and expanding. Here are some highlights:

July Focus: Food Insecurity During Summer

Many of us think of summer as a time of abundance: more sun, more warmth, more varied fruits and veggies, free time for children and more relaxation. For some however, summertime brings a challenge we don’t often think about. For households with children, the summertime away from school can bring additional challenges for food access—sometimes called the “summer hunger gap.” Throughout the year school meals help provide much needed nourishment for school-aged children who are experiencing or at risk for food insecurity, which has been shown to contribute to poor rates of learning, growth and development as well as higher chances of being diagnosed with attention deficits. During the summer when school is not in session, these vulnerable children and consequently their families as well may face shortages of food. New Jersey participates in SUN Bucks, a summer EBT program that adds more funding to existing SNAP program participants. There are also various federally funded Summer Nutrition Programs in different cities and states to help address food shortages that occur during the summer months. Here at Englewood Health we are actively engaged in screening our adult patients over the age of 18 for social determinants of health including food insecurity. For patients with children in their households, we want to encourage them to utilize available resources, including SUN Bucks, to address this concern and ensure everyone, especially our children, have what they need to continue to thrive healthfully.

June Focus: LGBTQ+ Health Disparities

During the month of June – recognized as “pride month” — organizations including Englewood Health hold events and engage in public education to celebrate identity and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues including health and health care. Recent research suggests that members of the LGTBQ+ community report poorer health status as compared to non-LGBTQ+ people, even though as a group they are younger. At Englewood Health we continue to work tirelessly to ensure everyone has access to the highest level of health care and are able to attain their best level of personal health. In 2024, we received the Equality Builder designation from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2024 Healthcare Equality Index. This is the nation’s foremost benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and best practices in healthcare facilities. With our recent inclusion of intake questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, we will be better equipped to identify opportunities where we can expand and improve access to care to ensure we continue making progress toward closing this health equity gap for the LGBTQ+ community.

Screening Tools

We are collecting information from our patients on their race, ethnicity, and language; sexual orientation and gender identity; and social determinants of health such as housing, access to food and transportation, and health literacy. We use this information to identity needs for community health interventions as well as deliver tailored services to individual patients. Learn more about how we use data on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Health Education Calendar

From Breast Cancer Awareness Month to National Hispanic Heritage Month, there are many special occasions throughout the year to celebrate our communities, support patients, and raise awareness of important health issues. We use nationally recognized awareness weeks and months to develop health education efforts, tailored to our community members’ needs and health literacy levels.

Community Benefit Report

The 2023 Community Health Benefit Report provides a high-level overview of key initiatives and activities provided by Englewood Health to support the health and well-being of the populations served. Download our report.

Community Health Needs Assessment

The criteria for the Englewood Health community health initiatives are guided by our 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment. The plan focuses on the development of Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies and Building Bridges. Our goals are achieved by optimizing Englewood Health’s internal network to increase capacity and access; engaging, educating, and screening community members; and strengthening community partnerships.

Diversity and Inclusion Education Council

Founded in fall 2020, the council brings together a cross section of Englewood Health leaders, physicians, and front-line staff, representing the diversity of its workforce. The council provides guidance to the health system’s leadership on two areas of focus: reducing healthcare disparities and enhancing diversity in the workplace. It has also participated in health promotion and disease prevention efforts in the communities the health system serves, including underserved communities.

Shirvan Family Live Well Center

The Shirvan Family Live Well Center in downtown Englewood is focused on promoting the health and wellness of our community through education and hands-on experience. With an emphasis on healthy emotional, physical, and nutritional practices, the center engages community members of all ages in making healthier choices to prevent health problems or in response to chronic conditions. The team includes health educators, nutritionists, chefs, social workers, art therapists, and fitness professionals. Its philosophy is simple: small healthy choices every day can lead to big health changes over time. Learn more about the Shirvan Family Live Well Center.

Englewood Health is committed to ensuring all patients and community members can achieve their optimal health. By developing programs and resources to address social determinants of health, removing barriers to care and education, and reducing health disparities, Englewood Health is leading the way in creating a healthier community for all.

Anita Ramsetty, MD, Director of Health Equity