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Thomas Jefferson University will expand its efforts to address health disparities with a $15 million gift from the health insurance company Humana.
The majority of the money — $12 million — will fund three permanent positions focused on health equity: a deanship in the College of Population Health, a professorship of community health and equity, and a chief community health and equity office for the Health System.
The remaining $3 million will support the Jefferson Collaborative for Health Equity, a partnership between Jefferson and community organizations that aims to narrow health disparities in Philadelphia.
“This collaboration demonstrates our shared commitment to advancing community health and health equity,” said J. Nwando Olayiwola, Humana’s chief health equity officer & senior vice president, in a press release announcing the donation.
Other Philadelphia-area health systems have also partnered with insurers to address community health challenges.
Independence Blue Cross partnered with 11 Philly-area health organizations — including Jefferson and Penn Medicine — to address disparities in treatment for substance abuse, obesity, diabetes and prenatal care, among other areas. When the initiative was announced last year, IBC had not committed to a specific financial investment, but said it would likely spend “in the single digit millions over a few years.”
» READ MORE: Philly hospitals and key insurers plan novel effort with the city to improve health equity
The new $15 million gift strengthens an existing tie between Jefferson and Humana, one of the largest health insurers in the country.
Last year, Humana joined Jefferson and Main Line Health as a co-owner of the Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization, a network of physicians for people covered by Medicare Advantage plans.
The new funding will allow Jefferson students and faculty to evaluate community outreach programs and identify best practices that could be replicated across the entire hospital system, said Billy Oglesby, the new Humana Dean of the College of Population Health.
For example, a Jefferson group is currently interviewing patients to understand how their social needs affect their health.
Better understanding this connection could help Jefferson’s providers offer more useful resources to the families they work with, Oglesby said.
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