Collaboration at its Best 

Partnerships Key to Reducing Health Disparities 

By Brigette Settles Scott, MA


Closing the Gap, First Summit Packs the House • January/February 2003


According to Dr. Robert Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment, there are no easy answers when it comes to solving the health care crisis facing racial and ethnic minorities in this country. But, with the help of his organization and 

others like it, numerous efforts across the country are helping to make 

quality heath care more accessible and affordable, and improving the 

health outcomes of many Americans. 

Dr. Ross was one of the headline keynote speakers for this year’s 

National Leadership Summit where he addressed nearly 2,000 attendees at the luncheon plenary 

an informed and empowered citizenry will all be required to achieve 

this goal,” Gavin added. 

Each year, private sector organizations such as the California 

Endowment, Ford Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, Robert 

Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Gates Foundation provide millions of dollars of funding to address core health issues. Without the 

resources expended by private sector foundations—in partnership 

with a wide range of other organizations—critical research and communication campaigns aimed at reducing racial and ethnic disparities 

in medical care would not be possession on the importance of “The goals of eliminating health disparities sible. It is through these collabobuilding public-private partner- rative efforts that quality health 

ships to eliminate racial and ethic cannot be achieved without a care programs are made available 

disparities in health. Joining him to consumers, which may other- concerted and sustained effort...” during this well attended and 

popular session was Dr. James R. 

Gavin III, incoming president of Morehouse Medical School. In their 

separate remarks, both mirrored one another on the importance of 

developing and sustaining effective public-private partnerships as a 

key strategy to solving many of the complex challenges associated 

with eliminating disparities in health—encompassing every aspect of 

the health care and its related systems. 

According to Dr. Ross, the importance of building effective partnerships is helped considerably by one’s ability to build an “effective 

constituency.” 

“We need to take stock internally of our own ability to build an 

effective strategy and execute,” he said. “Execution always trumps 

strategy. You execute a strategy to build a constituency to create the 

political environment under which people can act,” he added. 

Dr. Ross went on talking about what some may call “a subject 

that may be a little bit uncomfortable.” “I’m going to put something 

on the table. I’m disturbed that if black folks are in this corner talking 

about what they must have on disparities and Latinos are in that 

corner talking about what they deserve and American Indians and 

Alaska Natives are over in their corners, the disabilities are kind of way 

over there in that corner, I’m afraid that we will lose a marvelous 

opportunity to form an extraordinary coalition ...We cannot afford to 

be splintered on this issue,” Ross said. 

“The goals of eliminating health disparities cannot be achieved 

without a concerted and sustained effort on the development of effective, integrated, inter-agency, and cross-organizational partnerships 

between the public and private sectors,” said Dr. Gavin. 

“To make real progress on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities 

in this country, the full integrated participation of partners that comprise the public and private biomedical, epidemiological, clinical and 

behavioral research sectors, the social policy and health economy sector, health and healthcare training programs, the political sector, healthcare administration, especially managed care, public health 

workers and thought leaders, community- and faithbased organizations, private industry, philanthropy and 

wise not exist. 

Cory Hoze, HHS Regional 

Director for Region V in Chicago, and plenary session moderator 

added that alliances underscore the importance of public-private partnerships working together and sharing resources and expertise to reduce disparities in health. “The Federal government itself, even working with state and local governments, cannot achieve its ultimate goal 

without building strong partnerships with the private sector,” Hoze 

said. “HHS believes that building meaningful partnerships is key to 

achieving our goal of eliminating racial health disparities,” he added. 

Partnerships at Work 

When viewed on a broad scale, the elimination of racial and ethic 

disparities in health may seem overwhelming and impossible to solve. 

However, Federal, state, and local public-private initiatives across the 

country offer hope that positive changes in the health status of minorities is possible. Moreover, community-based programs have made 

great progress in increasing access to care and improving the delivery 

of quality health care services. 

Partnership activities are expanding throughout the country.The 

California Endowment is one example of the public and private sectors working together to reduce disparities in health. Created in 

1996, the California Endowment is a private, statewide health foundation with $3.1 billion in assets. Through October 2002, the Endowment has awarded more than 3,400 grants totaling more than 

$968 million to community-based organizations throughout California. The Foundation’s goal is to expand access to affordable quality 

health care for underserved individuals and communities within the 

state. The California Endowment expects to distribute more than 

$200 million in funds over the next five years. 

“In order to help us achieve these goals, we firmly believe in the 

principle that communities must serve as the driving force for effecting change,” said Dr. Ross. “Partnerships and alliances with 

key stakeholders to advance a health and well-being 

continued on page 2>>>> 

Office of Minority Health Resource Center 1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Collaboration at its Best 

Partnerships Key to Reducing Health Disparities 

By Brigette Settles Scott, MA


Closing the Gap, First Summit Packs the House • January/February 2003


agenda are critical. Whether with our grantees, fellow foundations, 

state government, or others, we recognize the power of working together to leverage our resources.” 

All present seemed to agree that there is strength in numbers. 

Maximizing resources is a cost-effective benefit of creating partnerships. “Whether through financial support or human sweat equity, 

innovative strategies can be employed to reach the desired goal,” Dr. 

Ross said. 

Like the California Endowment, other foundations and healthrelated organizations have recognized the importance of building collaborative partnerships to make best use of resources and to have the 

greatest impact on eliminating health disparities. On the national 

level, the Kaiser Family Foundation funds activities in minority health 

focused on efforts to reduce disparities specifically in health care access, such as policy research analysis and media and public education 

activities. Likewise, through its philanthropy efforts, the Robert Wood 

Johnson Foundation partners with hospitals, medical, nursing, and 

public schools, hospices, professional associations, research organizations, state and local government agencies, and community groups by 

funding training, education, research, and projects aimed at delivering quality health care services. 

While the impact of public-private partnerships through national foundations, organizations and government is unquestionable, 

partnerships formed at the grassroots level can also yield significant 

results. According to Dr. Gavin, the key is to explore all of the possibilities. “Community- and faith-based organizations within the private sector are critical to effective partnerships, Dr. Gavin said. “It’s 

because they are the most credible and persistent voices of individual 

accountability,” he added. 

Gavin further believes that more can be done to leverage resources and create additional partnership opportunities. “I think that 

we have underutilized the potential of foundations,” said Gavin. 

“Likewise, we have underutilized the potential of the pharmaceutical 

industry as a partner in elimination of disparities,” he said. 

Dr. Gavin stressed the need to be creative in the way all of us 

perform our public and private partnerships, assign resource allocation and promote integration of messages across the health system. 

“By focusing on new or more effective ways of developing these partnerships and allocating resources to address and eliminate health disparities, I believe we will provide the necessary forums and dialogs and 

the mechanisms for assaying whether we are targeting funds and 

human capital in the right direction for achievement of this increasingly urgent goal for the whole of society,” he said. 

For more information on the organizations included herein, please 

contact the Office of Minority Health Resource Center at 800-444­

6472.

Office of Minority Health Resource Center 2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services