View this email in your browser Dear John,  When I started my career as a healthcare provider, I believed that education and access to healthcare were enough to improve people’s lives.   Over time, I learned that health doesn’t occur in a vacuum – where people live, work, and raise their families is as influential as the medical care they receive. When people must choose between paying for rent or food because their full-time job doesn’t cover their living expenses, or their community lacks safe green spaces to play, their health suffers. What I know now is that access to care is not enough – any effort to improve health and reduce health inequities must keep the community at its heart.  That’s why as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Health Leads, I ensure our work remains focused on uplifting the community experiences that get us proximate to the real drivers of poor health. I am writing today to ask you to join me in this mission.   www.healthleadsusa.org/supportourwork This year, we have begun to see what is possible when we elevate the expertise of community members by asking our friends and neighbors what they experience as the most significant barriers to their health: We’ve helped make it easier for women and children in New York City to access healthy food.    We’re working on increasing access to essential resources to help Bay Area families stay in their homes.    We’re running national learning collaboratives to support healthcare leaders working closely with communities. But we still have so much work to do!  This holiday season, your gift to Health Leads ensures that we can continue working with, and learning from, communities to create more efficient strategies and solutions that move us closer to health equity – in my community and yours! With my deepest gratitude –   Tene Hamilton Franklin  Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  Health Leads  Give Now Our goal this December is to raise $30,000 to address the root causes of poor health in partnership with community members! Please join with us to improve health in communities across the country. Donate | Contact Us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Newsletter  |  healthleadsusa.org Copyright ©2019, Health Leads, All rights reserved. Health Leads is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Our mailing address is: Health Leads 24 School Street, 6th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.