Advancing health equity
In partnership with industry-leading companies and organizations, we build initiatives that advance health equity through innovation.
Why health equity matters
Health equity is when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their highest level of health.
Achieving health equity requires eliminating preventable health inequities by addressing social determinants of health such as socioeconomic status, education, environment, geography, housing, food security, gender, race, age and access to care.
Health inequities are compounded by the intersections of different social determinants. Achieving optimal health requires understanding how different social factors overlap and affect health outcomes; only then can we improve health and health outcomes for individuals and communities.
Our health equity focus areas
MATTER works with companies and organizations to address access to, and affordability and quality of, care in the following areas of health equity. As we continue our health equity work, we will identify and innovate in new areas, as well.
Aging
Empowering older adults to live longer, healthier lives
Environment
Addressing the health inequities caused by rapid climate change and other environmental factors
Geographic location
Understanding how where someone lives and the surrounding environment affects their health and care
LGBTQ+ health
Addressing the queer community’s health needs and connecting them to LGBTQ+ friendly providers
Racial inequities
Improving health and health outcomes for people of color
Women’s health
Bridging the gender health gap and addressing the health needs of women+
Our health equity initiatives
We’re on a mission to make healthcare more human-centered, accessible and equitable. We partner with organizations across the healthcare ecosystem to address health inequities and advance health equity.
Large scale innovation initiatives
51 Labs — in partnership with Astellas, Walgreens, BayCare, Parkview Health, University Chicago Medicine and Capita3
Health Equity Innovation Challenge — in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Health Equity Innovation Accelerator — in partnership with the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago
Health equity on the MATTER Health Podcast
Hear it from our community
“Health equity, at the most basic level, means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as they can be. What does that mean in practice? It means that we, broadly as a society, think about the obstacles to health. That includes racism, poverty, discrimination, when people don’t have a voice and when they don’t have access to housing or economic and educational opportunities. We call these root causes the social determinants of health, and, in some ways, they end up having an even larger impact on health equity than access to healthcare itself.”
Dr. Allison Arwady
Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health
“Right now, there is an enormous economic disparity as it relates to wealth dispersion, or the equal access to financial opportunity in America. One symptom of that is the health disparities that exist in our community, which is why it was important for us to partner with MATTER to launch [the Health Equity Innovation Accelerator].”
Robert Johnson
Former Chief Economic Inclusion Officer and General Counsel of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
“Through the [Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest], we have learned that Loyola Chicago is at the forefront of the intersection of health equity and climate change in the U.S. We purposefully challenged innovators from across industries to shine a light on the need for innovation in this space, and we close out this program optimistic for the future and the progress that will continue to be made.”
Elaine Morrato, DrPH, MPH, CPH
Founding Dean and Professor of Loyola University Chicago's Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Ready to tackle health equity?
We're continuing to build out programs to expand upon our existing health equity initiatives and address new opportunity areas. Get in touch with us to learn how we can partner to make healthcare more equitable.
MATTER health equity inquiry