Our special initiatives include campaigns and programs implemented in conjunction with partner organizations that allow BWHI to leverage its extensive knowledge of and reach among Black women to create awareness around pertinent health causes.
Workplace Equity Initiative
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is developing a national workplace equity and anti-racism initiative to improve the health and wellness of Black women, particularly their experiences in the workplace. There is a need for national standards that are elevated through awareness, accountability, partnership, and evidence-based resources.
It was time to do what had never been done before. Celebrities, media personalities, policy makers, doctors, faith leaders and community stakeholders all gathered for a private roundtable to discuss the issue of uterine fibroids. This condition will affect 80% of Black women in the US. These statistics should make uterine fibroids a major public health priority. Join us in our new initiative UNMUTING FIBROIDS.
Rare Disease Diversity Coalition
The Black Women’s Health Imperative launched the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition to address the extraordinary challenges faced by rare disease patients of color. The Coalition brings together rare disease experts, health, and diversity advocates, and industry leaders to identify and advocate for evidenced-based solutions to alleviate the disproportionate burden of rare diseases on communities of color.
Reclaim Your Wellness Campaign
Black Women’s Health Imperative and HealthyWomen launched the Reclaim Your Wellness campaign to raise awareness of obesity as a national health crisis in a manner that is free of stigma, judgment, and bias. The multifaceted campaign is focusing on:
- Educating women about healthy eating and staying active
- Ensuring women have access to science-based comprehensive care
- Bringing leaders together from across industry to make policy changes to help reinforce active and healthy living
- Striving to reverse our nation’s costliest and most prevalent diseases
P.O.W.E.R. of Sure
The P.O.W.E.R. of Sure, is a national campaign designed to raise awareness of the disparities Black women face for mammography screening. The program is in partnership with Hologic, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOLX), an innovative medical technology company primarily focused on improving women’s health, and RAD-AID, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring equal access to radiology health services for medically underserved communities.
The campaign features Grammy award winning, Oscar and Golden Globe nominated artist Mary J. Blige and a multimedia digital hub with resources including common facts and myths about mammography, frequently asked questions regarding breast cancer and screening guidelines, a list of locations offering breast cancer screening, and information about what to expect when getting a mammogram during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEE-US
SEE–US (Socially/Emotionally Empowered–Unapologetically Smoke-Free) educates, trains, and mobilizes Women on Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campuses in the fight against smoking and vaping.
With the help of a $1 million dollar grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We’re raising awareness that the #1 cause of death in the black community is smoke-related illness, surpassing all other causes of death, including AIDS, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
NOURISH Program
N.O.U.R.I.S.H. stands for New Opportunity to Uncover our Resources, Intuition, Spirit and Healing. NOURISH is the Black Women Health Imperative’s doula training program that provides a 7-part intensive series with facilitators to gain knowledge and skills to support the needs of new birthing families, save lives, become community doula leaders, and facilitate self nurturing and healing.
Project TEACH
The future of health starts with you
The All of Us Research Program is a large research program. The goal is to help researchers understand more about why people get sick or stay healthy. he Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) knows the importance of Black women being included in research. With our involvement in this national program, we can help create a community of one million people who will share their unique health data for research. This may help develop new medical treatments that are unique to individuals, and enable a future of precision medicine not only for Black women, but for all of us.
Affordable Healthcare – ACA
Access to quality, affordable health care is a basic human right, regardless of race, gender, income or zip code. Black women experience numerous health disparities because Black women have often faced significant barriers to accessing quality and affordable health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been and continues to be critical in moving towards the elimination of health disparities faced by Black women and their families.
Since the implementation of the ACA, uninsured rate for Black women dropped by more than 40 percent.