Merck Foundation Launches $22M Initiative Aimed at Improving Cardiovascular Care

The Merck Foundation has launched the Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care, a $22 million, five-year initiative aimed at enhancing access to high-quality, person-centered health care for people living with heart conditions in the U.S.

Eleven organizations are receiving grants to support the development and implementation of evidence-informed, comprehensive programs to improve health outcomes in communities where access to timely care for cardiovascular disease is a challenge.

“By addressing the medical and social needs of people living with heart conditions, the Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care will have a significant, lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the country,” said Kalahn Taylor-Clark, vice president and head, Social Impact & Sustainability, Merck.

The Foundation is providing grants to select non-profit health care and public health organizations working with local community-based groups. As a Collaborative, they will help bridge gaps in the delivery of care for a range of heart conditions and advance sustainable, and potentially scalable, approaches to improve the lives of people with heart disease.

Collaborative program grantees include:

• Capital Health System (Trenton, New Jersey)
• The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Gallup Community Health (Gallup, New Mexico)
• Georgia State University Research Foundation/Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (Atlanta, Georgia)
• La Clínica del Pueblo (Washington, D.C.)
• MedNorth Health Center (New Hanover, North Carolina)
• Providence Medical Foundation (Sonoma County, California)
• Public Health Institute/Population Health Innovation Lab (Lake County, California)
• University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care (McKeesport, Pennsylvania)
• Zufall Health Center (Morris County, New Jersey)

The Foundation is also supporting the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity as the Collaborative’s National Program Office (NPO), which will provide technical assistance to grantees as they build local partnerships and implement their programs. The NPO will also foster peer-to-peer learning among grantees, conduct a cross-site evaluation and disseminate the Collaborative’s results and lessons learned.