Take Action for Health: Seeking to Help Reduce Health Disparities

In 2016 and 2017 Anthem, Inc., City of Hope, the National Urban League, and Pfizer collaborated to create and pilot Take Action for Health, an interactive web tool. The objective of the tool is to help reduce chronic health disparities in African American communities that contribute to increased morbidity and mortality.

Take Action for Health provides health education and information on low- and no-cost health services, encourages screenings, and allows participants to share their screening information with healthcare providers in four high-risk areas: breast health, heart health, emotional well-being, and prediabetes (created after the pilot). To reinforce the importance of health screenings to detect diseases early when they are more treatable, the web tool also encourages people to attend onsite wellness seminars at Urban League affiliate offices.

To understand the efficacy of the web tool coupled with wellness seminars, the Take Action for Health team designed a pilot study that used pre- and post-test surveys administered to participants at three Urban League affiliates in Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; and Houston, TX. The study found participants at post-test were more likely to

• Schedule an appointment for a breast cancer screening
• Schedule an appointment for a high blood pressure test
• Schedule an appointment for a depression/anxiety risk assessment

Participants in the pilot at post-test found the web tool

• Was helpful in providing information on heart health, emotional well-being, and breast health
• Helped them communicate with their provider about heart health, depression, and breast health

Participants in the pilot at post-test found the National Urban League wellness seminars

• Were very good/excellent at providing information on heart health, emotional well-being, and breast health, which was useful/helpful
• Helped them talk to their provider about heart health/high blood pressure, emotional well-being/depression, and breast health

The success of the Take Action for Health pilot shows that with thoughtful, culturally sensitive programs, eliminating chronic health disparities in the African American community may be possible.

Take Action for Health is a collaboration with Anthem, Inc., City of Hope, the National Urban League, and the Pfizer Multicultural Center of Excellence (MCoE), an effort led by Pfizer’s Corporate Affairs group focused on helping to improve health equity across diverse populations, reducing health disparities, and raising the level of multicultural competency and engagement across Pfizer. The Pfizer MCoE builds partnerships with key multicultural groups in the United States – including patient advocacy organizations, healthcare provider associations, community groups, and legislative caucuses – to support initiatives and outreach concentrated around four key areas of focus: access programs, healthcare resources, diversity in clinical trials, and disease awareness.