2022 Impact Fund for Health Equity and Health Systems Grantees

The 2022 Impact Fund for Health Equity and Health Systems was supported by a generous grant from The Commonwealth Fund.

The grantees and their projects are:

Ted Alcorn, New Mexico in Depth and multiple reporting partners, reported on the systemic reasons for the high death rate from alcohol for Native Americans in New Mexico.

Yvette Benavides and David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio, collaborated on a radio documentary in English and Spanish that explores health care barriers for Hispanic children with Type 2 diabetes in San Antonio and the long-term health implications for these children. 

Eli Cahan, investigated how uranium mining in the Southwest exposed members of Indian tribes to dangerous radiation, which has left many with chronic diseases such as fibrosis, leukemia and renal failure.

Angus Chen, STAT, looked into the reasons for the low participation rates of people of color in cancer trials and how that may affect the reliability of findings.

David Cordero Mercado and Marga Parés Arroyo, El Nuevo Día/GFR Media, examined how the exclusion of U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico from Social Security Disability (SSI) is reflected in their health disparities and living conditions.

Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY, examined rural communities/communities of color that lack maternity health care and the impact on women’s health.

Anita Hofschneider, a reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat, reported on how Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders who struggle with diabetes contend with barriers within the medical system while highlighting potential solutions.

Priyanka Runwal, National Geographic, reported on systemic barriers to immigrants seeking treatment for COVID-19.

Talis Shelbourne, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, examined the disproportionate asthma hospitalization rates among Milwaukee’s Black families, and its relationship to poor housing conditions and Milwaukee’s health and city government systems. The reporting also appraised health systems that have improved asthma hospitalization rates.

Farah Yousry, WFYI, Side Effects Public Media and the Indianapolis Recorder, documented disparities between federal research and clinical support for two gene-based diseases: sickle cell disease, which primarily afflicts Blacks, and cystic fibrosis, which primarily afflicts whites, and the resulting outcomes for patients with these conditions.

Amy Yurkanin, Alabama Public Media, investigated racial disparities in gynecological care in Alabama and the South.