Illustration of scale with hearts showing Health Inequities
Illustration by Shutterstock

Rutgers is launching an initiative to improve the health and quality of life in communities that face food insecurity, high unemployment, low high school graduation rates, and shrinking household income—funded through a $10 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The four-year grant, part of a larger presidential and universitywide commitment to support health equity, creates the Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health (REACH) and brings together university researchers, faculty, and students with community-based organizations to address health inequities. Participants will find ways to improve health outcomes by looking into social determinants of health and working with people where they live, work, play, and age.

“The pandemic definitely exposed the health inequities that researchers have identified time and again,” says Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway. “With the help of the foundation’s grant, Rutgers will work closely with our communities to determine what’s needed at home, work, and school to make health outcomes and lives better for all residents.”