Health Equity and Community Health
Working to ensure everyone can reach their most remarkable health.
Every human deserves the chance to be healthy. For many, good health can be hard to achieve or maintain due to a variety of social and economic factors.
At Novant Health, we recognize that these gaps exist, and we are actively working to close them. We are committed to helping every person – patients, team members and our communities at large – have access to the highest level of care for optimal wellness.
What health equity means to us.
Achieving health equity means working to give all people the personalized care they need to reach their best possible health. Reaching that goal requires strategic, focused, collaborative, ongoing efforts to address inequalities in society that are caused by historical and contemporary injustices.
Working toward health equity means addressing obstacles to wellness where they start with issues such as housing and homelessness; hunger and food scarcity; and more.
Novant Health’s efforts to promote health equity and reduce healthcare disparities are recognized by organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We believe diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) is foundational to the work of health equity. Novant Health has been recognized by several organizations.
Our Pledge.
- Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS): We believe every human being deserves to have the highest level of wellness, quality, safety, and patient experience. We pledge to ensure our team members are able and willing to take care of all patients.
- Addressing Healthcare Disparities: We believe that everyone deserves healthy and remarkable clinical outcomes. We pledge to identify and address when any person is less likely to experience equity in care.
- Education and Consulting: We believe education to understand ourselves, our team members, and the communities we serve, is essential. We pledge to proactively provide education and consultation, to ensure we are the best, fullest versions of ourselves when you come to see us, and the culture of our clinics and hospitals is one that seeks to understand and always respects the unique needs of all patients. Learn more about our partnership in education with UNC School of Medicine.
- Regulatory and Recognition: We believe that every hospital, center, and clinic should practice the national standards and best practices for health equity. We pledge to meet and exceed the expectations of regulatory and accreditation standards.
- Community Health: We believe that 80% of what impacts health are the factors we experience where we are born, live, work, pray, and age. We pledge to address these social determinants of health and deliver quality care that heals and strengthens our communities.
Dedicated to Making Healthcare Accessible for Everyone
At Novant Health, we recognize that historically marginalized groups—including those historically underrepresented by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, geographic location, language proficiency, health literacy, and disability status—often face significant health disparities. These disparities can manifest as poorer health outcomes, reduced access to healthcare, and lower quality of care compared to other populations.
To confront these challenges, Novant Health integrates a health equity perspective into all of our clinical interventions and community outreach initiatives. This approach is data-driven and evidence-based, ensuring that each of our facilities and clinics sets and pursues health equity goals that are customized to the needs of their specific communities.
A key focus of our long-term strategy is enhancing Maternal and Infant Health. Our objectives include expanding access to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care, comprehensively addressing the social determinants of health, and fostering respectful, culturally sensitive care. Through these efforts, we aim to improve health outcomes and elevate the quality of life for all patients and their families.