Accelerate Health Equity

Accelerate Health Equity (AHE) is a city-wide initiative aimed at addressing health equity and racism, and advancing health through a unified approach in Philadelphia. AHE’s mission is to fight racism within health care by supporting and evaluating evidence-based interventions to address racism and improve the health of Black Philadelphians. 

AHE, led by Drs. Meghan Lane-Fall and Erica Dixon, is a collaboration with Independence Blue Cross and health systems across Philadelphia, including AmeriHealth Caritas, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Independence Blue Cross, Jefferson Health, Main Line Health, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Temple Health, Trinity Mid-Atlantic, and the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, all “working together for a healthier Philadelphia.”

Among other efforts, the initiative has partnered with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance for “Cycles of Impact” to increase colorectal cancer screenings for Black Philadelphians, and Together for West Philadelphia, which convenes health care systems, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and public and private stakeholders to achieve equitable health outcomes for West Philadelphians.

In 2023, AHE launched its inaugural grants program focused on health system-based gun violence prevention initiatives across the city, funding projects led by Temple Health, Jefferson Health, CHOP, and Penn Medicine investigators.