The HEZ and C-19 Key Learnings
This microsite explores the history of community health in Rhode Island — specifically within the two urban cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls — and details the innovative infrastructure that was created in 2015 to deliver community health that ended up being instrumental to the response to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, and what could have been an even worse scenario. That infrastructure and coordination with partners ended up forging lasting and tight community bonds that will be key for any future challenge.
Here, you'll learn about how Health Equity Zones came about, and why Pawtucket and Central Falls were included in the first cohort of zones. You'll be introduced to the collaborative, see examples of how that functions and see some of the tools that have been deployed through the years. You'll read about the early days of the pandemic and how the HEZ responded to the need. And you'll be taken through some of the unique challenges faced in the community and the steps that were taken to address them. We've also included a look at ways the HEZ plans to build resident resiliency and engagement, and we have provided a taste of community voices. Finally, there is a toolkit that can be used to take steps to establish your own Health Equity Zone.
The LISC Relationship
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a national, non-profit Community Development Financial Institution which has prioritized working with residents and partners to create healthy, resilient and equitable communities for more than 40 years, so when our partners at the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) embarked on a new strategy to address community health, it was clear that we wanted to help. LISC Rhode Island is committed to both health equity and a collaborative approach to finding solutions, which was the priority for the new Health Equity Zone infrastructure pilot. When the program launched in 2015, LISC Rhode Island became the "backbone entity" for the Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone (PCF HEZ) — the largest of the zones — and got to work.
LISC is an investor, capacity builder, convener and innovator. We pool public and private dollars, work with local partners to achieve transformational results, and invest in people and places where they will have the most impact.
During the past nine years, LISC Rhode Island has sought funding to support PCF HEZ programs and create change through impact investments. In addition to the investment from RIDOH to support infrastructure, LISC Rhode Island has raised an additional $1.34 million from funding partners like Care New England, Navigant, Point32Health, the Wallace Foundation, the Rhode Island Foundation, and others, to specifically support programs and interventions designed to address community concerns and improve the social determinants of health of residents. In the past few years alone, LISC has invested more than $11.5 million in affordable housing and child care facilities in projects like the Branch Blackstone, plus made a transformational investment of $12.2 million to build the Blackstone Valley Neighborhood Health Station located on the border between Pawtucket and Central Falls.
In 2019, LISC invested $12.2M, which included $4.2M in equity through New Markets Tax Credits, to build this community health care center to provide full-service resources to 90% of the area.
Read The HEZ: Early Days
This project was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, through cooperative agreement OT18-1802, Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services Through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health award #6 NU38OT000303-04-02. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.