We are thrilled to share that Vecinos was selected as one of only five organizations across 25 states to join the inaugural Health Equity Acceleration Cohort 2025, launched by the AbbVie Foundation in partnership with MATTER. This initiative brings together community-rooted organizations with bold ideas to tackle health disparities head-on.
Over the past three months, each organization in the cohort developed a strategy or initiative to address a critical health equity gap in their community. From mobile clinics to AI-driven outreach, here’s a glimpse at what our fellow changemakers are building:
- Healing California is delivering free dental, vision, and medical care via mobile clinics in remote areas. Their goal: improve equipment and expand services to reach over 1,300 people in the LA California area.
- HBI (Health Betterment Initiative) is using AI to enhance culturally tailored outreach and peer-led support, ensuring better engagement, data security, and trust across their communities.
- Healthy Hood (Chicago) is training local residents as health navigators to bring care directly into neighborhoods. Their “Volunteer CHWs” model shifts healthcare from clinics into communities through a scalable, grassroots approach.
- Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico is transforming food into medicine. Their innovative program links food security with chronic disease management, creating a prescription-based approach to health for older adults in Puerto Rico.And then there’s Vecinos. Our approach? Collaboration from the ground up.
Vecinos’ Executive Director, Marianne Martinez, presented a strategy that was built hand-in-hand with our patients — shaped by their lived experiences, voices, and needs. Marianne highlights how Vecinos searches and creates spaces to listen to our patients and get to understand how they define health, what barriers they face, and how they want to interact with healthcare providers. Also how Vecinos engaged regional partners, board members, and staff to create a culturally integrated care model that is responsive, inclusive, and empowering.
The Presentations were more than project pitches — they were deeply moving reminders of the work being done by everyday heroes in communities across the country. In uncertain times, it is these people and organizations that remind us what hope and impact truly look like.