Closing the Healthcare Gap With Innovation
By Philips ∙ September 10, 2024 ∙ 3 min read
The challenge
In today’s ever-evolving healthcare landscape, access to quality care for underserved and marginalized communities remains a looming challenge. But everybody deserves access to quality care. At Philips, we share the World Health Organization’s definition of access to care as universal healthcare – which means all people having access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.
Article at a glance
Our purpose is clear and unwavering: to enhance the health and well-being of people worldwide through meaningful innovation. Aiming to touch 2.5 billion lives per year by 2030, we're committed to improving healthcare access, especially for the 400 million people in underserved communities. This requires a network of innovative solutions, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and public/private partnerships all geared towards making healthcare accessible to all.
Philips’ approach
Philips' vision for the U.S. healthcare system is about delivering better care to more people. We envision a future where every individual receives the quality care they need, whenever they need it. Achieving this demands a multi-faceted approach – leveraging cutting-edge technology, building meaningful partnerships, and spearheading community-focused projects. By drawing on our expertise in medical technology and collaborating with strategic allies, we’re knocking down the barriers that hinder equitable healthcare access.
Health inequities manifest in various ways, from disparities in insurance coverage to gaps in care quality and outcomes. For example, Black infants face twice the mortality rates of their White counterparts, and diabetes mortality rates for American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and Black populations are significantly higher than White populations. These stark statistics highlight the pressing need for targeted interventions.1
Real-world impact
Here are just some initiatives that Philips has embarked on to bridge the healthcare access gap:
CSR projects
Farmworkers Family Health Program: In Georgia, Philips collaborates with Emory University to deliver quality care to seasonal farmworkers, overcoming obstacles like language barriers and lack of transportation. Nursing students gain hands-on experience with Philips technologies, while farmworkers receive essential healthcare services.
Partnership with March of Dimes: Addressing maternity care deserts (counties where there’s limited or no access to birthing hospitals, birth centers offering obstetric care, or obstetric providers), Philips Foundation and March of Dimes are enhancing healthcare access in regions like Washington, D.C., Tucson, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio. The initiative aims to provide access to care to approximately 425,000 uninsured and underinsured women in the U.S., who currently receive inadequate care, representing 15% of all live births in the country.
Tulalip Tribes Emergency Response: To improve access to emergency response care for the AIAN people of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington state, we’ve donated AEDs and implemented training programs. This partnership is designed to decrease cardiac arrest response time and improve outcomes for cardiac incidents in these remote communities.
MedShare Partnership in the Bay Area: Our partnership with MedShare targets healthcare inequalities in the Bay Area, particularly high infant mortality rates in African American communities. Through ultrasound donations and community programs, mothers have better quality prenatal care, making sure that vulnerable populations receive the medical attention they deserve.
Collaborative projects
Mobile Cancer screenings: A model for public-private partnership, New York State is partnering with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Philips to bring life-saving mobile lung cancer screenings to high-need communities. Aimed at advancing public health through mobile cancer screening, this “screening on wheels” is outfitted with the latest edition Philips Incisive CT, the only mobile unit of its kind in the U.S.
Pregnancy+ App: As part of an initiative to remove maternal care barriers (e.g. race, ethnicity, income, and education level) the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is using the Pregnancy+ app to connect Medicaid-eligible families to vital state resources and support programs and information designed to improve health. The program reaches 12,000 Medicaid-eligible families and nearly 80% of users say the app has helped them learn more about locally available maternal health resources.2
Innovation that drives success
The kind of healthcare innovation required to meet the needs of such diverse populations spans a wide range of our technologies:
A collaborative future
Collaboration is key to addressing these complex health challenges, and it takes partners working closely together with the communities being served and with those delivering healthcare at the local level. Through collaboration with governments, NGOs, and other partners, Philips is delivering sustainable healthcare solutions to more people with the goal of making it accessible and equitable for all. Because we believe healthcare is a fundamental human right, not just a privilege for some.
To learn more about our access to care initiatives, visit us and see how we’re creating better care for more people.
