Humana Inc. and Volunteers of America are announcing a new community outreach program designed to educate and engage residents of West Louisville neighborhoods. The initiative, called “Determined Health,” will support Community Health Workers (CHWs) to provide grassroots outreach, connecting area residents with high-quality, accessible health care services as well as a trusted social service referral platform.

The program will impact the entire West Louisville community but is designed for Humana Health Plan members, specifically those who have not been utilized their primary care physician, those who have chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and those with maternal health needs. Determined Health will also utilize an interactive mobile social health access referral platform, “Unite Usopens new window,” which connects community and healthcare organizations to critical social service resources within their communities.

Determined Health’s Community Health Worker program is based on a well-documented and trusted workforce solution to improving health and building capacity at the community level, responding to challenges that communities like West Louisville have historically faced – such as socio-economic instability and lack of access to healthcare and social service resources that lead to preventable chronic diseases, adverse maternal-child health outcomes and other health inequities. Through this partnership, VOA and Humana aim to reduce health disparities in West Louisville and improve health outcomes for all program participants.

“VOA is thrilled to be a partner in this innovative and life-changing campaign and we’re so grateful to Humana for their leadership and commitment. Our goal is providing education and access that lead to improved health outcomes for residents of West Louisville. Our trained Community Health Workers are ready to answer questions, connect people to care, support the people we serve and make sure we are helping people stay healthy,” said Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO of Volunteers of America Mid-States.

Hancock and Keisha Smith, who is Humana’s Associate Director of Health Equity and Population Health Strategy, will announce more details of the program at a Community Health Fair and Kick-Off. The event will take place on July 16 from 11 am-1 pm at VOA’s community-based offices for the program at 4303 West Broadway. Community partners including the Louisville Metro Health Department will provide free diabetes and cancer screenings, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations, at the event.

“Humana is proud to partner with Volunteers of America Mid-States to help advance health equity in West Louisville,” said Smith. “We know it takes all of us to address the root causes of health inequities and make it easy for people to gain access to the care and resources they need to live a healthy life. This is all part of how Humana intends to further the Community of Opportunity work we launched earlier this yearopens new window, to address social determinants of health and connect more people in West Louisville to easy, personalized care.”

“Humana’s efforts in West Louisville and this partnership with Volunteers of America are critical to fulfilling our commitment to ensuring that high-quality health care is equally available to anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances,” said Dr. J. Nwando Olayiwola, Humana’s new Chief Health Equity Officeropens new window. “This partnership leverages both a committed workforce of CHWs and advanced technology that are critical to an equitable healthcare