Originally published in Quest Diagnostics’ 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report
QUEST FOR HEALTH EQUITY
We launched Q4HE in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed inequities in the healthcare system that had long existed. Q4HE focuses on improving access to testing and diagnostic services for under-resourced communities.
Our approach to health equity
Communities often know where the gaps in their healthcare services exist but lack the financial support or access to care to fill them.
Q4HE takes an intentional, comprehensive approach to working in local communities. This process starts with a deep analysis of the healthcare organizations and services that already exist in regions and cities. We conduct interviews with stakeholders and review reports like needs assessments and community improvement plans. Then, Q4HE seeks out the best-suited collaborators to take action and supports the formation of coalitions of community-based organizations. This coalition-building goes beyond grant funding to leverage organizations’ collective expertise and familiarity to develop best-fit programs for specific populations.
In 2023, Q4HE supported 2 community-based coalitions in Baltimore, Y of Druid Hill and Baltimore Connect. This built on Q4HE’s 2022 efforts to develop coalitions in Houston. In 2024, Q4HE also plans to bring its third community-based coalition together in Chicago after undergoing an extensive deep-dive analysis into what needs exist and which organizations are best suited to address them. Looking ahead, Q4HE plans to engage with grantees and other stakeholders to embed health equity knowledge, data, and expertise into our core services.
Q4HE’s impact to date
$38M granted
70+ initiatives
30 states—plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico—reached
$1M+ testing donated
We’re often told that the experience is different because we’re not providing funds and walking away. We’re doing much more by way of being at the table with the applicant, providing funds, and maintaining and sustaining the relationship with our grantees to be a part of the larger solution for reducing health disparities.”
– MICHAEL FLOYD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Q4HE
Focusing on community-led funding
Q4HE’s grant funding strategy focuses on enabling the expertise and work of local organizations to meet the needs of the populations they serve. Q4HE maintains relationships with grantees and goes beyond one-time donations to build sustainable, productive relationships. Grantees in 2023 included:
My favorite part about working with Choose Healthy Life is interacting with their partnering communities who are so welcoming and grateful for the healthcare resources being provided. It was obvious to observe, simply by stepping into these sacred places of worship, that they are all a close-knit and supportive community striving to help one another.”
– JENNIFER MARTZ, A GENOMIC COUNSELOR AT QUEST, AND VOLUNTEER AT A CHOOSE HEALTHY LIFE BLUEPRINT FOR WELLNESS TESTING EVENT IN DETROIT
Read more
To learn more about Q4HE, visit questforhealthequity.com.
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