We’re committed to taking meaningful actions towards creating the stronger, healthier world we’ve been striving for.
I’ve been at Healthline for nearly a decade, and through the many shifts, changes, and growth spurts we’ve experienced in that time, our mission and focus has remained steady: to create a stronger, healthier world for everyone.
We firmly believe that everybody deserves to live a healthy life, no matter what, and are committed to being our readers’ ally and advocate in that pursuit.
But what does a health journey look like when you can’t pay for your prescriptions?
When the closest grocery store is more than 10 miles away?
When the doctor doesn’t speak your language?
The fact is, there is no level playing field when it comes to health and wellness. Identity, culture, habits, socioeconomic status, and lived experiences create a rich tapestry that informs each person’s path to health, and our current system leaves far too many people behind.
Systemic inequalities in healthcare, housing, employment, education, and more create real barriers for many people in accessing even the most basic care, and play a major role in determining health outcomes. Those same issues are often compounded for people and communities that have been pushed to the margins by racism, sexism, xenophobia, ableism, cissexism, and heterosexism.
As the number one health publisher in the U.S., it’s our responsibility to acknowledge those challenges and provide real, tangible solutions. While we recognize our own limitations in solving these complex and deeply rooted problems, we can shine a light on them and work toward change.
We can use our platform to amplify important voices and diverse, intersectional perspectives, and shape our content strategy to question the systems, language, and science that have excluded people, communities, and cultures. We can commit to taking meaningful actions towards creating that stronger, healthier world we’ve been striving for.
That’s why we launched TRANSFORM: Health Equity.
In this immersive experience, we’re taking a deeper look at factors that prevent people from living their healthiest lives and exploring the concept of health equity (or lack thereof) through storytelling, educational tools, and community engagement. We’re collaborating with our sister-site, the newly re-launched Psych Central, to look at how systemic inequalities in our society and our health system impact access to affirming mental healthcare. I’m excited and proud to partner with this dedicated team, led by my brilliant colleague, editor in chief Faye McCray, to bring these important conversations and resources to life.
We’re unveiling this program at an interesting inflection point for our nation and world. After more than a year in various states of lockdown — a year of isolation, of disconnection, of loss — a sense of normalcy is beginning to emerge as we return to the routines and rituals of everyday life. People are feeling more hopeful, myself included. But at this time, it’s more important than ever that we do not forget the lessons we learned and commitments we made over the last year. The pandemic had a way of laying bare the deep injustices and inequalities that impact our society. Sometimes, it felt like we all had front row seats to a theater of pain and tragedy.
It also taught us that when we show up for each other and take steps to help not just ourselves, but our communities, we can create big changes we never thought possible. It takes work — allyship is a practice that requires sustained action. TRANSFORM: Health Equity represents one element of that practice and long-term commitment for us at Healthline Media. With it, we hope to illuminate the very tangible effects of health inequalities and acknowledge those who are most impacted by them, to empower those who have been marginalized with resources, connection, and support, and to create opportunities for allies to take healthy, positive action. We hope you’ll join us.
Erin Petersen-Edge, Editor in Chief