The Adams Family: John Henry, Heaven (10), Kayden (14), Jordan (14), Aria (6), and Tanya in front of their new home in Churchhill, VA, at Habitat for Humanity Richmond's Home Dedication, July 14, 2022.
A lack of reliable transportation, poor housing and living conditions, economic disparities, even cultural influences — these and other nonmedical factors (also known as social determinants of health) can all make a big impact on a person’s ability to achieve and sustain good health.
Bon Secours recognizes that the factors that promote individual and community health extend far beyond the walls of their hospitals. One of the ways the nonprofit health system does this is through investing in affordable housing projects that give members of the communities in which they serve the tools they need to achieve better health.
Bon Secours conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to uncover the key areas of health need facing the residents of the greater Richmond community. The most recent assessment, which was completed in 2022, revealed that inequality and social and economic disparities make it harder for some people to access quality health care. To help overcome these disparities, Bon Secours is increasing its investment in community-based organizations by expanding the capacity of equal health care services and treatment for all people, especially those in poor and underserved communities.
More specifically, between 2023 and 2025, Bon Secours is looking to invest more than $3 million to address economic equity, affordable housing, education and workforce development. In addition, the health system is looking to grow community health worker and other allied health worker networks by at least 20% to connect patients to resources.
“Supporting community health and outreach work in the affordable housing space in Richmond is something we’ve been doing for many years. Bon Secours believes that conditions of housing and neighborhoods are one of the most important predictors of a person’s health — and in a very real sense, ‘housing is health,’” said Becky Clay Christensen, executive director of community health for Bon Secours Richmond. “Bon Secours is proud that over the past 10 years, we have provided more than $8 million in Community Benefit Investment grants to nonprofit organizations specifically addressing affordable housing and community livability across the Richmond region.”
The Adams family love their new home built by Habitat for Humanity Richmond.
In fact, Bon Secours was the first investor in the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust, a local initiative that purchases land and rehabs existing homes in rapidly gentrifying Richmond neighborhoods. By maintaining ownership of the land beneath the properties, the trust is able to keep purchase prices at a reasonable level, opening up the possibility of homeownership to qualified low- or moderate-income buyers who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a house in the current real estate market. Ultimately, the goal is to create opportunities for new buyers to build multi-generational wealth, develop strong relationships with their neighbors, and experience the stability, equity-building and pride that stem from homeownership — all of which contribute to an improved sense of wellness for the residents.
Through its initial investment, Bon Secours has inspired other local partners to invest in and support the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust over the years. Since its inception in 2016, the project has continued to build new homes as it manages dozens of owner-occupied homes and boasts more than 200 additional units presently in the pipeline. A fitting tribute to its visionary namesake, Maggie Walker was the first Black woman to establish a bank in the United States.
Through these types of efforts, those that extend beyond hospital walls, Bon Secours is improving the overall health of the community.
To learn more about how Bon Secours is working to break down barriers to improve the overall health of the community, visit bonsecours.com.
