The Health Equity Compact: Driving Systemic Change toward Health Equity in Massachusetts

Supporters of the Health Equity Compact rallied for An Act to Advance Health Equity in front of the Massachusetts State House in September 2023. Photo credit: Health Equity Compact

Massachusetts became a leader in health care reform with its historic 2006 legislation, the model for the National Affordable Care Act. Today, health equity is its new chapter. Leveraging lived experience and leadership to propel the health equity movement, the Health Equity Compact (the Compact) advances systemic change toward health equity, and JSI plays a key role.

Angel Bourgoin, PhD, a senior associate at JSI, brings deep policy and research experience to support the work of the Compact, which is composed of more than 80 leaders of color from the health care, business, public health, academic, and philanthropic sectors across Massachusetts.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests, the Massachusetts legislature mandated the creation of a Health Equity Task Force to study health disparities and recommend ways to overcome them. In 2021, the Compact was born out of a desire to build on the task force’s recommendations and drive change in the state.

There are decades of research on health disparities and many recommendations on what to do. Compact members didn’t want yet another report to sit on the shelf—they wanted action,” said Angel.

JSI has collaborated with the Compact since it was conceived as an idea. It provides essential strategic advice and technical assistance for the Compact’s approach to policy and practice systems change. For the last three years, JSI has provided technical advice and assistance on policy development and advocacy, facilitated stakeholder engagement across diverse sectors, and helped conceptualize and organize events, including a Health Equity Trends Summit. The second annual summit was held last month and attracted more than 1,000 health equity champions.

The work of the Compact is closely aligned with that of the Delta Center for a Thriving Safety Net. This national JSI-led initiative brings primary care associations and behavioral health state associations together to advance policy and practice change. The Delta Center’s goal is to cultivate health policy, and a care system that is more equitable and better meets the needs of individuals and families. Massachusetts was one of the states funded in its first State Learning and Action Collaborative cohort, which helped pave the way for continued collaboration and coalition building among stakeholders.

We are elevating the imperative of advancing health equity and creating spaces for shared understanding, collaboration, and accountability across the state. The Compact is one-of-a-kind, and we hope it will be a model for the rest of the nation,” said Angel.

The Compact’s model provides insights for other state leaders interested in ending long-standing disparities in health and health care and underscores the importance of centering voices and leadership of color in these efforts. In this episode of the Delta Center podcast, Michael Curry, Esq., Compact co-founder and president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, describes the Compact’s establishment and the importance of collective action. In a new white paper, the Delta Center team describes the Compact’s history and accomplishments in the last three years.