The BETA Project
The BETA Project is an initiative that strives to transform healthcare systems to be responsive to community needs, center community voice, and take active steps to improve healthcare for all people by the time Generation Beta becomes adults. The BETA Project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Improving healthcare systems now so that Generation Beta can thrive later!
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Improving healthcare systems now so that Generation Beta can thrive later! 〰️
Across the United States, access to quality healthcare is not available to everyone because healthcare does not center community needs and community voice. To address this lack of community-responsive healthcare, in 2024 we launched The BETA Project, an initiative designed to generate community-driven solutions to community-identified health problems. The BETA Project plants seeds now to address today's challenges, while also looking ahead to Generation Beta (those born between 2025 and 2039) so that they have the tools, resources, access, and information they need to thrive as adults!
The BETA Project works with four sites across the United States:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Greensboro, North Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Worcester, Massachusetts
These four sites will learn from each other and collaborate with their respective communities to identify ways to build community power in order to improve health outcomes. While each site is distinct, they are united by a shared goal: to envision, strategize, and create new healthcare norms, practices, policies, and structures that reflect the wisdom, priorities, and leadership of the communities that interact with them the most.
The BETA Project strives to make healthcare and public health systems more fair and just, and treat all people with dignity and respect.
To achieve these goals, we use iterative processes that allow communities to:
1) Define what health and wellness looks like;
2) Set priorities;
3) Reframe harmful narratives; and
4) Design, test, and refine strategies to advance health for all,
By taking the time now to identify and address some of the major barriers to health, the BETA Project allows communities to rectify past harms and actively take steps to prevent future ones. By the time that Generation Beta becomes adults, we envision societies with healthcare systems that are responsive to community needs, center community voice, and take active steps to improve healthcare for all people.