Community Health Solutions: How We’re Meeting People Where They Are to Improve Community Health

America is facing a growing epidemic of chronic disease. Many of the most common chronic conditions, like cardiovascular disease and cancer, are often treatable. Yet for too many people, access to screenings, trusted care, and community resources are out of reach.

Novartis is working to close these gaps through a partnership-based community health solutions (CHS) strategy that helps create practical, community-driven ways to connect more people to the care they need. CHS is grounded in one simple idea: Health should be within reach for everyone. It’s our commitment to go beyond medicine and be intentional about how we address the social and systemic factors that shape good health. 

Advancing the Health of Our Communities

Guided by science and built on collaboration, CHS is core to our business. It is designed to tackle critical areas of unmet need where Novartis has both a legacy of innovation and a responsibility to do more by:  

• Addressing barriers that keep millions of people from accessing care  
• Extending the reach of our science to more communities  
• Strengthening trust where it matters most
• Creating the conditions for long-term impact

“We can't do it alone. We have to do it together,” says Binta Beard, Head of US Social Impact at Novartis and President of the Novartis US Foundation. “And part of that involves centering the voices and expertise of communities that speak to the unique needs of a community.” 

We can't do it alone. We have to do it together. And part of that involves centering the voices and expertise of communities that speak to the unique needs of a community.

—Binta Beard, Head of US Social Impact, Novartis, and President of the Novartis US Foundation

By working alongside community organizations, national advocates, and medical institutions, we’re helping break down barriers and build new pathways to better breast, prostate, and cardiovascular health for two million people in the United States by 2030.

Building on our decades-long commitment to healthier communities around the world, CHS focuses on what works locally—meeting people where they are. We start by listening and learning from community members and local leaders. Then, we co-create initiatives that reflect real experiences and are designed to close the persistent gaps between people and the care they need. 

HEART: Improving Heart Health in Three Cities

VIDEO

Across the United States, cardiovascular health continues to reveal deep gaps in access, prevention, and care. Too many people face barriers that delay diagnosis or make it harder to manage heart disease, leading to preventable illness and loss of life. These challenges are driven not just by individual risk factors but by the systems and conditions that shape where and how people receive care. Changing them requires coordinated action, so that where someone lives—or what they earn—doesn’t determine their heart health.  

That’s why we recently launched a new partnership with Meharry Medical College School of Global Health. HEART, (Health Assessments and Rapid Transformation) is the latest example of how Novartis is working with trusted community partners to identify and address gaps in care for often overlooked communities.  

“This partnership centers around community. When communities are empowered and engaged from the very beginning, we can see remarkable results,” said Daniel E. Dawes, JD, Founding Dean of the Meharry Medical College School of Global Health and Senior Vice President of Global Health.

HEART is a five-year commitment to improve cardiovascular outcomes in Nashville, Detroit, and San Bernardino—three cities with high cardiovascular risk and unique local challenges.

“Our vision is clear: We want to help communities across America to live longer and better lives by building bridges to care for those that need it most,” says Beard.

Our vision is clear. We want to help communities across America to live longer and better lives by building bridges to care for those that need it most.

—Binta Beard, Head of US Social Impact, Novartis, and President of the Novartis US Foundation

By building community advisory panels, co-designing interventions, and tracking progress, HEART is helping answer a fundamental question: When communities lead the way, how much better can health outcomes be?  

Our Community-First Approach 

Across Novartis, we have always believed real change happens with, not for, communities. That’s why we partner with patient organizations and local leaders to design programs that empower communities to take charge of their health. 

EngAGE with Heart, Led by the Global Coalition on Aging 

In Maryland, residents are experiencing higher than average rates of heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity, increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke¹. EngAGE with Heart in Baltimore is embedding cardiovascular health directly into community life. By training trusted community health ambassadors and hosting events in familiar spaces like churches and senior centers, the program delivers education, screenings, and preventive resources where they are most needed. This model is helping more people understand their risk, take action early, and access ongoing support. Learn more about the engAGE with Heart program. 

Blitz the Barriers, Led by ZERO Prostate Cancer 

Despite advances, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States, and not all men are impacted equally². As a lead founding partner with ZERO Prostate Cancer, Blitz the Barriers empowers informed care decisions, improves quality of life, and ensures access to treatment. Phases are underway in Atlanta and Baltimore, with expansion planned in communities where resources are needed the most. Learn more about the partnership. 

Your Attention Please

Breast cancer is becoming more common in women under 50, and half of women are not receiving their recommended annual screenings³. The Your Attention Please campaign is raising awareness about the importance of breast cancer screening and helping to remove financial and systemic barriers that can delay diagnosis. Launched during Super Bowl LIX, the campaign encourages women to schedule screenings and/or learn their risk. Novartis has also partnered with Susan G. Komen and more than 25 other advocates to launch the Alliance for Breast Cancer Policy, working toward improved outcomes through policy.

Together, these programs demonstrate how Novartis is moving beyond breakthroughs in the lab to foster real change in communities. But change only happens when trusted partners are at the table. That is why we team up with organizations rooted in the communities they serve, and why we keep seeking out new traditional and nontraditional collaborations that can unlock better solutions. 

Making a Lasting Impact 

CHS reflects our belief that health does not begin or end with medicine. By bringing science and community together, we are building solutions that can scale nationally and create lasting change. This work is not separate from our business—it is essential to it. Lasting growth for Novartis depends on ensuring more people can benefit from innovation.  

As we continue moving this work forward, our guiding principle is clear: We will keep pushing what is possible until those facing the greatest barriers have a clear path to the care they deserve.