Focusing on Community and Care
Uzima Health & Wellness/Black Health Collective serves as a bridge for healthcare organizations to reach Black health consumers. We are a resource for culturally competent education and advocacy, and an independent research partner for healthcare organizations striving toward equity in healthcare access and health outcomes. Uzima is the vision of Dr. Kendra Outler to create a healthier future for underserved communities.
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Letter from the Founder
Uzima is Swahili for full of life! Dr. David Satcher, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, defined health equity as one’s ability to reach their full health potential. Amazingly, in voices from Africa to America, our words can hold the same meaning.
Uzima Health & Wellness is a nationally followed platform bringing light to issues that disproportionately affect Black communities. The goal is for my community to be seen in its authenticity—to be seen where we are, in the context of all the challenges that face us. Sawubona! “I see the whole of you…You are valuable to me.”
Advancing Black communities toward health equity means we want everyone to be seen. Black persons of the African diaspora are unique and distinct. In her book Let Me Explain Black Again, Pepper Miller, the legendary market researcher, elegantly states that terms like BIPOC are attempts to describe us within a minority group but they are limiting. They leave out our collective history as descendants of slaves who have had to navigate structural racism, overthrow Jim Crowism, and birth the civil rights movement. Part of this legacy is moving toward conversations, marketing, and campaigns for better healthcare for Black people. It took a pandemic to make the U.S. admit to its unequal medicine doctrine. The report Unequal Treatment, written in 2003, has finally been dusted off to usher in a new plan for equity in medicine.
Addressing Racial Health Disparities by Improving the 3E’s
Health disparities in the Black community continue to be defined in numbers only: higher cancer mortality rates, the Black maternal health crisis. the greater prevalence of asthma in Black children. But behind the numbers are the social determinants of health. At Uzima, we’ve simplified these into three focus areas we call the 3 E’s—environment, education, and economics.
“Health data on care for those who need it most is only as valuable as the viewer says it is.” —Dr. K
The Black Health Collective: Changing the Narrative, Leading the Conversation
Uzima is an expansive Black Health Collective and we are growing.
We connect everyday Black life to critical public health issues, from gun violence to maternal health.
We engage with the community most affected by heart disease, environmental illnesses, trauma, food insecurity, and other challenges. In every discussion, we connect the 3E’s to the goal of health equity.
Dr. K's Voice
Dr. K shares her invaluable expertise and broad connections through thought-provoking interviews, reviews, scholarly articles, essays, and more. She is your guide to advancing health equity for Black communities.
Reviews
Uzima summarizes and reviews contemporary literature aimed at promoting health equity for Black communities, as well as books that review the history of systemic racism and focus on current social determinants of health.
Podcasts
Listen in on Dr. K’s conversations with a roster of smart and savvy guests discussing the most pressing health and social justice issues for Black communities today.
Videos
Uzima’s collection of video interviews and conversations with Black medical experts, authors, and thought leaders will guide viewers toward empowerment and action in addressing the national challenge of health equity.
Articles
Access a variety of timely, accurate, relevant articles on healthcare topics that are critical to Black communities. Gain the knowledge and insight that leads to better health outcomes.
Empowering Black Communities to Take Charge of Their Health
No more throwing pills at patients.
At Uzima, improving care is about more than stats and numbers; it is about taking a deeper dive into the culture and the community. There are five issues affecting the health of our communities: food insecurity, lack of transportation, isolation, financial insecurity, and language barriers. Yes, the data speaks loudly. But better care requires also listening to the voices so that they can lead healthcare providers and institutions to more community-centric solutions.
The Risk of Inaction
NOW is the time to act. The more we wait and deliberate, the more Black patients are put at risk. Together we can ensure a healthy future for our Black communities and begin to reverse the staggering health disparities revealed in statistics* like the ones below, which show that Black patients are:
*Cooper LA, Marsteller JA, Noronha GJ, et al. “A Multilevel Quality Improvement Intervention to Improve Racial Concordance and Quality of Care for Black Patients.” Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2019; 34(10): 1968-1974.
Join the Uzima Health Equity Directory to Make a Difference
If you are a healthcare organization seeking to help close the gap in healthcare access and quality for Black communities, Uzima can help you expand your reach and impact.
Joining the Uzima Health Equity Directory gives your organization a unique platform for sharing the details and offerings of your health equity programs through our extensive reach in Black communities. The trust and connections Uzima has developed also may help to differentiate your organization to payors, employees, and government agencies.
Contact us to find out how to be included.
Together We Have the Power to Make a Positive Impact. Connect With Us and Start the Conversation.
The enormous issue of racial health equity can only be addressed through partnership and collaboration. By connecting you with Black communities, Uzima can be your key strategic partner in the mission to create equitable and fair health outcomes for all. Contact us to start the conversation.
