The Merck Foundation announced today the launch of the Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care, a $22 million, five-year initiative aimed at enhancing access to high-quality, person-centered health care for people living with heart conditions in the U.S. Eleven organizations are receiving grants to support the development and implementation of evidence-informed, comprehensive programs to improve health outcomes in communities where access to timely care for cardiovascular disease is a challenge.

“Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one cause of death for men and women living in the U.S., and its burden hits under-resourced communities the hardest. By addressing the medical and social needs of people living with heart conditions, the Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care will have a significant, lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the country,” said Kalahn Taylor-Clark, vice president and head, Social Impact & Sustainability, Merck.

The Foundation is providing grants to select non-profit health care and public health organizations working with local community-based groups. As a Collaborative, they will help bridge gaps in the delivery of care for a range of heart conditions and advance sustainable, and potentially scalable, approaches to improve the lives of people with heart disease.

The Foundation is also supporting the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity as the Collaborative’s National Program Office (NPO), which will provide technical assistance to grantees as they build local partnerships and implement their programs. The NPO will also foster peer-to-peer learning among grantees, conduct a cross-site evaluation and disseminate the Collaborative’s results and lessons learned.

“Collaborative grantees serve a range of populations, and each one has firsthand experience in addressing the specific gaps in access to high-quality cardiac care in their communities,” says Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH, MACP, director at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity and director of the Collaborative NPO. “Bringing together these outstanding organizations to strengthen local partnerships and address the social and environmental factors that influence health will not only meet immediate patient need but also pave the way for sustained improvements in the delivery of cardiac care across the U.S.”

The Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care builds on the Foundation’s legacy of investing in community-focused programs that improve access to high-quality health care in underserved communities, including the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care, which is currently operating in seven states.