By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Sesame Workshop and Quest Diagnostics are starting a nationwide program to address health inequities among children in low-income and marginalized communities.
The new multi-year program is called Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE), and is focused on providing a combination of donated testing services, educational programs, and funding to reduce healthcare disparities in communities across the U.S.
“Sesame Workshop and Quest can promote positive outcomes for children and affirm families’ health and well-being by supporting equitable, culturally-competent practices,” said Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact.“Together, we’re creating strategies and messages around preventive and everyday healthy practices, building health literacy, and addressing the increase in children’s food insecurity to reduce health inequities by empowering parents, caregivers, and the providers who serve them.”
Quest Diagnostics is a U.S. provider of diagnostic information services. Derived from the world’s largest database of clinical lab results, Quest’s services reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, encourage healthy behaviors and improve health care management.
The Quest for Health Equity initiative will focus on connecting each family with a broad range of service providers, including both non-traditional providers and community leaders.
The initiative will also provide educational resources to support families with navigating health care systems and communicating effectively with their healthcare teams. In addition, Sesame Workshop and Quest Diagnostics will work with their partners to distribute these resources in vulnerable communities.
The program’s English and Spanish-language resources are designed to connect parents and healthcare providers as equitable and culturally-competent partners in children’s health to fascilitate informed care decisions.
“We are excited to support the launch of this important program to help reduce health inequities,” said Ruth Clements, Vice President and General Manager of Quest for Health Equity.
“This collaboration with Sesame Workshop will create a solid network dedicated to supporting and improving health and wellness outcomes for children in under-resourced communities and empower parents to become strong advocates
for their families.”
The new resources will be distributed through Sesame Street in Communities to the program’s network of educators, social workers, healthcare providers, and community organizations. It will also be featured on the official Sesame Street in Communities website.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind the children’s entertainment franchise, Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop is present in more than 150 countries through a range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs. These programs are guided by research and tailored to the cultures of the communities involved.
The pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on children’s health, with many kids missing routine and preventive healthcare check-ups. Preventative healthcare is essential for providing vaccinations, treating health concerns, and providing support for children in need.
Sesame Workshop and Quest Diagnostics Team Up to Reduce Healthcare Inequities
