About Dr. Jean Accius and CHC: Creating Healthier Communities:
None of us achieves success or feels fulfilled on our own. I came to this country as an immigrant when I was four years old. One lesson my grandmother taught me was the Haitian Creole proverb, “Tout moun, se moun,” which means, “every person is a human being.” I learned at an early age how important it is to think bigger than myself. Meaning, it’s important to always remember who your work is for, the impact you can have on others, and that you need to get out of your comfort zone to do more, do better, and do good for others.
As President & CEO of Creating Healthier Communities, I lead a team of the best and brightest in addressing the barriers to health and creating solutions that build a solid foundation to ensure people have more time on this planet. More time healthy, more time learning and earning, and more time spent with those they love. It’s the antithesis of American values that it’s not your genetic code that determines how long you’ll live, it’s your ZIP code. There is tremendous opportunity for both the public and private sectors to build bold and transformative solutions that support a more equitable future.
I have a strong history of transforming organizations, building high-performing teams and forming strategic partnerships across industries to scale for impact and accelerate the pace of change. For example, I cultivated a major partnership between three organizations—Meritus Health, Luminis Heath, and AARP—to form, Leaders in Equity and Diversity (LEAD), a multisector collaborative to address health disparities by 2024. This 30+ organization collaborative across seven states, collectively serve nearly 9 million patients annually with immediate positive and measurable impact. The Health Services Cost Review Commission, which sets hospital payment rates in Maryland, has issued guidance that by the end of CY 2026, 50 percent of hospitals will have reduced their racial and sociodemographic disparities in hospital quality outcomes by 50 percent.
It is a privilege to work on addressing the barriers to health and health equity—with the goal of creating resilient communities where everyone can thrive.
CHC: Creating Healthier Communities brings nonprofits, businesses and communities together to improve community health. Our focus is health equity, addressing underlying issues and removing barriers so everyone can thrive. Our work is driven by community need, and we direct programs, resources and support where they have the greatest impact. Together with partners, we’ve been creating healthier communities for more than 65 years. Join us at chcimpact.org or @chcimpact.
