Putting action behind words to promote health equity

Since our first days in 1932, Horizon has called Newark our home. For close to 90 years, we have been New Jersey’s health solutions leader because we recognize that serving the nation’s most diverse population requires a commitment to understand and respond to the needs of members who come from all backgrounds and cultures. Diversity is at the core of who we are and it underpins all the ways Horizon operates – from developing our workforce to confronting racial health disparities.
Horizon’s Pledge to Achieve Lasting and Positive Change drives our efforts. Learn more about the actions Horizon is taking to achieve greater diversity, equity and inclusion:
- Expanded our partnership with the Institute for Social Justice to support specific efforts to reduce racial health disparities and expand access to mental health support for minorities in the juvenile justice system.
- Collaborated with the NJ African American Chamber of Commerce to improve supplier diversity and help attract more job applicants.
- Joined a nationwide effort to tackle issues that lead to racial health disparities.
- Designed a new approach to help Black mothers get the care they need to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
- Invested in a minority-owned venture capital fund founded by women, Black people, Indigenous people and other People of Color to help increase the number of minority-owned health services and healthcare providers in New Jersey. Three of 11 companies in Horizon’s early-stage investments are minority-operated, and four are women-owned, including a company operating five SUD clinics in New Jersey.
- Connected more than 5,000 members in underserved communities to local resources for food/clothing, care coordination, and rental and utility payment assistance through the Neighbors in Health Program.
- Concentrated Horizon corporate giving to non-profit partners that are improving the health of New Jerseyans living in traditionally underserved communities.
- Required cultural competency courses for more health care professionals in Horizon’s provider networks.
- Continued to support 10 employee affinity groups that celebrate the ethnic, racial, religious and gender diversity of our workforce and help all of us better understand what makes each community unique so that we can apply that knowledge to better serve you.
- Created an endowed Horizon Scholarship program at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine to increase the number of dental students and practicing New Jersey dentists to more equitably serve individuals and communities of color.
Bringing our Pledge to life is ongoing. Learn more about the steps we’re taking here.