The United Health Foundation has announced a 10-year, $100 million commitment to advance health equity by supporting workforce development programs designed to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the healthcare field.

The single largest investment in the foundation’s history will focus on scholarships and support for 10,000 future clinicians as well as the upskilling of current health professionals from underrepresented communities to help them obtain academic degrees and professional credentials for careers in medicine, nursing, midwifery, mental health, and other clinical specialties.

According to the foundation, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people account for only 7.1 percent of the employed biomedical and life sciences workforce. Since 2007, the foundation and its partners have provided more than 3,000 scholarships to students from BIPOC communities as part of a long-term initiative to increase the number of primary care providers delivering personalized, culturally competent care, particularly in underserved communities.

“Today, there are far too many barriers to good health that are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes,” said UnitedHealth Group chief sustainability officer Patricia L. Lewis. “We are committed to leading the way, along with our partner organizations, in deploying tools, talent, and resources to actively break down barriers, broaden access to care, and make it easier for people to live healthier.”

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