The Fidelis Care Blog

Disparities in health care among African Americans include health care coverage, employment in the sector, and health conditions. African Americans are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, or asthma and have a shorter life expectancy than their white counterparts. My organization has been a proud partner with Fidelis Care in addressing these and other disparities in the health care industry.

The New York Urban League (NYUL) has partnered with Fidelis Care to introduce high schoolers to careers in the health care space by exposing young people to various industry-related opportunities during our Young Men’s and Young Women’s Empowerment Days. Students from high schools throughout New York City spent the day at Fidelis Care offices, learning about the world of health care, engaging in thought-provoking conversations, and seeing what a future in health care could be like for them. Fidelis Care volunteers have also traveled to our schools in the Bronx to provide support during COVID-19 and ongoing mentorship of students. Fidelis Care has been a key partner in our Diversity & Inclusion Lab, and in 2023, NYUL was pleased to bestow our highest honor, the Frederick Douglass medallion, to Fidelis Care’s own President and CEO, Tom Halloran.

Black History Month is about highlighting all the contributions that Black people have made and continue to make. It is also an opportunity to shine a light on the work that still must be done. With the recent United States Supreme Court decision on college admissions, attacks on voting rights, and the loss of so many to COVID, it is important now more than ever that African Americans focus on physical as well as mental health.

This February, the New York Urban League celebrates Black History Month with events and activities designed to educate and elevate Black New Yorkers. This month's activities allow individuals to be more actively engaged in their community. Look out for NYUL Day, where we encourage all our corporate partners to show their support for NYUL by posting a photo of themselves in NYUL gear on social media with the hashtag #NYULDay24. For more information on NYUL’s Black History Month programming and to order gear, visit www.nyul.org.

Arva Rice currently serves as President & CEO of the New York Urban League, which leads the way in how underserved African Americans are educated, employed, and empowered across the five New York City boroughs. Arva is also the Interim Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which provides oversight of the NYPD on police misconduct. She is a proud member of the Women’s Forum, Greater New York Chapter of The Links Incorporated, and a Trustee at First Corinthians Baptist Church.