Rush University System for Health and BMO Financial Group announced a $10 million donation to create the new Rush BMO Institute for Health Equity. With a mission of eliminating health inequities and helping people live longer and healthier lives, the Rush BMO Institute for Health Equity will leverage Rush’s strengths in patient care, research and education; operational and philanthropic investment; and community partnerships to strengthen the health and vitality of neighborhoods Rush serves. Recognizing the injustice of growing gaps in health outcomes, locally and nationally, Rush University System for Health became one of the first academic health systems to make health equity a strategic priority. To make the greatest impact on their health outcomes, the Institute will focus on the following four key areas:

• Education and workforce development, ensuring that each of Rush University’s 2,200 students is exposed to coursework that increases their understanding of health disparities, and expanding career pathways for West Side residents.

• Community-based clinical practice to reduce residents’ rates of risk factors for chronic diseases, including Rush’s successful School-Based Health Center model, which will serve more than 1,600 students at five Chicago Public Schools.

• Community engagement, with a focus on sustained partnerships to provide support to address community issues such as food security, mental health, addiction, and weight loss.

• Health equity research, increasing community members’ participation in Rush-led research by embedding studies in trusted neighborhood settings and supporting health equity fellows each year.