Top health equity nonprofit honored for impact on greater Los Angeles community
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ) has chosen National Health Foundation (NHF), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of under-resourced communities, as the recipient of its Non-Profit of the Year Award for 2021. NHF has served Los Angeles for 48 years, and received the recognition as part of the LABJ Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards, a digital event to engage with the nonprofit companies and leaders in the Greater Los Angeles community.
In the past year, NHF has been a proud partner in California’s Project Roomkey initiative, successfully overseeing the development of a 92-bed Project Roomkey site that offered recuperative care for individuals needing medical support at a critical time in the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this work, NHF provided 62,761 safe shelter nights in 2020 alone and has transitioned 48% of its Project Roomkey guests to permanent or permanent supportive housing to date.
Last year, NHF further dedicated itself to uncovering and challenging the systemic exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from accessing outdoor spaces in the Greater Los Angeles region. As a powerful advocate for policies and programs that remove entrenched barriers faced by communities of color in accessing quality outdoor spaces, NHF helped ensure $22 million per year in funding will be made available to eliminate park inequities in park-poor, low-income neighborhoods through its work with Park Equity Alliance.
During the pandemic, National Health Foundation also devoted itself to innovating and sustaining programs key to the health of underserved communities hit hardest by COVID-19. One such program was NHF’s Be A STAR (Successful Teens Acting Responsibly), a sexual and reproductive health program in South Los Angeles focused on supporting young people in healthy decision making and personal goal setting. Across all its health education programs, NHF hosted 250 nutrition education and physical activity classes and educated 2,730 individuals across South and Central LA in 2020.
“NHF is incredibly grateful to the Los Angeles Business Journal for honoring us as their Nonprofit of the Year and recognizing the tireless efforts of our Board of Directors, staff and volunteers. As we navigate the new challenges that 2021 brings, NHF is continuing to improve the health of the under-resourced communities we serve through resident-driven upstream solutions that actively pursue justice and equity for all,” said National Health Foundation President & CEO, Kelly Bruno
“For decades, NHF has been a champion for the dismantling of racist policies and unjust systems that preserve health inequities in Los Angeles County and beyond,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo. “As NHF is vital to the health and wellness of whole communities, they are truly deserving of this recognition, and I am proud to call them a trusted partner for progress in Los Angeles.”
The Los Angeles Business Journal’s Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards honored the impactful work of the Greater L.A. nonprofit community along with the corporate professionals and businesses that support them.
About National Health Foundation
Founded in 1973, National Health Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that works within communities to eliminate barriers to health, address the root causes of poor health and advocate and empower under-resourced communities to find solutions that lead to lasting change. Embracing the guiding philosophy that health begins where we live, learn, work and play, the organization’s advocacy and work focuses on four key areas: housing, food access, built environment and education. In 2020, NHF secured $250,000 in food benefits for local families, assisted 356 individuals in submitting applications for government food benefits and provided 250 nutrition education and physical activity classes.
For more information about the National Health Foundation, please visit nationalhealthfoundation.orgor connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter (@NHFcommunity).