Mission
Focus for Health addresses the structures within our society that create
and perpetuate health inequality.
Vision
We are focused on correcting the systemic injustices that prevent people from remaining healthy and happy. Our expansive approach to health addresses wealth distribution, racial exclusion, gender inequality, political and tax reform, and sex abuse. The most fundamental aspect that determines individual health is the matrix of interactions within which individuals function on a daily basis. Establishing and protecting social equality is the unifying thread to our comprehensive array of actions.
Organizing Principle
The primary determinants of health are social in nature, they arise and are perpetuated by the way in which society organizes itself. Social injustice, racial and gender exclusion, and abuse manifest enduring harm that leads to health disparities in those who are disadvantaged. Social problems require social solutions. To this end, we are focused on addressing health problems that are structural in nature: the social, economic, and institutional conditions that create health vulnerabilities in current and future generations.
System of Change
We seek strategic partnerships in order to support and work with groups engaged in identifying and minimizing the social causes that make individuals vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Our goal is to level the playing field so that everyone has the same opportunities in life.
History
Barry Segal is the founder and CEO of Bradco, a highly successful roofing materials company. After 40 years running a profitable venture that treated employees as equitable partners in the process, Barry decided to deploy his influence and wealth to create social change. He founded the Segal Family Foundation which supports community-led organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa that are engaged in creating sustainable change. Focus for Health was subsequently founded by Barry Segal because of his desire and ability to elicit change to the underlying structures in the U.S. that perpetuate harm to future generations. Established originally with an emphasis on health disparities in children, Focus For Health expanded its attention to include social determinants of health which are the main drivers of health inequity in the U.S.
