Cityblock Health CEO Toyin Ajayi on how to scale human-centered care models • ZebethMedia

Cityblock Health is focused on providing affordable, human-centered healthcare in lower-income and marginalized communities, while also building sustainable business models. Founder and CEO Toyin Ajayi talked at Disrupt today about the challenges of tackling the healthcare system’s inequalities, while serving patients with personalized medical care, behavioral health care and social services.
“Do I believe that healthcare is a right, that should be available to all people, irrespective of their ability to pay and then it should be distributed equitably? Yes. 100%. And there are a lot of ways of achieving that,” Ajayi said.
“It’s unacceptable in 2022, that we’re looking at exactly the same data that we were looking at 15 years ago about health care disparities, health care outcomes, all exacerbated by COVID,” she added about the current health care system. “Everyone’s like, oh my god, black and brown people are dying more from COVID. Oh my god, poor people are dying more from COVID. Oh my god, essential workers who don’t have health insurance. We knew this stuff. Give me a break. So, yes, I would have designed it differently and I’m also not content to bitch and moan about it. We’ve got to do something.”
Based in Brooklyn, New York and now live in seven markets, including Indiana and Ohio, Cityblock works with many people who lack access to basics like food, safe places to sleep and social support, which creates more risk factors for worsening chronic conditions. As a result, many rely on emergency rooms for crises, like running out of insulin or acute psychiatric care, because they didn’t received the kind of care that would have kept them at home.
“I come to this work as a physician, I’m deeply passionate about caring for underserved communities. I come to this work from a place of real heart. This is my life’s work and my mission,” Ajayi said. “I’m also a deep pragmatist and I recognize that there are real economic forces that drive most of the decisions that people make in our healthcare system, certainly in the for profit space, but even as we learn and read more about it, even in the not-for-profit space.”
Addressing systemic issues like health disparities is important on a moral level, but for payers there is also an opportunity to figure out how to create a more viable business by caring for people differently.
When launching in a new market, like Indiana or Ohio, Cityblock looks for places where there are socioeconomic disparities and then looks for partners, payers and health insurers who they launch into markets with.
“Pre-launch we spend the time figuring out where exactly in the neighborhood should we be,” Ajayi said. “Can we be near public transportation, near grocery stores, making sure that we’re really mapping the ecosystem and showing up in places that are accessible to our members and also positioning ourselves so we can go to the home and see people from there.”
Part of this means working with community-based organizations, include shelters, housing agencies and food pantries. “We think of ourselves as part of the glue within an ecosystem that knits together existing providers, the specialty providers, the hospitals, the communities, organizations and creates a seamless experience for the people we serve,” Ajayi said.
She noted that many of these organizations run on tenuous and vulnerable business models. For example, during the pandemic, many community-based organizations couldn’t get enough workers to continue coming in. Many run on tiny margins and are grant-funded. This means Cityblock has to be prepared to support community organizations in its ecosystem, including tasks like packaging and bring over groceries.
Tech and data science can also support more individualized care. For example, data science can help Cityblock figure out who it needs to engage with first in patient populations that are often very diverse in terms of age and needs.
“I have to engage all of them. Who do I go after first. Who do I call first? Who’s going to go to the emergency room tomorrow unless they get a phone call from us? Who’s not home today because they’re likely not working, or who’s likely to be engageable on the weekend,” Ajayi said. “Those are types of things we can use our data and our data products to help us better refine.”
Better data science means people also have to repeat their story less as they seek care. “When we interview our members about what they dislike about the traditional health care system, it’s ‘I gotta tell my whole story over and over again.’ And then you add on layers of discrimination and stigma that many people face. More than half of our members are people of color, because that’s the best representation of Medicaid and dually-eligible populations.”
“Telling your story over and over again seems benign, but the healthcare system makes people tell their story over and over again, it subjects them to friction, abrasion and sometimes even trauma, that is entirely counterproductive to a therapeutic relationship that’s going to result in better health outcomes. Even alleviating that is such a meaningful lever for us.”

             Disclaimer: Any Product You Buy Here, Amazon Pays me A Commission With No Additional Fee.

 

This is a must Have Software For Your Home & Business. This software will help your business and make your job Stress Free.

Business and Office Management  Category.

(Old Version) H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2023 with Refund Bonus Offer (Amazon Exclusive) (PC/MAC Download)

(4265)

20% Off $49.99 $39.97 (as of November 22, 2024 06:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Choose to put your refund on an Amazon gift card and you can get a 2% bonus. One state program download included. State e-file sold separately. Reporting assistance on income from investments, stock options, home sales, and retirement Guidance on max... read more

Adobe Acrobat Pro | PDF Software | Convert, Edit, E-Sign, Protect | PC/Mac Online Code | Activation Required

(1101)

39% Off $239.88 $143.99 (as of November 22, 2024 05:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Create and edit PDFs. Collaborate with ease. E-sign documents and collect signatures. Get everything done in one app, wherever you go. Edit text and images without jumping to another app. E-sign documents or request e-signatures on any device. Recipi... read more

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 | Photo Editing | 3-Year Term License | PC/MAC | Box with Download Code | Activation Required

(17)

40% Off $99.99 $59.99 (as of November 22, 2024 05:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Remove objects with AI power. Create and control depth with AI. Change the color of any object. Seamlessly combine multiple pictures. Create with modern textures and graphics. Be creative with the web and mobile beta apps. Get a 3-year term license f... read more

Bitdefender Total Security 2024 – Complete Antivirus and Internet Security Suite – 5 Devices | 2 year Subscription | PC/Mac | Activation Code by Mail

(3511)

$74.99 (as of November 22, 2024 05:38 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

SPEED-OPTIMIZED, CROSS-PLATFORM PROTECTION: World-class antivirus security and cyber protection for Windows (Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11), Mac OS (macOS X Yosemite 10.10 or later), iOS (11.2 or later), and Android (5.0 or later... read more

CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO - Version 1 - Perpetual License - for Microsoft Windows and MacOS

(3062)

$23.99 (as of November 22, 2024 06:18 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Create original sketches using your mouse or draw naturally with a pen tablet. Powerful coloring tools make CLIP STUDIO PAINT your all-in-one illustration, painting, manga and comic creation solution. Use an assortment of powerful art tools for illus... read more

CodaKid Roblox Coding, Award-Winning, Coding for Kids, Ages 9+ with Online Mentoring Assistance, Learn Computer Programming and Code Fun Games with Lua and Video Game Programming Software (PC & Mac)

(333)

$59.00 (as of November 22, 2024 05:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

CodaKid’s Roblox Lua coding educational software provides 100+ hours of interactive student projects designed to engage and educate kids, teaching them to become creators in their own right. Students learn real Lua coding and video game design using ... read more

Code Python, Award-Winning STEM Courses, Coding for Kids, Ages 10+ with Online Mentoring Assistance, Learn Computer Programming and Code Amazing Games with Python (PC & Mac) (Box Art Varies)

(59)

$59.00 (as of November 22, 2024 06:19 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

CodaKid’s Python coding educational software provides 40 hours of interactive lessons designed to engage and educate kids, teaching them to become creators in their own right. Students learn real Python coding and video game design using the IDLE tex... read more

Coding for Kids: Learn to Code Minecraft Command Blocks - Video Game Design Coding - Computer Programming Courses, Ages 9+ (PC, Mac Compatible)

(33)

12% Off $39.95 $34.95 (as of November 22, 2024 05:43 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

✓ COMMAND BLOCKS MINECRAFT for all kids, not JUST GAMERS: Use command blocks inside your Minecraft games to create custom game play. You will be able to build an ice track, send a homing missle to a mob, sword, and much more! Gaming is a popular topi... read more

Coding for Kids with Minecraft - Ages 9+ Learn Real Computer Programming and Code Amazing Minecraft Mods with Java - Award-Winning Online Courses (PC & Mac) [registration_code]

(228)

$59.00 (as of November 22, 2024 05:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

CodaKid’s Minecraft Java coding educational software provides 90+ hours of interactive lessons designed to engage and educate kids, teaching them to become creators in their own right. Students learn real Java coding and video game design using the p... read more

Corel Easy CD & DVD Burning 2 | Disc Burner & Video Capture [PC Disc]

(1919)

$14.99 (as of November 22, 2024 05:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Easily copy and burn CDs and DVDs in minutes, right from your desktop; Preserve your photos, secure video backups, and create custom music CDs Capture or import your videos; Plus, author DVDs with chapters, menus and personalized disc labels Convert ... read more