Conversations with Health Equity Champions
The Root of the Issue shares the personal and professional journeys of nationally recognized health equity advocates and their work to end disparities in access to healthcare and basic needs in America. Our podcast provides inspiration to become involved in our collective quest for health equity and offers common sense solutions to the underlying injustices that prevent all Americans from living a life of health and well-being.
Melissa Fox is the Chief Operating Officer for Acenda Integrated Health. Acenda is an integrated health care organization dedicated to world-class prevention, treatment and wellness services. Their care is compassionately delivered to ensure that every individual, family and community achieves their greatest potential.
Fox’s dedication to serving communities who are typically denied adequate levels of care and services stems from her childhood. She speaks of the challenges she encountered growing up, “There weren't really good systems in place to help people. When you saw people dying and getting really ill, people just accepted it because there was nowhere to send them and no way to really treat them.”
Inspired by the women role models in her life, including her mother who worked as a nurse, Fox brings a sense of urgency to her work. She says, “The longer we take to get these programs in place and get the communities help, the more people are dying and the more people are hurting and we can't have that on us. So, that's what's really driven me. And that's what continues to drive me every day.”
