Who We Are. What We Do.

The Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease (HECCD) believes that all people deserve the best possible health care. Continuing to allow outdated coverage policies to restrict access for communities dependent on public programs is counter to the principles of health equity. The Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease’s mission is to ensure that community experts, policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders work together to eliminate barriers to healthcare for communities of color, especially as related to access to care and treatment for obesity and other chronic diseases. 

Our Co-Chairs

Black Women’s Health Imperative

The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) is the first nonprofit organization created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls. Since inception, the organization has been at the forefront of women’s health issues, through comprehensive public education initiatives that promote overall wellness of Black women.

Dr. Gary A. Puckrein

Dr. Puckrein is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum (formerly the National Minority Health Month Foundation), a not-for-profit organization that he founded in 1998. The Forum addresses the critical need for strengthening national and local efforts to use evidence-based, data-driven initiatives to guide programs to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness for racial and ethnic minorities and other special populations.

Dr. Elena Rios

Dr. Rios, a distinguished Medical Doctor with a Master of Science in Public Health, Master of the American College of Physicians, has received multiple national and international awards for her outstanding contributions to health equity. Dr. Rios started her career in 1992 as a policy advisor for the State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development; in 1993 for the White House Health Care Reform Team, where she met physicians to establish the NHMA and NHHF; and in 1994 for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.