Image-13.png
 
 

enrich, educate, empower

ABOUT THE UMOJA HEALTH PROJECT

 
 

mEANING OF UMOJA

Umoja means unity in Swahili, and the goal of the Umoja Health Project at Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnet is to help establish community unity and resilience. This health exposures program promotes engaged learning in the health sciences for high school students to become future health care professionals.

DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND REPRESENTATION

From primary care physicians to registered nurses, the lack of care providers in the United States is felt heavily in underserved communities where prevalence of chronic disease and associated risk factors are high due to the impacts of racism on people of color across the country. Presence of Black, Latinx, and Native practitioners in health and medicine are severely lacking, which often discourages youth of color from pursuing these fields due to lack of representation.

PURPOSE

Through this program, we seek to equip young people through education to eliminate these disparities by directing resources towards the students who need it most.

The Umoja Health Project is primed to not only bridge the disparity gap, but provide a lifeline of service to the community. To battle this chronic issue, healing begins first by securing and supporting our future healthcare professionals, today.

It is important, now more than ever, that we encourage students of culturally diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to become future health professionals. This in turn will not only create culturally competent leaders ready to tackle the health disparities that plague our country, but also improve the quality of life for current families and future generations to come.

 

QUICK FACTS

  • Founded October of 2018

  • Programmatic focus on public health and community health

  • Movement created by LMU students and alums

PARTNERS

PAST COLLABORATORS

 
 
IMG_2198 2 (1).jpg

Encourage students of color to become future health professionals!