PAN announces Health Equity in Action webinar series in partnership with CVS Specialty

The PAN Foundation today announced the launch of a free, four-part Health Equity in Action webinar series developed in partnership with CVS Specialty. The webinar series kicks off on April 26 and runs through December 2023.

Through this partnership, PAN will collaborate with CVS Specialty to educate healthcare professionals and advocates about actionable strategies for advancing health equity. By attending the upcoming four-part webinar series, healthcare professionals and advocates will acquire the practical knowledge needed to advance health equity in their patient care.

About the webinar series

All four webinars in the Health Equity in Action series will be hosted and moderated by Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, a passionate and highly regarded Fortune 100 corporate executive, physician, advocate, and transformative change agent. In addition to leading a strategic healthcare advisory firm, Dr. Richardson-Heron recently served as the chief patient officer at Pfizer, where she played a pivotal role in advancing the organization’s efforts to increase diversity in the landmark COVID-19 clinical trial and advance patient-focused programs and health equity.

The webinar series will also convene a diverse group of leading subject matter experts for critical conversations covering various topics, from mental health services to clinical trials to the unique challenges and needs in rural communities.

“We are grateful to partner with CVS Specialty to support our collective health equity commitment and goals,” said PAN President and CEO Kevin L. Hagan. “Far too many patients face social inequalities across multiple dimensions that ultimately impact their health and wellbeing. Healthcare teams and patient advocates play a critical role in recognizing and responding to factors that influence poor health outcomes. Our goal in offering this webinar series is to empower healthcare professionals and advocates to implement practices that establish an equitable ecosystem for all patients.”

CVS Specialty is changing the pharmacy landscape by making it as seamless as possible for patients to get their prescribed medications while also offering personalized care and support.

“A pivotal step in overcoming health disparities is ensuring healthcare professionals and advocates are equipped with the knowledge and tools to address unmet social needs and factors that give rise to health inequity,” said Joel Helle, Vice President of Physician Services for CVS Specialty. “Our partnership with the PAN Foundation will focus on creating a best-in-class webinar series that reflects our commitment to making health equity actionable.”

Speakers for the first webinar: Understanding health inequities

Helle will join Dr. Richardson-Heron as a guest speaker for the first webinar, “Understanding health inequities,” which takes place on April 26 at 1 pm ET.

A pharmacist by training, Helle has over 25 years of experience in addressing patient needs and challenges. Today, he manages CVS Specialty’s relationships with specialty patient support groups—ensuring a commitment to patients with health disparities.

James Ridley, Senior Manager of Clinical Affairs at the PAN Foundation, will complete the panel of speakers for the first webinar. Before joining PAN, Ridley worked in retail pharmacy management, then spent several years as a pharmacist for the Department of Defense, where he gained valuable experience in medication management and patient care.

Attendees will leave the first webinar with a deeper understanding of what advancing health equity means in practice and how other organizations have achieved their health equity goals.

PAN believes that everyone should have equitable access to affordable, high-quality healthcare regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, or geographic location and is committed to eliminating longstanding health inequities and addressing key social drivers of health, particularly those that impact historically marginalized communities. Equipping healthcare providers and advocates with the tools needed to act around health equity through this webinar series is just one more step towards meeting this commitment.

Register for the first webinar

Join us on April 26 from 1 – 2 pm ET for the first webinar in the series “Understanding health inequities.”

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About the PAN Foundation
The PAN Foundation is an independent, national 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to helping federally and commercially insured people living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases with the out-of-pocket costs for their prescribed medications.  

Since 2004, we have provided more than 1 million underinsured patients with $4 billion in financial assistance. Partnering with generous donors, healthcare providers, and pharmacies, we provide the underinsured population access to the healthcare treatments they need to best manage their conditions and focus on improving their quality of life. Learn more at panfoundation.org.