THI - The Health Initiative Information

THI is not for profit organization/campaign focused on catalyzing a new, nationwide conversation about investments in health. Specifically, THI's aim is to increase public and private investment in safe homes, healthy food, and well-paying jobs by reframing these issues as central to ensuring a healthy population and a health-based economy. The U.S. spends ~$11 billion every day on healthcare – even though only ~20% of health outcomes are tied to clinical care. This disconnect is increasingly untenable, especially in the wake of COVID and a national reckoning on racial inequities. Even pre-COVID, 24% of those with commercial health insurance still lacked adequate food, housing, or other basics – driving up healthcare costs. COVID has made this only worse, especially for communities of color. THI’s theory of change is rooted in effecting a flywheel between cultural and technical change, with a focus on three primary drivers: 1. mobilizing broad support for investing in health; 2. increasing public and private investments in health; 3. ensuring those investments yield healthy food, safe homes, and well-paying jobs in communities. As instigator and advisor, THI works intensively with public and private healthcare institutions that control billions of dollars and impact millions of lives (health insurers, federal agencies, state departments of health and human services, and foundations) to partner with communities to invest in health, not just healthcare. With THI’s guidance, these institutions make investing in health central to their strategy, business model, and operations – and engage with communities to mobilize and align resources for healthy food, safe homes, and well-paying jobs while building community wealth and addressing historical inequities.