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HEALTH EQUITY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE

HEALTH EQUITY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE 

Taft, Espy, and Tammy recognized the need for health care designers to actively address the social determinants of health (which are defined by the CDC as Healthcare Access and Quality, Education, Social/Community Context, Economic Stability, and Neighborhood/Built Environment). Together, these innovative co-designers used the CARE Framework to activate a health equity design movement that may break the vicious cycle of sick and reactive care for those with limited access to education, healthy foods, and safe communities. 

TAFT CLEVELAND, Senior Architectural Designer, Associate, M.Arch, M.Urban Planning, ASSOCIATE AIA, LEED GA, AORN, NOMA; SmithGroup

The Community Achievement Racial Equity (CARE) Framework was developed by architectural designer and urban planning professional Taft Cleveland of Chicago, IL. With both lived experience in Detroit’s urban fabric and the data that supports a need for change, Taft envisions societies with equitable access to the resources and lifestyles that promote health and wellness. He created the CARE Framework to provide designers a playbook for including health equity as a design objective.

Learn more about CARE Framework 

ESPY HARPER, M.Arch, EDAC, SSGB;

 Senior Healthcare Planner | Associate; LS3P


Senior Health Care Planner Espy (Esperanza) Harper of Raleigh, NC partnered with Taft by adding her expertise in equity mapping. She examines existing hospital design and the layout of communities in order to identify opportunities and develop strategies for inclusive design.


Learn more about Espy's design work

TAMMY THOMPSON,EdD, EDAC, NCARB, CPXP;

President, Institute for Patient-Centered Design
Assistant Professor, NC A&T State University

Dr. Tammy Thompson saw the synergies with her concept for a community oasis. This vision (developed by IPCD) included a safe space housed on hospital campuses as a proactive approach to increase health equity by addressing the social determinants of health. 

Tammy began collaborating with Taft and Espy by introducing her rural health care case study "Outdoor Classrooms: Living Learning Labs for Better Health," a RWJF grant funded initiative.


See Tammy's  Vision for the C​ommunity Oasis here.
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