CVS Health, Uber Health Partner on Rideshare for Better Care Access

CVS Health has partnered with Uber Health, the rideshare company's healthcare arm, to provide individuals in underserved communities free transportation when seeking access to medical care, work, or an educational program.

The initiative will be available to high-risk populations in Atlanta, GA; Columbus, Ohio; and Hartford, Connecticut.

Limited transportation is a top social determinant of health, hindering patient access to care. In addition, lack of transportation sometimes forces patients to delay appointments, leading to adverse health outcomes. 

The CVS Health and Uber Health partnership aims to eliminate the critical barrier to medical care and advance health equity in high-risk communities across the country. 

"We've long known that access to reliable transportation can help address critical gaps in care that often disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, Caitlin Donovan, global head of Uber Health, said in the press release. "With the past two years of the pandemic only further highlighting today's health inequities, it's more important than ever for communities to have the tools they need to bridge care gaps and achieve better patient and population health outcomes."

This comes as part of Health Zones, CVS Health's newest initiative to invest in programs designed to decrease health disparities in underserved communities.

"Uber Health is proud to be a part of CVS Health's new Health Zones initiative and encourages community organizations to address transportation as a key social determinant of health, while improving health outcomes in a scalable way," Donovan continued.

The Health Zones investments will address six critical social determinants of health: housing, education, access to food, labor, transportation, and health care access.

"Our Health Zones initiative allows us to make a real impact on the health of communities across the country by working closely with organizations that share our commitment to addressing social determinants of health," Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility & philanthropy and chief sustainability officer, CVS Health said in the press release.

 "With the Uber Health platform, we'll provide critical transportation to people within communities who need it most, giving them access to health care services so they can live healthier lives and to jobs and educational programs that can help them reach their full potential."

CVS Health investments have supplied underserved communities with quality housing, economic support, and educational training opportunities-based community needs.

The organization, invested $185 million in affordable housing nationwide in 2021.

In one project alone, CVS Health invested $11.6 million to provide vulnerable individuals with affordable housing units.