Urban Health Partnerships - Comprehensive Analysis Report

Summary

Urban Health Partnerships (UHP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in Miami-Dade County in 2011. Its core mission is to invest in communities through co-designing sustainable change and fostering health and well-being across the lifespan. UHP envisions communities where every individual can experience healthier and happier lives, emphasizing physical, social, and emotional well-being. The organization is a significant player in its industry due to its strong emphasis on community empowerment and the integration of diverse perspectives from public health, urban planning, age-friendly initiatives, food access, community development, and health equity to drive impactful change.

1. Strategic Focus & Objectives

Core Objectives

Urban Health Partnerships' strategic objectives are centered on implementing community-driven projects that enhance health, safety, accessibility, quality of life, and holistic well-being.

Community-Led Action Planning: Support and lead action planning initiatives that address policy, system, and social and built environmental changes to create healthier communities.

Capacity Building and Leadership Development: Build the capacity and leadership skills of community members and stakeholders, empowering them to lead change and foster sustainable development within their communities.

Health-Focused Policy Integration: Promote and integrate a comprehensive health-focused approach across all policies, aiming to improve health outcomes and create superior social and built environments, particularly by advocating for age-friendly policies and practices.

Specialization Areas

UHP distinguishes itself through community-driven leadership and engagement across several key areas:

Community-Driven Leadership and Engagement: Fostering authentic community participation in decision-making and project implementation.

Healthy Streets and Public Spaces: Initiatives focused on enhancing public environments for health and accessibility.

Age-Friendly Communities for Longevity: Developing policies and systems that support aging in place with dignity.

Food Access, Security, and Justice: Co-designing strategies to ensure equitable access to healthy food.

Building a Culture of Health Equity: Integrating equity principles into all aspects of community health development.

Target Markets

UHP primarily targets communities within Miami-Dade County and, in some initiatives, Broward County. Their efforts are focused on diverse market segments including:

General Residents: Aiming to improve overall health and well-being across the lifespan.

Underserved Communities: Specifically addressing disparities in health outcomes and access.

LGBTQ+ Community: Focusing on structural factors impacting health outcomes, and access to resources and quality healthcare.

Seniors: Promoting age-friendly environments and policies that support longevity and quality of life.

2. Financial Overview

Funding History

Urban Health Partnerships, as a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, benefits from tax-deductible donations.

Total Revenues (2023): $1,342,780

Total Expenses (2023): $1,222,370

Total Assets (2023): $411,435

NIH ComPASS Award (September 2023): UHP received a $1.1 million award, anticipating an overall award of $6 million over five years (September 21, 2023 – September 20, 2028), from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS).

Key Investors: National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Fund Utilization: This funding supports a community-led research program addressing structural factors that impact health outcomes, including access to safe spaces, nutritious food, employment, transportation, and quality healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community in Miami-Dade County.

Impact: Significantly boosts UHP's capacity to conduct critical, community-driven research and intervention for a vulnerable population.

Florida Blue Foundation (September 2025): UHP was selected for the Florida Blue Foundation's 2025 Food Security cohort, receiving funding for its Cultivating Wellness program.

Key Investors: Florida Blue Foundation.

Fund Utilization: Supports the Cultivating Wellness program to connect Miami-Dade residents with meals, health screenings, and care navigation in community spaces to increase nutritious food availability and improve long-term health outcomes.

Impact: Strengthens efforts in food security and holistic health services for Miami-Dade residents.

Ongoing Support: UHP also actively engages in fundraising through individual giving, corporate sponsorships, and organizational partnerships via its "Partnerships for Change" campaign.

3. Product Pipeline

Urban Health Partnerships' "pipeline development" refers to its ongoing and continually evolving initiatives and programs designed to foster sustainable community change and enhance well-being.

Key Products/Services

Community Liaison (CL) Framework

Description: A core model for citizen-centered engagement, empowering community leaders and integrating resident voices into decision-making processes. CLs serve as connectors between communities and service providers, identifying challenges and providing feedback.

Development Stage: Established and continually implemented. In 2023, CLs engaged over 4,425 residents across Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

Target Market/Condition: Community residents, local governments, service providers seeking authentic community engagement.

Key Features and Benefits: Citizen-centered, real-time feedback loop, capacity building for residents, improved policy and systems.

Healthy Streets and Public Spaces Initiatives

Description: Community-centered projects and policies focused on improving public spaces like parks, sidewalks, and transit stops.

Development Stage: Ongoing implementation and advocacy.

Target Market/Condition: Residents utilizing public spaces, urban planning and transportation sectors.

Key Features and Benefits: Promotes healthier environments, expands opportunities for physical activity and community interaction.

Age-friendly Communities for Longevity Program

Description: Initiatives to build communities that enable individuals to age in place with dignity, health, and enjoyment.

Development Stage: Ongoing implementation of age-friendly policy and systems changes, with over 80 changes implemented in Miami-Dade County since 2012.

Target Market/Condition: Older adults, caregivers, municipal planners.

Key Features and Benefits: Supports healthy aging, improves accessibility, enhances quality of life for seniors.

Food and Nutrition Access, Security, and Justice Initiatives

Description: Co-designs and implements policy, systems, and environmental changes to ensure equitable access to healthy food. Includes the "Food & Nutrition for All Collaborative."

Development Stage: Ongoing, with over 40 food access policy systems changes implemented since 2018. The "Food & Nutrition for All Collaborative" launched in March 2024.

Target Market/Condition: Residents experiencing food and nutrition insecurity in Miami-Dade County.

Key Features and Benefits: Addresses food deserts, promotes healthy eating, improves long-term health outcomes.

Accelerate Change Together (ACT) Project

Description: A collaborative project with the City of Miami and partners to strengthen community capacity regarding social determinants of health for the LGBTQ+ community.

Development Stage: Active, involving data collection and system establishment.

Target Market/Condition: LGBTQ+ community in Miami-Dade County, healthcare providers, and organizations serving this community.

Key Features and Benefits: Collects local LGBTQ+ health data, establishes a sustainable data system, empowers better addressing of LGBTQ+ health needs.

4. Technology & Innovation

Technology Stack

Urban Health Partnerships' innovation is primarily in its methodologies for community engagement, collective impact, and policy/program development, rather than proprietary technological platforms in a traditional sense.

Core Platforms and Technologies: While not a tech company, UHP leverages standard tools for survey development and implementation, data collection, and communication.

Proprietary Developments: The Community Liaison Framework stands as a key proprietary methodology for structured, authentic, citizen-centered community engagement, integrating residents into decision-making processes.

Scientific Methodologies: Employs systematic reviews of master plans with a "Health for All" lens, curriculum development, organizational training and capacity building, and policy scans.

Technical Capabilities: The multidisciplinary team integrates expertise in public and mental health, urban planning, engineering, transportation, and community development. While board members have backgrounds that include artificial intelligence or technology in healthcare, these are not directly developed or utilized as internal proprietary technological platforms by UHP.

5. Leadership & Management

Executive Team

Dr. Andrea Iglesias, Psy.D. - Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director.

Stacy Brown - Senior Director of Finance & Operations.

Arely B. Lozano Cantú, M.A. - Director of Health Access and Livability.

Wren A. Ruiz - Director of Healthy Streets & Public Spaces.

Sally Pope-Smyth, MPH - Director of Strategy and Community Research.

Alba Rubio, M.S. - Senior Manager of Communications and Public Relations.

Nattaliah Earle, MSc - Collective Impact Manager.

Teara Jackson - Community Engagement & Training Manager.

Olga M. Tomasello, MPH - Community Health Strategy & Policy Manager.

Fumiyuki Gardner, Ph.D. - Research & Evaluation Manager.

Jeffrey Pressly, Ph.D. - Community-Engaged Research & Innovation Manager.

Theondra Rich - Administrative & Operations Coordinator.

Board of Directors

Nate Ortiz - Chair, UHP Board of Directors. Chief Operations Officer for Baptist Hospital of Miami, with over 25 years in healthcare.

Dr. Yhovana Gordon - Vice Chair, UHP Board of Directors. Holds DNP and EdD, with over 25 years in clinical education and quality care.

Anamarie Melo, MPH, CPH - UHP Co-Founder, UHS representative, Member. Served as UHP CEO (2011-2018), secured over $40 million for South Florida public health, expertise in international public health, HIV/AIDS research, pedestrian/bicycle safety.

Alberto Padrón, MSc, MBA - Member. CEO of Stinghouse Creative, specializing in marketing for mission-driven institutions.

Dr. Edreco Amos - Member. Visionary healthcare leader, founder of 1ne Health, Vice Chair of GenM, Head of Agile at Moffitt Cancer Center.

Jacqui B. Colyer - Member. Held leadership roles including Executive Director of the Historic Hampton House, with business interests in AI, healthcare advocacy, and literacy.

Dr. Alwyn Leiba - Member. President of Miami Dade College, Medical Campus, committed to education and healthcare, first African American president of Florida Dental Hygienists' Association and South Florida Dental Hygienists' Association.

6. Talent and Growth Indicators

Hiring Trends and Workforce

Company Size: Urban Health Partnerships had 31 employees in 2023.

Workforce Expansion: The organization also hires and trains over 60 Community Liaisons who engage residents across 12 projects, significantly extending UHP's reach.

Recruitment Focus: UHP actively seeks passionate individuals to join its Board of Directors and encourages enthusiastic individuals to become UHP Ambassadors. While specific job openings are not always publicly listed, the organization welcomes resumes for ongoing talent attraction.

Growth Trajectory Indicators: UHP has demonstrated significant growth and impact, having served over 6 million residents across 44 communities and 3 counties since its inception. More than