Health Equity Trends Summit 2026

On June 2, the Health Equity Compact hosted the 2026 Health Equity Trends Summit.

At a time of significant change in health policy and health care delivery, leaders from government, health care, business, and community organizations come together for a day of clarity, connection, and action. Attendees sharpened their focus on opportunities for immediate and long-term impact, strengthened relationships and alignment across sectors, and deepened a shared understanding of how to advance health equity, both individually and collectively.

Thank you to everyone who joined us! We look forward to continuing to learn from one another, strengthen partnerships across sectors, and advance the shared goal of achieving health equity in Massachusetts.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll joined by Health Equity Compact Board members at the Health Equity Trends Summit.
Summit attendees filled the room at UMass Boston for a day of dialogue, learning, and action to advance health equity.
Undersecretary Amy Rosenthal together with Health Equity Compact members.
Elected officials, providers, and policy leaders discussed transforming primary care to achieve more equitable health outcomes.
Summit attendees added their names to a shared commitment wall, demonstrating their collective commitment to advancing health equity across Massachusetts.

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Event Materials

Below are resources relevant to the 2026 Summit.

Agenda

8:30 am – 9:15 am	Registration, Networking, Light Refreshments
9:15 am – 9:55 am	Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:55 am – 10:15 am	Start with Purpose: Why We’re Here
10:15 am – 11:30 am	Protect Access: Ensuring Care for Immigrant Communities
11:30 am – 12:10 pm	Fireside Chat with Undersecretary Rosenthal
12:10 pm – 1:00 pm	Lunch
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm	Invest in a Community-Centered Safety Net: Community Health Workers at the Core
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm	Break
2:15 pm – 3:20 pm	Transform Primary Care: Building a More Equitable System
3:20 pm – 3:55 pm	Move to Action: What We Do Next
3:55 pm – 4:00 pm	Closing Remarks
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm	Networking Reception

Event Photos

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Speakers

Welcome & Opening Remarks

The Honorable Kim Driscoll

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts

M.C.

Rahsaan D. Hall, Esq.

President and CEO, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts; Health Equity Compact Member

Protect Access: Ensuring Care for Immigrant Communities

Moderator

Eva Millona, MA, JD

Visiting Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Ilana Steinhauer, MSN, FNP-BC

Executive Director, Volunteers In Medicine Berkshires

Jen Cedor, Esq.

Supervising Attorney, Health Law Advocates

Maria G. Celli, PsyD

CEO, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center; Health Equity Compact Member

Olga Valdman, MD

Founder and Executive Director, Worcester Refugee and Immigrant Support and Empowerment (RISE) for Health

Fireside Chat with Undersecretary Rosenthal

Host

Marty Martinez

Ansin President and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay; Health Equity Compact Member

Undersecretary Amy Rosenthal

Undersecretary of Health for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS)

Invest in a Community-Centered Safety Net: Community Health Workers at the Core

Moderator

Luz Ortega, CCHW

Program Director, City of New Bedford Health Dept.; Advisory Board Co-Chair MACHW; Southeast United Network of CHWs (SUN) Coordinator

Deb Kelsey, CCHW

Community Health Liaison at Fishing Partnership Support Services (New Bedford)

Doraliz Vega, CCHW

Lead Certified Community Health Worker, New Bedford Community Health

Transform Primary Care: Building a More Equitable System

Moderator

Aditya Mahalingam-Dhingra, MPH

Chief Business Officer for the Community Care Cooperative (C3)

The Honorable Cindy Friedman

Massachusetts State Senator, Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

The Honorable John Lawn

Massachusetts State Representative, Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Lora Pellegrini, Esq.

President and CEO, Massachusetts Association of Health Plans

Renee Crichlow, MD, FAAFP

Chief Medical Officer, Codman Square Health Center; Health Equity Compact Member

Audience Engagement

Facilitator

Sheila Och, MPH

Chief Public Policy Officer, Lowell Community Health Center; Health Equity Compact Member

Press

Leaders call for new solutions to close health-access gaps at equity summit — Bay State Banner, June 11
Mass. pledges support for health equity even if feds don’t – New England Public Media, June 2, 2026
Worcester health leaders to join statewide summit on access to care – The Worcester Guardian, June 1
CityLine: Bill to advance health equity & accompanying web article – WCVB, May 31, 2026
Lawmakers Discuss Changes to Health Care System, Including State Rep. John Lawn — Watertown News, June 16
Fund that covers uninsured faces ballooning deficit – State House News Service, June 2, 2026; Also published in the Worcester Business Journal as HHS undersecretary: $600M hole in fund for uninsured, June 2, 2026
PBM reforms may intersect with primary care push – State House News Service, June 2
Weekly Roundup: Riding the June wave – State House News Service, June 5
House seeks to narrow audit and rent control compromise plan divides industry – MASSterlist, June 6
A Coalition of Color Is Transforming Health Equity in Massachusetts – HealthCity, June 19

Sponsors & Partners

Thank you to the many organizations supporting the 2026 Health Equity Trends Summit. Your partnership helps bring together leaders from across sectors to advance health equity in Massachusetts.

We are grateful to our Summit Sponsors: Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Community Care Cooperative, Boston Medical Center Health System, Quest Diagnostics, Vertex, Wellpoint, 20/20 Onsite, Boston Children’s Hospital, Eastern Bank, Gilead, GLOBO Language Solutions, American Cancer Society, Behavioral Health Network, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Massachusetts Medical Society, Sánchez Strategies, UMass Boston, and Drs. Mark Goldberg and Ursula Kaiser.

We also proudly recognize Corporate to Community Services, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Mass General Brigham, the Social Impact Group, and Two Dots as Summit Partners, and the Atrius Health Equity Foundation and Takeda as Institutional Partners.

Support the Movement

Please consider further support for the Health Equity Compact. Every contribution supports our work to build a Massachusetts where race, income, and ZIP code no longer determine health outcomes.

Make a Donation

Thanks to all for their work to plan and produce the 2026 Health Equity Trends Summit:

Planning Team

Angel Bourgoin, Health Equity Compact
Benni Bernadeau, Health Equity Compact
Cara Poblete, JSI Research & Training Institute
Giselle Ferro Puigbo, Two Dots
Leah Pearlman, Beth Israel Lahey Health
Leanna Pham, JSI Research & Training Institute
Lindsey Tucker, Health Equity Compact
Lissette Blondet, Massachussetts Association of Community Health Workers
Manali Shinde, Boston Medical Center
McKenzie Beaton, Boston Medical Center
Olivia Jordan, Health Equity Compact
Salma Mohamed, Health Equity Compact
Tamar Kaim Doniger, JSI Research & Training Institute
Taylor Rich, Massachussetts Association of Community Health Workers
Tom Browne, Corporate to Community Services
Yaminah Romulus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Yashira Pepin, Social Impact Group
Zuhaly Ramón, Health Equity Compact

HEC Planning Workgroup

Carlos Cappas, Lynn Community Health Center
Claire Cooper, The Partnership, Inc.
Deb Enos, Professional Advisor and Board Member/Senior Executive
Dorosella Green, Takeda
Gary Chu, New England College of Optometry
Jenny Chiang, Tufts Medicine Integrated Network
Lumas Joseph Helaire, Lumas Solutions
Maria Celli, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
Mario Florez, UMass Memorial Health
Marta Corvêlo, Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services
Mimi Gardner, NeighborHealth

Supporting Vendors

Ball Consulting Group
Compete Now
Corporate to Community Services
RoseMark Production
Sánchez Strategies
Social Impact Group
Two Dots
UMass Boston

Eva Millona, MA, JD

Visiting Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Eva A. Millona joined Eastern Bank Foundation in 2025, leading the Career Focused English Proficiency Initiative. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously she served as a presidential appointee for the Biden-Harris Administration in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from May 2021 to January 2025, as the Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement, as well as the Chief of the inaugural Office of Citizenship, Partnership and Engagement (OCPE). In her role as Assistant Secretary, she served as the Secretary’s primary advisor on the impact of the Department’s policies, regulations, processes, and actions on state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) governments, SLTT elected officials, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the academic community, ensuring a unified approach to external engagement. As the lead of OCPE, she also served as the chair of the interagency task force on the implementation of presidential executive orders.

Before joining DHS, Ms. Millona was president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) for over 13 years. MIRA is the largest organization in New England promoting and enhancing integration for new Americans. In 2010, she co-founded the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), a national organization focused on immigrant integration at the local, state, and federal levels, and served as a co-chair for 11 years. She co-founded and co-chaired the Massachusetts Business Immigration Coalition and chaired the 2020 U.S. Census Statewide Complete Count Committee in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A native of Albania, Ms. Millona practiced civil and criminal law before becoming the youngest district judge ever appointed to Tirana’s District Court, where she served from 1989 to1992. After immigrating to the United States, she directed the refugee resettlement program in central Massachusetts. She served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for over 7 years, served as the co-chair of the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants under four governors, served on the Attorney General’s Council for New Americans, and the Advisory Board for the Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement. Ms. Millona taught global policy as an adjunct professor of practice at Boston College School of Social Work.

Ms. Millona has received numerous awards for her leadership and impact, including the prestigious USCIS Outstanding American by Choice Award in 2009. She is a graduate of Clark University, where she obtained a Master of Arts in political science, and holds a law degree from the University of Tirana.

The Health Equity Compact wishes to recognize founding supporter Foley Hoag LLP for their invaluable work providing pro bono legal skill and expertise in developing and writing An Act to Advance Health Equity.

Health Equity Trends Summit 2026

Event Materials

Event Videos

Event Photos

Speakers

Welcome & Opening Remarks

M.C.

Protect Access: Ensuring Care for Immigrant Communities

Moderator

Fireside Chat with Undersecretary Rosenthal

Host

Invest in a Community-Centered Safety Net: Community Health Workers at the Core

Moderator

Transform Primary Care: Building a More Equitable System

Moderator

Audience Engagement

Facilitator

Press

Sponsors & Partners

Support the Movement

Planning Team

HEC Planning Workgroup

Supporting Vendors

Aditya Mahalingam-Dhingra, MPH

Sen. Cindy Friedman

Deb Kelsey, CCHW

Doraliz Vega, CCHW

Eva Millona, MA, JD

Ilana Steinhauer, MSN, FNP-BC

Jen Cedor, Esq.

Rep. John Lawn

Lora Pellegrini, Esq.

Luz Ortega, CCHW

The Honorable Kim Driscoll

Rahsaan D. Hall, Esq.

Marty Martinez

Michael Curry, Esq.

Undersecretary Amy Rosenthal

Renee Crichlow, MD, FAAFP

Rep. Ron Mariano

Olga Valdman, MD

Maria G. Celli, PsyD

Sheila Och

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