New NAACP, Sanofi Report Unveils Roadmap for Advancing Health Equity Across the Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2026
Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org
WASHINGTON – The NAACP, in collaboration with Sanofi, released the findings of the ACE Your Health Community Wellness Survey, one of the largest contemporary grassroots assessments of community health resources in the United States. The report, with nearly 23,000 respondents across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, provides insights into the real-world conditions that drive health outcomes, from the quality of housing and access to transportation to the pervasive impact of chronic stress.
The survey's findings underscore a critical truth: health is shaped long before a person enters a doctor's office. While the data show strong neighborhood infrastructure in many communities — with 92% of respondents reporting access to green spaces and 94% having a grocery store nearby — they also reveal persistent, structural inequities.
Key findings from the report include:
- Health Burden is High: 63% percent of respondents report living with at least one chronic health condition, a number that increases with age and decreases with income.
- Income Dictates Access: Respondents with lower incomes are significantly less likely to live near quality hospitals, more likely to struggle with housing costs, and face greater barriers to reliable transportation.
- Strong Neighborhood Infrastructure is Widespread: 94% of respondents reported having a grocery store in their neighborhood. And nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods.
- Trust in Healthcare is a Factor: While 76% of respondents believe local providers understand their community's cultural needs, significant gaps remain. Only one in three Black or African American respondents felt providers understood their needs "very much so," with many reporting feeling dismissed or unheard.
- Chronic Stress is Pervasive: Qualitative analysis identified chronic stress as the most dominant influence on health — driven by financial strain, unsafe neighborhoods, caregiving burdens, and discrimination.
- Digital Connectivity is the Norm: 72% of respondents have broadband internet, but households with low incomes rely more heavily on cellular data or public Wi-Fi, impacting access to telehealth and economic opportunity.
The report identifies five national priority areas where advocacy and investment by experts working to advance health equity can generate the most meaningful change: Housing and Environmental Conditions; Transportation Access; Affordable and Culturally Responsive Care; Food Access and Cost; and Chronic Stress and Caregiving Burden.
"This report confirms what our communities have been saying for generations: your zip code can be a more powerful determinant of your health than your genetic code," said Dr. Chris Pernell, Director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity. "The ACE Your Health survey moves beyond data points to capture the lived experience of our communities. We cannot treat our way out of this crisis. We must address the root causes: the aging apartments with mold that trigger asthma, the unreliable buses that make it difficult to attend appointments, and the chronic stress of financial insecurity that wears down the body. These findings are a roadmap for policymakers and health leaders to invest in the conditions that create health, not just treat the sickness that results from their absence."
The collaboration between the NAACP and Sanofi reflects a shared commitment to moving beyond dialogue to drive tangible change. By combining grassroots engagement with rigorous science-based analyses, the ACE Your Health report provides actionable intelligence for local leaders, policy experts, advocates, and health systems.
"The voices of nearly 23,000 people are a powerful reminder that health is shaped, or undermined, long before anyone walks into a doctor's office. Our collaboration with the NAACP on the ACE Your Health report reflects Sanofi's belief that the most powerful innovations happen when we act with communities, not just for them, to address the root causes of health inequity," said Tanisha M. Sullivan, Head, External Engagement and Health Equity Strategy at Sanofi. "These findings give policymakers, health systems, and local leaders the evidence they need to invest in the conditions that truly create health. That is how we build a future where your zip code no longer determines your well-being."
The report includes city-specific data swaths for fifteen metropolitan areas, enabling local stakeholders to address the unique challenges in their communities. The NAACP will use these findings to inform its advocacy, drive targeted investments, and empower communities to shape their own health futures.
To download the full ACE Your Health Community Wellness Survey Report, visit our website. In addition to the Community Wellness Survey Findings, the NAACP released tools to assist health advocates with using the findings to drive change in their communities, available here.
Below are perspectives from organizations and experts driving progress toward health equity across the country:
"The ACE Your Health project is one of the more impressive public health initiatives in recent memory. In leading an organization dedicated to advancing health justice through better affordability, accessibility, and accountability, the insights, practical policy recommendations, and action guides developed by the NAACP will be invaluable to our vast partner network as we build a more equitable public health system that enables communities to thrive."
Linda Goler Blount, MPH – President & CEO Community Catalyst
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"Health equity is assurance of the conditions for optimal health and well-being for ALL individuals and communities. Achieving health equity requires valuing all individuals and populations equally, recognizing and rectifying historical injustices, and providing resources according to need. Now is the time for all of us to "bring our folding chairs" to decision-making tables around housing, transportation, food, health care, and the many other areas which impact our health and well-being. By changing who is found at these decision-making tables, we will change what is on these agendas and the values which guide issue prioritization and community investment."
Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD – Past President, American Public Health Association Commissioner, Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination, and Global Health Visiting Professor, King's College London
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"Access to health-advancing resources shouldn't depend on where you live or who you are. This wellness survey and toolkit help shine a light on persistent gaps and give communities practical tools to close them — from strengthening local health infrastructure to expanding access to affordable, culturally responsive care."
Kathy Crosby – CEO and President, Truth Initiative, the nation's largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all.
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"We believe the ACE Your Health report and toolkit will help translate community voices into actionable insights for both neighborhoods and medical practices, guiding more responsive care and stronger partnerships between patients, providers, and public health leaders. By aligning community-driven data with investments in a community-focused healthcare workforce, we can work together to design more compassionate and comprehensive health systems that work to achieve healthier lives for all."
Michellene Davis, Esq., President and CEO, NMF.
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"The NYC Health Department commends the NAACP Center for Health Equity for its leadership on the ACE Your Health initiative and the Community Wellness Survey National Report. This critical work aligns closely with our mission to eliminate health inequities by addressing the systemic factors in housing, transportation, healthcare access, and more that drive these inequities. Together, we can build a future where every community has the resources and opportunities to thrive."
Dr. Toni Eyssallenne – Deputy Chief Medical Officer, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH)
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"This report comes at a time when the very systems designed to challenge inequities and advance health equity are being dismantled with the stroke of a pen. If we are serious about advancing health equity, we must humanize public health — moving beyond a narrow biomedical paradigm and confronting the structural, cultural, and psychosocial conditions that produce illness in the first place. Structural accountability is not optional; it is imperative."
Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH – Dean, Rutgers, School of Public Health
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"Data without action is just documentation of injustice. The NAACP's ACE Your Health report makes undeniably clear what Black communities have long known: where you live shapes whether you live — and how well. Nearly 23,000 voices are telling us that housing instability, transportation deserts, food insecurity, and chronic stress are not personal failures — they are policy failures. This moment demands more than acknowledgment. Community members must organize and demand better. Practitioners must meet patients where they are — not just geographically, but culturally. And elected leaders must stop treating health equity as aspirational and start treating it as a legislative obligation. The data is here. The people are here. The only thing missing is the political will to act."
Dr. David Johns – CEO & Executive Director, National Black Justice Collective (NBJC)
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"The ACE Your Health Community Wellness Survey documents the most pressing health drivers impacting communities from Connecticut to California. The survey results also underscore the disparate effect of these conditions on populations of color. The ACE Your Health Literacy Toolkit offers practical, accessible resources that empower action at the grassroots level to support communities in addressing these challenges. By uniting public and private partners around shared policy priorities, we can accelerate progress toward health equity in the areas of safe and stable housing, affordable and accessible healthcare, environmental and food security, reliable transportation and chronic stress reduction."
Manisha Juthani, MD – Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health
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"Health is shaped long before anyone seeks medical care. The air people breathe, the water they drink, and their ability to access nutritious food and reliable transportation are among the many factors that have a powerful influence on whether they can achieve their full health potential. By combining data with actionable insights, the ACE Your Health survey provides a roadmap for creating healthier communities."
Rodney Lyn, PhD, MS – Dean, Georgia State University, School of Public Health
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About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st-century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.
About Sanofi
Sanofi is an R&D driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people's lives and delivering compelling growth. We apply our deep understanding of the immune system to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world, with an innovative pipeline that could benefit millions more. Our team is guided by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives; this inspires us to drive progress and deliver positive impact for our people and the communities we serve, by addressing the most urgent healthcare, environmental, and societal challenges of our time.
About ACE Your Health Initiative
The ACE Your Health initiative is supported by a collaboration between the NAACP and Sanofi to understand the resources available in communities that help people lead their healthiest lives.