Realizing the Promise of Health Equity

Cedars-Sinai is continually focused on improving access and outcomes in healthcare to benefit people across our community. Thanks to an extraordinary $13 million gift from Eric and Terri Holoman, the medical center is advancing this goal by establishing the Cedars-Sinai Holoman Health Equity Center. Serving as a data and innovation engine, the center will accelerate solutions for combatting health equity deficiencies—reinforcing Cedars-Sinai’s bedrock commitment to offering hope and healing to all, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or other factors.

“I have experienced healthcare inequities in my lifetime, and I can only imagine how many other people are facing the same challenges,” Terri said. Eric added, “Cedars-Sinai is a very special place, one focused on access and impact for everyone it serves. And we believe in its ability to deliver.”

The Cedars-Sinai Holoman Health Equity Center addresses a pressing need: Shifting federal priorities, in combination with longstanding systemic barriers to access in care, have resulted in persistent coverage and affordability gaps tied to social determinants of health such as income, housing, transportation and education.

“The barriers to care are all too real—barriers tied to where people live, their economic circumstances, language, transportation, healthcare systems,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai and the David and Meredith Kaplan Presidential Chair. “Eric and Terri Holoman are locked in on eliminating those barriers.”

A $3 million gift from Laura Fox and Ben Van de Bunt is also playing a pivotal role in helping Cedars-Sinai strengthen health equity. Their contribution will enhance education, engagement and capacity building across the medical center to help ensure equitable patient outcomes.

“Our charitable giving prioritizes fairness, measurable impact and long-term viability, which is why Cedars-Sinai, and specifically the Office of Health Equity, is such a strong fit,” Laura said. “The work it does is practical, scalable and grounded in reducing real barriers people face every day in accessing quality healthcare.”

For Laura and Ben, partnering with Cedars-Sinai is a natural outgrowth of their belief that health equity and excellent medical care are essential to improving individual and community health.

“Cedars-Sinai’s commitment to health equity and to improving the health of the communities it serves is not peripheral; it’s in its DNA,” Laura said. “Because of that commitment, together with its scale, reach and expertise, Cedars-Sinai can be instrumental in shaping the model for the best delivery of care to a community.”