When pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced that it would cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 or less a month, it made headlines — and sparked debate. Was the move a genuine attempt to address the affordability crisis plaguing millions of Americans with diabetes, or a savvy response to mounting public and political pressure?
Around the same time, Amazon launched a telehealth clinic for its employees and their families, and Target expanded its in-store clinics to underserved areas while pledging funds to address Black maternal mortality.
These efforts are all part of sustained health-related corporate social responsibility initiatives where corporations step into public health roles. Whether driven by reputation, regulation, or real commitment to change, these efforts increasingly shape how communities access care.
This trend also offers a reservoir of story ideas. Corporate social responsibility programs may be aimed at improving health outcomes, but they often surface deeper inequities, reveal gaps in the health care system and open the door to probing questions: Who benefits? Who doesn’t? And who’s holding corporations accountable?
Here’s how to spot meaningful stories in health-related corporate social responsibility and dig deeper than the press release.
What is health-related corporate social responsibility?
Health-related corporate social responsibility includes any initiative by a company — especially one outside the traditional health sector — that seeks to improve health outcomes or access to health care. This can take many forms including: product changes, like CVS’s tobacco ban or Coca-Cola’s sugar reduction campaigns; philanthropic donations, like Johnson & Johnson’s global maternal health programs; access interventions, such as Walgreens partnering with the National Minority Health Association to expand COVID-19 vaccine access in underserved areas; and community health partnerships, such as tech companies funding telehealth startups in rural areas.
While corporate social responsibility campaigns may promote better health outcomes, they can also trigger skepticism — or even backfire — especially when perceived as inauthentic or self-serving. Corporate social responsibility can alienate the very people it’s trying to help if the company’s core business practices appear misaligned with its philanthropic messaging. That dissonance can deepen distrust among the public, particularly in marginalized communities.
Here are some ways to spot meaningful stories in health-related corporate social responsibility — and dig deeper than the press release.
How to report on health equity in corporate social responsibility
Health-related corporate social responsibility isn’t inherently good or bad — it’s a sustaining force in public health. Deeper reporting on these initiatives can help ensure they are more than PR stunts and hold corporations accountable for their impact on health equity.
