Health Forward Website

Bringing health to the forefront to improve outcomes and eliminate disparities

Who We Are

We are a public health consulting firm that believes in advanced solutions that increase organizational capacity to impart community-focused and data-driven approaches to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities through training, technical assistance, and evaluation.

ABOUT US

Health Forward, LLC (Health Forward) is a minority woman-owned public health consultant firm committed to increasing organizational capacity to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities through training, organizational assessment, strategic planning, program development and implementation, and evaluation. Health Forward supports mission-driven, change-making organizations in developing and strengthening their impact through strategic actions and data-driven approaches.

We are committed to work that is rooted in and advances equitable policies, practices, and programs aimed at creating pathways for healthier individuals, families, and communities. At Health Forward, we center health equity and multi-sectoral collaboration to empower and foster healthy, thriving communities for all.

Health Forward works in close partnership with clients to:

key stakeholders throughout each phase of the project

PLAN

data-driven strategies and programs

CONNECT

TRAIN

staff and key stakeholders to strengthen capacity

MEASURE

processes, performance, outcomes, and impact

IMPROVE

program and organizational effectiveness

OUR FOUNDER

Melicent R. Miller, DrPH, MSPH, President and CEO of Health Forward LLC, is a public health strategist with over fifteen years of experience working in the public and non-profit sectors where she honed her skills in public health program planning, monitoring, and evaluation, grant and budget management, quality improvement, and health communication.

Dr. Miller has led initiatives at the state and local government level and national non-profit organizations by engaging community, clinical, academic, and governmental partners in population health focused initiatives to reduce chronic disease burden across the lifespan including Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, lupus, and obesity. Additionally, Melicent has established state-level healthy community recognition programs, developed trainings, built multi- sectoral learning collaboratives, and written state-level health policies.

She has developed and led several successful programs using a health and racial equity lens to ensure that every child, including her two daughters, have the opportunity to learn and grow to become a healthy, thriving, and resilient adult and that every adult has access to opportunities that will enable them to live long, well lives.

Melicent@healthforwardconsulting.com

WHAT WE DO

Health Forward has over a decade of experience collaborating and leading initiatives at the state and local government level and national non-profit organizations by engaging community, clinical, academic, and governmental partners in population health focused initiatives to reduce chronic disease burden across the lifespan. Health Forward has worked with diverse partners to establish state-level healthy community recognition programs, build multi- sectoral learning collaboratives, write state-level health policies and develop successful programs using a health and racial equity lens to ensure that every child and adult have the opportunity to learn and grow to become a healthy, thriving, and resilient adult and that every adult has access to opportunities that will enable them to live long, well lives.

Our Core Services include:

Training & Capacity Building

Realizing the importance having access to the right tools and resources has on the overall success of any organization, Health Forward offers training at all organizational levels from board members to volunteers on diverse evidence-based public health topics designed to inform public health practice.

Organizational Assessment & Strategic Planning

Strategic planning helps to ensure that organizations are set on the right path to achieve their organizational goals. Health Forward structures and facilitates the planning process to create a vision for change and guide teams in making key decisions and set priorities for their future through a comprehensive approach to achieve short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.

Program Development and Implementation

Programs are the cornerstone of an organization. They are the services that are provided to the community that impact health and wellbeing. Health Forward develops programs and projects informed by evidence that address health issues, focused on improving population health and addressing health equity. We foster multi-sector collaboration to implement evidence-based programs and projects, driven to impact population health, chronic diseases, and health equity.

Evaluation

Program evaluation is an essential organizational practice. Program evaluation supports an organization's priorities. When programs conduct strong, practical evaluations on a routine basis, the findings inform organizations on effectiveness of their programs and ability to serve their community by providing a case for continued implementation and even increased funding and resources. Health Forward provides evaluation support aimed at assessing different aspects and stages of program development, implementation, and impact.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS