Ala Stanford steps down from a federal health position to focus efforts in Philadelphia

Ala Stanford, the founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium who rose to lead regional operations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has stepped down from her position in the federal government to focus on her clinic in Philadelphia.

She said she plans to continue to promote equity in health care nationally, but believes that the individual profile she built over years of health care advocacy in the Philadelphia region will allow her to spread that message more effectively.

Stanford, a Montgomery County surgeon, received widespread national acclaim for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, founding the consortium to get COVID testing and vaccines into the Black communities that were some of the hardest hit by the virus.

In 2021, she opened the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity in Swampoodle, aiming to provide comprehensive primary care in a neighborhood with few health care options and to combat social inequities that can result in poor health outcomes for many people of color.

In April 2022, President Joe Biden appointed her to lead HHS’s Region 3 office, covering Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Stanford’s last day was May 2.

Stanford said her time at the department was an honor, and called invaluable what she learned about health mandates, policy and funding on a federal level. After a year in her position in the federal government, she came to believe that she could make more of an impact on patients’ lives on the ground in Philadelphia.

The clinic hopes to eventually expand outside the neighborhood, she said, but wants to focus on North Philadelphia first.

“I need to make sure that the 19132 zip code, where the life expectancy is one of the lowest in the city, has access to preventative care, screening, mental health, gynecology, pharmacy,” she said. “We do not have enough ambulatory care centers in our zip codes with the lowest life expectancies.”

In the 19132 zip code in North Philadelphia, which includes Stanford’s Swampoodle clinic, 90% of residents are Black, and about 34% of people live in poverty. The area’s residents have life expectancies of about 70 years, which is nearly 20 years shorter than the expected life span of residents in wealthier areas of the city, such as Old City.

This summer, the clinic is planning a health fair where Philadelphia students can get physicals before the school year, and adult patients can get preventive screenings for cancer and other illnesses.

As an individual, Stanford said, she believed that she could be a more effective advocate for the wide-ranging social factors contributing to disparate health outcomes across communities.

“Wealth is linked to home ownership. Home ownership is linked to education. Education is linked to health outcomes, and health outcomes are exacerbated by racial injustice,” she said. “If we are really talking about achieving health equity, all those things must be addressed, and I could not do all of that within HHS.”

She added that she still plans advocacy work on a national level. Educating the next generation of doctors on the unconscious biases that can keep patients of color from adequate health care is imperative, she said.

“It doesn’t matter how many policies you put in place, how many quality performance metrics you have, if health care providers aren’t looking in the mirror with their own moral compass and recognizing what role we play in poor health care,” she said.

During Stanford’s time at the head of the HHS regional office, she led vaccine fairs and outreach around 988, the national mental health crisis hotline, among other initiatives.

“She has positively impacted and led important regional priorities, and the Biden-Harris administration is grateful for her service,” Marvin Figueroa, director of HHS’s Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, said in a statement, adding that the office’s “whole team has benefitted from her knowledge and experience.”

Until a new regional director is appointed, Melissa Heard, Region 3′s executive officer, will serve as the office’s acting director.