Community ConneXor and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Partner with Local Agencies to Launch Integrated Service Network ADDRESSING HEALTH, HOUSING, AND ECONOMIC BARRIERS
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Community ConneXor, a mission-driven leader in systems alignment and social and health care integration, is proud to announce the launch of the second phase of its Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded ASSET (Accelerated, Accountable, Strategic and Sustainable Equity-Centered Transformation) Initiative to address longstanding disparities in North Nashville through the creation of the MOMENTUM Hub—a community-led, centralized service and referral system designed to streamline access to essential services, economic opportunity, and holistic wellness. The organization was awarded $325,500 to design the Hub prototype and pilot test the solution. Prototype co-design sessions are set to start in August and the pilot launch in February 2026.
North Nashville faces some of the deepest inequities in the country, including the nation's highest incarceration rate (14%), a child poverty rate of 42%, and a chronic disease burden that outpaces the rest of Davidson County. These outcomes are not the result of individual behavior—but of systems that have failed to deliver coordinated, accessible, and equitable support.
To counter these challenges, Community ConneXor's MOMENTUM Hub (Mobilizing Opportunity and Means for Economic, Neighborhood, and Thriving Unity, and Motivation) will serve as a "one-stop shop" centered on empowering residents—aligning local service providers, health systems, housing resources, and workforce development programs into a coordinated community network supported by a real-time digital referral and coordination platform. This infrastructure aims to eliminate service fragmentation and reduce barriers to awareness, access and navigation.
ASSET and MOMENTUM are co-led by Vickie W. Harris and James Muchira, PhD. Harris is the Founder and chief executive officer of Community ConneXor with a unique background that includes health care, managed care, non-profit-led community services and performance improvement product design. An assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Muchira researches social determinants of health. His work focuses on eliminating systemic disparities rooted in intergenerational cardiovascular risk and social disadvantages. His leadership ensures that the design of the Hub is grounded in evidence and shaped by the lived experiences of the North Nashville community.
"This is about more than service delivery—it's about creating a system of community care and building a resilient, equitable future for North Nashville," said Harris. "The MOMENTUM Hub is a foundational installment in the community's vision for lasting, transformative change."
Born out of planning meetings under Phase 1 of the ASSET initiative, the MOMENTUM Hub reflects extensive collaboration across multiple sectors —neighborhood associations, service organizations, academic institutions and government agencies. The group defined its strategic goals as:
- Creating a community care/resiliency hub
- Establishing a community land trust
- Developing a health-conscious grocery store model
- Launching a longitudinal jobs initiative integrated with youth empowerment
- Forming a standing Bureau of Stewards to ensure sustained community governance
With Phase 2 now underway, Community ConneXor will develop the MOMENTUM Hub with ongoing community input, continuing to follow the Phase 1 equity-centered community design framework, using an innovative technology platform to facilitate referrals, coordinate services and close resource gaps between existing organizations.
Key ASSET initiative partners include local nonprofits (Black Mental Health Village, Catholic Charities McGruder Center, Healing Minds and Souls, Inspiritus, The Nashville Food Project), public agencies (Nashville Public Health Department, TennCare, Metro Social Services), health care providers (Matthew Walker Community Health Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ascension Health System, Nashville General Hospital), neighborhood associations (Haynes Height, Haynes Manor, College Hill, Haynes Trinity and Parkwood), the Tennessee Community Health Workers Association, and academic organizations (Vanderbilt School of Nursing, Meharry Medical College, Meharry Vanderbilt Alliance), who will also co-design and implement the Hub.
Funding comes from the Systems Alignment Innovation Hub (SAIH), a program of Systems for Action (S4A). S4A is a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This work directly supports RWJF's mission to improve health equity, strengthen communities, and drive sustainable, community-led improvement.
About Community ConneXor
Community ConneXor is a North Nashville-based organization focused on building equity-centered systems and solutions that empower residents and dismantle the barriers that have long limited access to opportunity, health and well-being. Established in 2012, the mission of the organization is to serve communities by delivering innovative sustainable solutions that connect, improve and transform how social and health care agencies together deliver holistic, person-centric care and services. Community ConneXor leverages a digital platform and strategic partnerships for collaboration, access, and activation—bridging gaps in health, education, workforce, housing, and social support by aligning civic, nonprofit, and private sector stakeholders around shared goals to strengthen local ecosystems to drive equitable outcomes, sustainable community health improvement and coordinated impact. Learn more at www.CommunityConneXor.org.
About Vanderbilt School of Nursing
Founded in 1908, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) is a nationally recognized leader in nursing education, research, and practice. As part of Vanderbilt University, a private R1 research institution located in Nashville, Tennessee, VUSN offers a range of graduate-level programs, including the Master of Nursing (MN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and PhD in Nursing Science. The school is committed to advancing health equity and well-being through scientific discovery, innovation, evidence-based care, and lifelong learning. For more information, visit nursing.vanderbilt.edu.
The Systems Alignment Innovation Hub is a nationwide project launched in November 2022 to help medical, social service, and public health providers in low-income and Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities dismantle inequities and improve health and well-being for all. SAIH is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)'s national Systems for Action Research Program. RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps toward a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
Media Contact
Vickie W. Harris, Community ConneXor, 1 615-478-8753, [email protected], https://communityconnexor.com
SOURCE Community ConneXor
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