As the world counts down the “decade of action” to make the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals a reality, Johnson & Johnson together with our partners is taking on two of the toughest challenges facing SDG 3 and health systems —closing an 18 million health worker shortage and equipping all frontline health workers to thrive. Solving these challenges is critical to achieving key global health priorities such as universal health coverage.

The Johnson & Johnson Center for Health Worker Innovation (the Center) was founded to catalyze efforts to respond to the human resource crisis in global health and build a thriving health workforce. The Center is tasked with guiding a $250 million, 10-year commitment to support one million nurses, midwives and community health workers reaching 100 million people by 2030 and the more immediate $50 million commitment to support frontline health workers battling COVID-19. Both commitments have been made by the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation. Working with longstanding partners, the Center is developing a global portfolio of programs in regions with the highest community health burdens and frontline health worker gaps, while also ensuring that the current health workforce is thriving and resilient.

COVID-19 has once again brought to light the glaring inequities in our health systems that put the most vulnerable most at risk. Our commitment to help build resilient community-based health systems with thriving frontline health workers at their heart has never been stronger.