Obtaining affordable healthcare can be tricky for some Mississippians, which is why Sosento Incorporated is aiming to improve health outcomes through Jackson Free Clinics with a $500,000 donation from W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The donation will support Sosento in its effort toward expanding equitable access and healthcare services for families living below the poverty line through free and charitable clinics in Jackson.
Joe Agoada, CEO of Sosento said the donation will last for two years and ends in December 2024, and will help scale-up Sostento’s existing efforts in Mississippi.
Agoada said in an interview his 15 years of experience in public health emergency agencies was a perfect fit to push Mississippi clinics to improve healthcare after starting the company in 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The investment into Sostento and Mississippi’s free and charitable clinics by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is incredibly timely,” Agoada said. “We cannot lose all the powerful approaches to health equity that covid taught us. This funding ensures we carry our covid lessons beyond the pandemic and amplify their impact into other critical public health areas.”
Agoada said as a part of the grant, Sosento partnered with the Jackson Free Clinic on how to order rides for patients who couldn’t afford to get to the clinic.
“Sostento covers the cost of the ride and provides administrative support with their account,” Agoada said. “The clinic is responsible for ordering the ride itself. Patients do not need to have an Uber App, the clinic uses the Uber Health platform to organize the pick-up and drop-off of the patient. The clinic screens patients’ transportation needs and decides which patients can access the rides.”
Sostento began the service for free and charitable clinics in late summer of 2021 and to date has delivered over 7,500 free rides across 15 locations including Jackson, officials said. The total value of free rides delivered by Sostento is over $167,000.
Shantay Griffith, previously executive director at Jackson free clinic said in an interview that she has been able to provide valuable resources to that clinic and other organizations throughout the state of Mississippi.
Griffith said words alone cannot adequately convey my gratitude to be of assistance to the national reputable nonprofit organization.
“To be able to receive this substantial grant is nothing short of amazing and it allows us to be able to provide services to more individuals,” Griffith said. “I see so many different areas of need in our marginalized communities. So this award has been a great blessing to the individuals and families in the state of Mississippi. This is huge.”
Agoada said the company is working to expand its market in Mississippi to reach more communities that could use its services.
To learn more, visit www.sostento.org. for questions or additional comments.
