Beautiful Way Foundation seeks partnership with Lawrence Board of Health to build community‑led public‑health engagement

Tamika Jackson, founder and executive director of the Beautiful Way Foundation, presented an overview of her organization’s proposal to partner with the Lawrence Board of Health at the board’s Oct. 14 meeting.

Jackson told the board she launched the Beautiful Way Foundation “right here in Boston, about almost two years ago” after 25 years in the life‑sciences industry and said the nonprofit seeks to “bridge communities and life‑sciences organizations” by building people‑centered engagement that surfaces barriers to care and informs local policy and programs.

Why the presentation matters: Jackson said the foundation’s method emphasizes listening to residents’ lived narratives and working with local leaders, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), faith leaders and other stakeholders to triage barriers to care and pilot targeted interventions. She cited colorectal cancer screening as an initial focus and proposed recruiting local ambassadors and training community stakeholders to increase screening and reduce skepticism about health services.

What Jackson proposed: stage‑one work to build a representative community advisory group in Lawrence, collect narrative data on why residents may not pursue screening or other recommended care, and bring those findings to the city to inform program design and funding priorities. Jackson said the foundation would return with progress reports and asked for the board’s support in identifying local partners and ambassadors.

Board response and concerns: board members and clinicians asked for clarity about overlap with existing data collection in clinical electronic medical records and whether the foundation’s work would lead to clinical‑trial recruitment. Jackson said the foundation’s emphasis is on removing access barriers and improving outcomes, not covert recruitment for research, and described plans to use narrative and social‑determinants‑of‑health information to tailor outreach and services to micro‑communities.

Jackson gave examples of barriers surfaced in prior community work — single‑parent stress, employment and re‑entry after incarceration — and said those nonmedical issues often drive health behavior and outcomes. She said the foundation intends to use those findings to help local leaders and health systems prioritize interventions and funding where they will have the biggest effect.

Funding and governance: Jackson said the Beautiful Way Foundation is funded by grants and donations, is newly established and is seeking partnerships with cities and providers to support pilot work. Board members said they were supportive in principle but asked for clarity on scope, documentation and explicit safeguards against any pressure to enroll residents in clinical trials.

Next steps: Jackson asked the board to identify city partners and local ambassadors to begin community outreach. Board members said they would continue the conversation and that staff and community leaders should coordinate to define a pilot scope and reporting cadence.

Ending: The presentation closed with the board offering to stay engaged while seeking more specifics about funding, data protections and how the foundation’s activities would integrate with existing public‑health and clinical efforts in Lawrence.