“In Crossing the Gap, Ansell offers a blueprint for how hospitals and other anchor institutions can stand with communities—with courage, organizing, and stubborn hope—not just to serve them, but to close death gaps so we can finally make every child’s chance to be healthy a basic American guarantee.”

Arne Duncan, former US Secretary of Education

“This book is novel, immediate, and deeply worthy of your time. As Ansell relates implementing strategies from effective patient navigation to true community leadership and partnership, he provides an inspiring blueprint for all of us who are invested in replacing medical futility with faith in action.”

Harriet A. Washington, author of Medical Apartheid

“In Crossing the Gap, Ansell demonstrates what can happen when we treat hospitals and health plans as civic institutions with influence over life expectancy and neighborhood economies and as promoters of democracy.”

Andy Slavitt, former administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

“A powerful, insightful, and deeply human account, Crossing the Gap should be required reading for every health professional in training in the United States and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand—and ultimately transform—the unequal realities that continue to define American health.”

David R. Williams, Harvard University