Amidst Healthcare Cuts, PACA Launches Free Grassroots Health Initiative in D.C.
Pan-African Community ActionThe People’s Pan-African Wellness Front seeks to empower residents of Southeast, D.C. through care and collectivization..
February 18, 2026 — The Southeast D.C. community based organization Pan-African Community Action (PACA) launches the People’s Pan-African Wellness Front to address material needs created by racial capitalism and state abandonment, while building the peoples-centered infrastructure required for “Community Control Over Health” and long-term Black/African self-determination in Southeast D.C .
Persistent health disparities in Black working class communities manifests in the underfunding of hospitals and clinics in predominantly Black neighborhoods, limited access to health insurance due to racialized economic inequalities, and disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards such as pollution and food deserts. The current profit-driven healthcare system exploits these disparities, with pharmaceutical and insurance companies charging exorbitant prices while offering minimal support for conditions that disproportionately affect Black populations, such as hypertension, diabetes, and maternal health complications. For D.C. residents the dawn of 2026 meant surging health insurance premiums and new limits on Medicaid access that has left tens of thousands of D.C. residents with the worst healthcare options seen in decades.
Deputy Mayor for D.C. Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage announced austerity measures to the DC Health Care Alliance, Medicaid, and the Immigrant Children’s Program meant to save the District an estimated $1.2 billion over the next four years, but that will also punish tens of thousands of DC residents, mainly non-white poor working class. As highlighted by PACA, the passing of “The Big Beautiful Bill purged 230,000 DC SNAP”, further limiting access to nutritional foods key to maintaining wellness.
“Historical and ongoing medical racism erodes trust in the healthcare system, further limiting engagement with medical institutions. These contradictions ensure that Black and Brown communities face systemic neglect while serving as sites of economic extraction for the medical industry, perpetuating cycles of inequality and poor health outcomes,” says PACA organizer Re’al Jones.
Inspired by the legacies of the Black Panther Party’s People’s Free Medical Clinics and the Cuban healthcare model, PACA’s People’s Pan-African Wellness Front (PPWF) program will initially provide free blood pressure and diabetes screenings, free hygiene products, medical supplies, and health information and guidance for preventative care from medical professionals on hand; all while organizing toward long-term self-determination and community control over health. The PPWF also comes as the U.S. government levels a collective punishment against Cuba by tightening its economic blockade, with a particular emphasis on stopping fuel deliveries and threatening any nation that provides aid to Cuba.
The health program launches on Sunday, February 22nd, from 12 noon to 3 pm and, subsequently, takes place every following 4th Sunday of the month at the RISE Demonstration Center, 2730 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southeast DC.
About Pan-African Community Action (PACA):
Emerging in November of 2015 in direct response to the killing of 27 year-old Alonzo Smith by DC Special Police, Pan African Community Action is a grassroots group of African/Black people organizing for community-based power. This organization, based in Washington, D.C., works to actualize this through political education and participatory programs of action.
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