Independent Health Foundation employee and West Side resident Raby Ba featured in the company’s RedShirt® campaign

Raby Ba, project specialist with the Independent Health Foundation,

helps connect underserved communities with needed resources

Raby Ba

Independent Health’s enduring history of nationally recognized customer service and quality, and deep commitment to the Western New York Community, is the result of the dedication of its employees. Several of their stories are part of Independent Health’s new campaign, “The RedShirt® Difference,” which showcases the work by its RedShirts to help members and the community at large get the care and services they need.

West Side resident Raby Ba, project specialist with the Independent Health Foundation, is one of several employees who share their experiences in the campaign. In his role, he coordinates and organizes resources and access to needed services in underserved communities for the Independent Health Foundation’s popular Good for the Neighborhood programs. He appears on TV ads, billboards and online at redshirttreatment.com.

“At the Good for the Neighborhood program, we've been able to build trust with the community members and that's just comes from listening to them first, understanding them as people and being able to adapt to today’s environment,” says Ba. “We build connections with a lot of the members so when they walk in, they know us, they know our names, we know them.”

In 2025, the Independent Health Foundation’s Good for the Neighborhood program served 3,500 residents across eight locations across the community. And 87% of individuals attending these programs reported connecting to needed resources and health care services.

“We know transportation is a barrier for people to get the health services and resources they need, so we bring those resources to them and eliminate some of the issues they deal with on a day-to-day basis,” says Ba.  “We do health screenings and provide items like recipe cards with produce bags to make it easier to prepare healthy meals and provide resources the participants may never have heard of.”

Ba is originally from Senegal and moved to Buffalo with his family in 2006. He attended McKinley High School and earned a degree in Health and Wellness with a minor in Coaching from SUNY Buffalo State University.

Outside of his work at the Independent Health Foundation, Ba runs a transportation service for people in wheelchairs who need transport to their medical appointments as a way to give back to his community.  He enjoys spending time with his family and playing basketball.