What is Health Equity?
Health equity means that everyone has a fair opportunity to live a long, healthy life. It implies that health should not be compromised or disadvantaged because of an individual or population group’s race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, income or insurance status, neighborhood, or other social condition. Achieving health equity requires creating fair opportunities for health and eliminating gaps in health outcomes between different social groups. It also requires that public health professionals look for solutions outside of the health care system, such as in the transportation or housing sectors, to improve the opportunities for health in communities.
Learn More
What is Health Equity? Report by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The purpose of this report is to stimulate discussion and promote greater consensus about the meaning of health equity and the implications for action within the Culture of Health Action Framework.
Engaging the Community
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) The goal of ASTHO’s Health Equity is to help state and territorial health officials advance equity. ASTHO Health Equity
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) The goal of NACCHO’s Health Equity and Social Justice program is to advance the capacity of local health departments (LHDs) to confront the root causes of inequities in the distribution of disease and illness through public health practice and their organizational structure. Health Equity and Social Justice – Training and Resources
Center for Chronic Disease(CDC) Health Equity Guide –The purpose of the Health Equity Guide is to assist practitioners with addressing the well-documented disparities in chronic disease health outcomes. This resource offers lessons learned from practitioners on the front lines of local, state, and tribal organizations that are working to promote health and prevent chronic disease health disparities. A Practitioner’s Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease
Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governmentspdf iconexternal icon
Developed by the American Public Health Associationexternal icon, the Public Health Instituteexternal icon, and the California Department of Public Health external icon with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this guide is geared towards state and local government leaders who want to use cross-sector collaboration to promote healthy environments.
The Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. Our mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources. Visit their toolkit to learn more about engaging communities and partners for change.
Strategies For Advancing Health Equity
The Human Impact Partners Health Equity Guide is a great tool to facilitate internal and external change for health equity. The guide outlines key strategies for building internal infrastructure, working across government, fostering community partnerships, and championing transformative change.
Advancing Racial Equity and Transforming Government: A Resource Guide to Put Ideas Into Action: This guide is from the Local and Regional Alliance on Race and Equity and is an excellent tool for local government agencies looking to build organizational capacity, implement racial equity tools, use data and metrics, and communicate and partner with others.
Publication: Long-Range Planning for Health, Equity and Prosperity: A Primer for Local Governments Published by ChangeLab Solutions, this guide provides a preliminary framework for aligning health equity policies across local government departments and broad guidance on incorporating equity in long-range planning, community engagement, investment and evaluation processes. It addresses the impact of city, town, neighborhood and community space planning and development on public health and the social determinants of health, particularly for low-income racial/ethnic minorities.
Health Equity: A guidebook for public health practice: This guidebook is a tool for public health practitioners in Colorado who are serious about walking their health equity talk but aren’t quite sure how to get started. It aims to prepare its users to close gaps in health status that result from systemic, avoidable, and unjust policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity for certain people.
Social Determinants of Health
Social Determinants of Health
CDC defines social determinants of health (SDOH) as conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. You can also learn more about SDOHs and related indicators on the Healthy People 2030 website.
PHRASES toolkit offers evidence-based framing and messaging tools and strategies to help public health professionals communicate across sectors.
National Association of County & Health Officials – NACCHO- Community Health Assessments – Resources for Social Determinants of Health Indicators
Institute of Health Equity – Action on the Social Determinants of Health
Health Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions and Answers- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation – Issue Brief