Health Equity for ALL

THINGS THAT MATTER TO US:

  • Improving Access to Healthcare
  • Increasing provider capacity.
  • Trainings  that focus on cultural competency, health equity, race & health outcomes, and implicit bias.
  • Coordinated efforts for warm handoffs between two or more agencies.
  • Coordinated efforts for improved referral systems between two or more agencies.
  • Advocacy and public policy work that addresses access to healthcare
  • Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
  • Affordable housing and housing solutions for low-income families and individuals.
  • Transportation barriers for the medically underserved.
  • Food insecurity, access, and nutrition.
  • Increased organizational and community awareness or knowledge of how racism affects health outcomes

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 on health equity

(Lest We Forget) Past Resources Discussing COVID-19 and Maternal Health Inequities
What is Health Equity?
Healthy People 2020 defines health equity as the "attainment of the highest level of health for all people." 

Why does it matter?
Everyone deserves a fair chance to lead a healthy life. No one should be denied this chance because of who they are or their socio-economic opportunities. 

How do we work to achieve health equity?
To achieve health equity, we must eliminate avoidable health inequities and health disparities requiring short-and long-term actions, including:
  • Attention to the root causes of health inequities and health disparities, specifically health determinants, a principal focus of Healthy People 2020.
  • Particular attention to groups that have experienced major obstacles to health associated with socio-economic disadvantages and historical and contemporary injustices.
  • Promotion of equal opportunities for all people to be healthy and to seek the highest level of health possible.
  • Distribution of socio-economic resources needed to be healthy in a manner that progressively reduces health disparities and improves health for all.
  • Continuous efforts to maintain a desired state of equity after avoidable health inequities and health disparities are eliminated.
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DEFINITIONS:
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Health Equity: Attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Health Equity means efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives.  Learn more from our Health Equity Framework

Health Inequities: Differences in health that are avoidable, unfair, and unjust. Health inequities are affected by social, economic, and environmental conditions. Learn more about what affects health inequities.
Health Disparities: Differences in health outcomes among groups of people. Learn more about what affects health disparities.

The concepts of health equity and health disparity are inseparable in their practical implementation. Policies and practices aimed at promoting the goal of health equity will not immediately eliminate all health disparities, but they will provide a foundation for moving closer to that goal.

Summarized from Healthy People 2020  

BE PART OF THE CHANGE

Some of our desired initiatives include:

- Birth & Postpartum support for all regardless of income through innovative programming and funding.
- ​Person   of Color (PoC) Support groups and Birth circle    (now virtual!) aimed to promote community, education and teamwork.
- Partnerships with local and community clinics to provide free and discounted classes and services to at-risk families.
- Help and support services for incarcerated birthing people.
 - Group pregnancy and postpartum classes across the continuum similar to the Centering Pregnancy model through community partners.
- Collaborative work across culture and color lines to include national collaboration with asylum seeker and refugee support agencies.

There is so much going on behind the scenes! 

​Want to learn more?   Partner With Us. Get involved.