Quick Guide
Definition: Hire staff dedicated to equity and establish staff capacity centered on equity.
Why It Matters: When there are not designated staff focused on equity work, it is easy for such work to be left-aside as other priorities arise, or to be siloed to specific grant deliverables. Having staff dedicated to equity work ensures equity is at the center of all programs and policies within the organization. This can include, for example, internal capacity building through trainings or department-wide strategies to evaluate programs with an equity lens. Regardless of the type of equity work, it should be intentional, based on the needs of the department.
Why It Matters: When there are not designated staff focused on equity work, it is easy for such work to be left-aside as other priorities arise, or to be siloed to specific grant deliverables. Having staff dedicated to equity work ensures equity is at the center of all programs and policies within the organization. This can include, for example, internal capacity building through trainings or department-wide strategies to evaluate programs with an equity lens. Regardless of the type of equity work, it should be intentional, based on the needs of the department.
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Public Health Alliance - Health Equity Coordinator Job Description | An example of a Health Equity Coordinator job description from the Public Health Alliance of Southern California. |
| Articles | Get Serious About Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion : 4 Reasons You Need a Dedicated DEI Team | This article may be helpful for organizations that are looking into forming a dedicated equity team. A section on how to support your dedicated equity team upon formation is also included. |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | CDPH Office of Health Equity - Equity Officer Sample Duty Statements | The CDPH Equity Technical Assistance (TA) Team created sample duty statements for different Equity Officer levels such as leadership, management, and coordinators. Additionally, this document includes links to Equity Officer job posting examples from various LHJs. |
| Webinars | A Blueprint for Establishing a Health Equity or Minority Health Office | There are many considerations when forming and managing an office of health equity or minority health. The National Association of State Offices of Minority Health shares how agencies across the United States have overcome common challenges and benefited from having a dedicated health equity office. In addition, the United States Virgin Islands Department of Health discusses initial successes and challenges experienced while establishing their office. Finally, the California Department of Public Health, with a well-established office of health equity, shares how their office utilized health equity liaisons and supported rural/tribal communities. |
| Guides | Principles & Strategies to Developing an Equitable Community Health Worker Workforce Study | Principles and strategies in this document draw on the approaches and lessons learned from internet research to collect key U.S. national and state level workforce studies and meta-analyses as well as discussions with Community Health Worker (CHW), CHR and ally researchers. It is designed for health departments, legislators, funders, health systems, CHW Networks and Associations, community-based organizations, advocates, and others involved in advancing the sustainability of the CHW profession through workforce studies. |
| Articles | Operationalizing Equity: How To Implement An Equity Action Plan | This article provides a comprehensive guide on creating and executing an equity action plan within organizations. It emphasizes the importance of integrating equity into all aspects of operations and offers practical steps and examples to achieve this goal. |
| 2023 CA LHJ Examples | Butte County Department of Public Health | The Butte County Health Equity Team consists of a dedicated equity lead and two staff members partially funded for equity initiatives. The team of three can review policies and procedures and provide recommendations to leadership, as well as provide learning opportunities, resources, and technical assistance to staff across all levels. The primary focus lies in educating staff on equity principles, enabling them to integrate an equity perspective into their workflows and individual program development, and making department-wide recommendations as appropriate. |
| 2023 CA LHJ Examples | Kern County Health Equity Plan | Kern County established a Health Equity Team, and a Health Equity Taskforce with representation from the diverse program areas of the department. In addition, the creation of Internships through the Public Health Pipeline Project and program staffing have been instrumental in advancing equity activities outlined in the health equity plan. |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Articles | DEI Steering Committee - Part 1: 3 Steps to Forming an Effective DEI Steering Committee | This article is a 3-part series that includes information on forming a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee, sustaining DEI efforts, and futureproofing the work of the committee. Links to part 2 and 3 are in the article. |
| 2023 CA LHJ Examples | Sacramento County: Public Health's Role in Continuing Momentum After Declaring Racism as a Public Health Crisis | Following the declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis in November 2020, Sacramento County Public Health (SCPH) formed the Health and Racial Equity (HRE) Unit in April 2022 to build on the momentum to advance health and racial equity. The unit is fully staffed with five full time employees that work to integrate equity in SCPH infrastructure and programmatic areas. The unit was created to expand and build health and racial equity programs, policies, and practices throughout SCPH to eliminate, mitigate, and prevent existing and future health disparities and inequities that Black, Brown, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and other communities experience in Sacramento County. Having dedicated equity staff has positively impacted SCPH’s culture and capacity to advance health and racial equity. |
| 2023 CA LHJ Examples | Napa County Health and Human Services Agency Public Health DEI Committee | While Napa County Health and Human Services Agency-Public Health does not have a staff member with the specific title of ‘Equity Lead’ or ‘Equity Officer’, they have staff that function in this capacity in their Chronic Disease and Health Equity unit. The unit is dedicated to assessing countywide social determinants of health and has integrated equity as a priority across programs. As a result of the 2022 Organizational Assessment for Equity Infrastructure, they have started to convene a monthly DEI workgroup within Public Health to support equity work across the division. They were also able to hire and retain an additional Community Health Planner with CERI grant funding, increasing the capacity of the Chronic Disease and Health Equity unit. |