Health Equity Resources

Applying Health Equity

Organizational Assessments

• Organizational Self Assessment Toolkit (Bay Area Regional Health Inequalities Initiative): Assessment tool that can help local health departments identify the skills, organizational practices, and infrastructure needed to address health equity
• The Community Tool Box - Enhancing Cultural Competence (University of Kansas): Toolkit containing many resources; this section aids in assessing and enhancing cultural competence in your organization or community effort
• Workforce Development Racial Equity Readiness Assessment (Race Forward): Tool to become familiar with various practices and policies that support institutional racial equity, evaluate current efforts, and plan action steps
• Project Implicit (Harvard): Online assessment to measure an individual's level of implicit bias for various identities
• Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization (Crossroads Ministry): Chart that describes the six phases of working towards becoming an anti-racist multicultural organization

Data

• 500 Cities: Local Data for Better Health (CDC): Project that reports city and census tract-level data for 27 chronic disease measures for the 500 largest American cities
• County Health Rankings & Roadmaps: Annual county Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work, and play
• Health Equity From the Inside Out: A Data-Driven Exploration of the Challenges and Best Practices for Operationalizing Health Equity (ARCHE): Report on key learnings from the inaugural Health Equity Design Lab, including recommendations to help the field address identified challenges and improve
• National Equity Atlas: Data resource to track, measure, and make the case for inclusive economic growth, including specific equity indicators like racial wage gaps

Toolkits

• Health Equity Guide (Human Impact Partners): Toolkit that identifies strategic practices that local health departments have employed to address the root causes of health inequities
• Achieving Health Equity (RWJF): Toolkit that provides resources, data, and case studies of communities making positive change in health
• A Practitioners Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC): Guide providing lessons learned from evidence- and practice-based strategies, as well as innovative ideas for maximizing the effects of policy, systems, and environmental improvement strategies
• Racial Equity Action Plans: A How-To Manual (GARE): Manual providing guidance for local governments to develop their own Racial Equity Action Plans after a period of research and information gathering
• Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity (GARE): Tool designed to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity in policies, practices, programs, and budgets
• Disparities Toolkit (Tobwis): Information on tobacco disparities among various groups
• "Sweet" Tools to Advance Equity (Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment): Collection of tools to advance equity in various areas, such as authentic community engagement, performance measurements, framing data, program evaluation, and more

Policy Resources

• Building Health Equity Policy Agendas: A Guide for Wisconsin (MATCH): Guide developed by statewide partners, providing steps and resources to advance equitable policies
• Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments (APHA): A guide for using collaborative approaches to improve population health by embedding health considerations into decision-making processes across a broad array of sectors
• Health Equity Guide: Prioritize Upstream Policy Change (Human Impact Partners): Collection of resources and case studies regarding policy changes that address the root causes of health inequities
• Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity (GARE): Tool designed to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity in policies, practices, programs, and budgets

Case Studies and Examples

• Health Equity Guide: Case Studies (Human Impact Partners): Collection of examples detailing how health departments have implemented the strategic practices to advance health equity -- internally and externally
• Better Health Through Equity: Case Studies in Reframing Public Health Work (APHA): Report highlighting state and local efforts to achieve better health for all
• Bay Area Regional Health Inequalities Initiative (BARHII): Example of extensive work on health equity by a coalition of 11 public health departments in the San Francisco area
• Tobacco Fact Sheet: Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (WI DHS): Fact sheet demonstrating how to center health equity while presenting data
• No Menthol Sunday (NAATPN): Resources from the national No Menthol Sunday movement to raise awareness and take action on the tobacco industry's targeting of African Americans
  • Further local resources from the WAATPN

Narrative and Messaging

• Narrative Training (MATCH): A two-part video series
  • Narrative 101: Foundations (60 min)
  • Narrative 201: Theory to Practice (60 min)
• Narrative Video Series (MATCH): Series of 3 short videos
  • Part 1: What is Narrative and Why Does it Matter? (10 min)
  • Part 2: Toxic and Transformative Health Equity Narratives in Wisconsin (5 min)
  • Part 3: Applying Transformative Narratives to COVID-19 Messaging (8 min)
• Health Equity Messaging During COVID-19 (WI Community Resilience and Response Task Force): Tool with examples of how to apply a transformational health equity narrative developed as part of the Wisconsin Healthiest State Initiative
• Using Communications to Advance Equity (Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment): Tool intended to help plan communications strategies and provide guidance to incorporate an equity lens into communication efforts
• Framing Data to Advance Equity (Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment): Tool for professionals who work with population data to spark ideas about using data to tell the full story

Action Opportunities

• Sign-On: Racism is a Public Health Crisis in Wisconsin (MATCH): Opportunity to publicly declare racism as a public health crisis (as an individual or an organization) and commit to action steps

Topic-Specific Resources

Class

• Spent: Online simulation activity to help participants understand the daily struggles of workers with low-wage jobs

Disability

• Achieving Health Equity Means Including People with Disabilities (Healthy Places by Design): Blog post with tips for how to include people with disabilities in public health efforts
• Including People with Disabilities: Public Health Workforce Competencies (Disability in Public Health): Website outlining knowledge and practice skills that public health professionals need to include people with disabilities in the core public health functions, including learning modules for each Competency with recommended strategies and real examples
• Inclusive Community Health Implementation Package (iCHIP) (National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability): Series of resources on including people with disabilities in community health leadership, communication, policy, programming, planning, assessment, and training
• Disability Inclusion: Shedding Light on an Urgent Health Equity Issue (RWJF): Blog post providing examples of structural health inequities for people with disabilities and strategies for addressing them
• Zach Anner & The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel (Cerbral Palsy Foundation): Short video that uses humor to highlight the struggles of living life in a wheel chair

Implicit Bias

• Project Implicit (Harvard): Implicit association test to detect your implicit bias for various groups
• How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them (Vernā Myers): Ted Talk about how to acknowledge our biases and move toward, not away, from the groups that make us uncomfortable
• Who, Me? Biased? (NYT): Video series about the science behind implicit bias and how to overcome it
• Implicit Bias Module Series (Kirwan Institute): Online training series about implicit bias using videos and quizzes

Intersectionality

• The urgency of intersectionality (Kimberle Crenshaw): TED Talk about the creation of the term intersectionality and its meaning
• What is Intersectionality? (Kimberle Crenshaw): Short video explaining intersectionality
• Sometimes You're a Caterpillar (Chescaleigh): Short video using animation and children's story to explain intersectionality
• How to Do Intersectionality (Rinku Sen): Blog post about common misconceptions surrounding intersectionality, and how we can apply the term better
• What is intersectionality, and what does it have to do with me? (YW Boston): Blog post about the history of this term and tips for how it applies to your work

LGBTQ

• Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities (Truth): Short video about tobacco use among the LGBT population through personal stories and expert insights
• Diverse & Resilient: Milwaukee-based organization with resources and trainings about centering the needs of LGBTQ people
  • LGBTQ Competency Toolkit
• LGBT Healthlink (CenterLink): Community-driven national network of experts and professionals enhancing LGBT health
• National LGBT Cancer Network: Organization with resources, projects, and campaigns related to cancer in LGBT communities
• FORGE: Organization providing direct services as well as training and technical assistance on serving transgender individuals

Mental Health

• Vicious Cycle (CDC): Short video from the Tips From Former Smokers campaign highlighting Rebecca's story of using smoking to cope with depression
• Behavioral Health Equity (SAMSHA): Webpage with data and resources on health equity within the mental health field
• System of Care: Advancing Health Equity (Minnesota Department of Health): Short resource describing out health equity issues impact mental health
• Equity in Mental Health: Website with a framework and resources for advancing mental health equity for students of color
• Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations (American Psychiatric Association): Fact sheets on mental health within various groups and populations

Privilege

• Privilege For Sale (Safe Zone Project): Activity helping participants understand and investigate privilege
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (Peggy McIntosh): Foundational reading that provides examples of white privilege in every day life

Race & Ethnicity

• Tobacco, COVID-19, and Racism: One page (front-and-back) educational resource detailing the interconnected relationship of tobacco, COVID-19, and racism as public health issues
• Health and Racial Equity Resources (MATCH): Collection of recommended resources organized by where you/your organization are at in your equity journey
• Fakequity: A blog focused on avoiding "fake equity" and turning racial equity into action
• Wisconsin First Nations Education: Collection of resources for learning about Native American and American Indian history
• Reclaiming Sacred Tobacco (PBS): Video showing MN American Indian traditional practices
• The 1619 Project (NYT): Series of articles that aim to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of our national narrative
• Race: The Power of an Illusion: Documentary that encourages viewers to scrutinize their own deep-seated beliefs about race and explore how our social divisions are not natural or inevitable, but made
• 13TH (Vernā Myers): Documentary about the 13th amendment, which supposedly ended slavery, but in fact evolved slavery into mass incarceration
• Race Forward: Organization focused on movement building for racial justice through research, media, and practice
• Unequal Opportunity Race (African American Policy Forum): Short video providing a baton race metaphor for structural racism
• Youth Tobacco Prevention (Community Advocates Public Policy Institute): Short video from Milwaukee youth FACT group detailing how they are impacted by tobacco
• How racism makes us sick (David R. Williams): TEDMED Talk presenting evidence for how racism is producing a rigged system
• Equity in Mental Health: Website with a framework and resources for advancing mental health equity for students of color
• Systemic Racism Explained (act.tv): Short animated video explaining redlining and impact on communities of color

Rural

• Rural Health Information Hub: Website containing information on rural health, including data, case studies, and toolkits

Tobacco

• Tobacco, COVID-19, and Racism: One page (front-and-back) educational resource detailing the interconnected relationship of tobacco, COVID-19, and racism as public health issues
• Why tobacco is a racial justice issue (Truth Initiative): Article detailing racial disparities caused by tobacco
• "Up Close with Tobacco" (WI DHS TPCP): Fact sheet series highlighting the historical toll of tobacco on specific populations
  • African American
  • American Indians
  • The LGBTQ Communities
  • Socioeconomic Status
• No Menthol Sunday (NAATPN): Resources from the national No Menthol Sunday movement to raise awareness and take action on the tobacco industry's targeting of African Americans
  • Further local resources from the WAATPN
• Reclaiming Sacred Tobacco (PBS): Short documentary depicting Minnesota's American Indian communities' traditional practices in an effort to promote a healthier lifestyle
• Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities (Truth): Short video about tobacco use among the LGBT population through personal stories and expert insights
• Black Lives / Black Lungs (Lincoln Mondy): Short documentary about the Tobacco Industry's targeting of African Americans, particularly with menthol products
• Vicious Cycle (CDC): Short video from the Tips From Former Smokers campaign highlighting Rebecca's story of using smoking to cope with depression
• Youth Tobacco Prevention (Community Advocates Public Policy Institute): Short video from Milwaukee youth FACT group detailing how they are impacted by tobacco
• Targeted Communities (Truth): Collection of research and resources on communities targeted by Big Tobacco
• National LGBT Cancer Network: Organization with resources, projects, and campaigns related to LGBT tobacco prevention
  • Tobacco-Related Cancer Project
  • LGBT Best and Promising Practices Throughout the Cancer Continuum
• A Practitioners Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC): Guide providing lessons learned from evidence- and practice-based strategies
  • Tobacco-specific sections from this resource highlighted here