Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity

Download this description (PDF) of the Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity.

In order for your department to join the coalition please complete this form and return it to Richard Hofrichter by e-mail or fax.

Purpose

The Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity, open to all local health departments (LHDs), is an organization dedicated to enabling LHDs to take collective action against the fundamental causes of inequity in the distribution of disease and illness through public health practice. The coalition provides members the opportunity to build solidarity with other health departments organizing and strategizing to achieve health equity.

Rationale

Historically, public health played a crucial role in advocating for progressive policy changes that improved the health of all members of a society by establishing the conditions for healthy communities. The coalition reconnects public health with its roots as a social justice enterprise focused on the conditions in which people live, work, and play.

Objectives

Identify and meet the need for support, dialogue, guidance, and information of coalition members;
Design strategies in support of the Recommendations of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health's Report Closing the Gap in a Generation;
Engage the public through coordinated local media campaigns; and
Strengthen alliances and build solidarity with relevant social movements and peer agencies to establish a critical mass at all levels for support of health equity.

Perspective and Strategy

“Social justice is a matter of life and death,” begins the report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Closing the Gap in a Generation. The coalition believes that the way to eliminate health inequity is to tackle its fundamental causes based in racism, class exploitation, and gender inequity, not only by treating their consequences. A growing body of literature and extensive research continues to document the strong relationship between social and economic inequality and health inequality. Health inequities result from an unequal structuring of life chances. They derive mainly from core social injustices within our economic, social, and political institutions, not primarily genetics, behavior, or biased attitudes.

Public health cannot do this work in isolation. Achieving health equity will require the cooperation and coordination of organizations working across many disciplines and fields (e.g., urban planning, sociology, epidemiology, labor, etc.) as well as the lay public. However, public health is uniquely well suited to unite those with a commitment to eliminating health inequities.

Governance

The coalition is a permanent component of NACCHO’s Health Equity and Social Justice Strategic Direction Team (HESJ SDT), advised by a 15-member workgroup.

Online Learning Community and Networking Web Site

In order to overcome the geographic challenges faced by any national coalition, the coalition’s planning and communications occurs online in a private Web site designed specifically for health officials and their staff. In addition to housing profiles of coalition members, the Web site serves as a repository for shared articles, presentations, and videos. Online, members discuss the equity implications of particular policies, identify a vernacular definition of health equity, and strategize around specific issues. Membership in the Web site is open to all staff at member departments.

Benefit to Local Health Departments

The coalition will benefit LHDs by providing leadership in the area of health inequities, strategic support to LHDs beginning to work on these issues, evidence, peer networking and access to thought-leaders in the field, and basic guidance for practice. Ultimately, membership in the coalition will allow LHDS to set priorities more effectively, overcome professional isolation, and identify models for progressive action.

Expectations for Members

Coalitions are only as strong as their members’ commitment. There is no one strategy for tackling the root causes of health inequity. Likewise, there is no one course of action proscribed by the coalition. However, members are expected to actively participate in coalition projects by offering input, piloting projects, or contributing to the formation of strategy. Members are asked to:

Initiate local dialogues and action in follow-up to the Unnatural Causes documentary and engage with/mobilize community action;
Build sustainable coalitions and connect with relevant social movement organizations and institutions outside of public health;
Support outreach to traditional and new media to focus on the social roots of health inequity;
Pilot NACCHO’s revised Guidelines for Achieving Health Equity through Public Health Practice; and
Participate in the coalition’s networking site and online learning community.

NACCHO’s Role

Coordinate the overall work of the coalition;
Design strategies for the elimination of health inequities in conjunction with coalition members and the workgroup;
Gather and produce tools/publications for dissemination through the coalition’s Web site;
Support LHDs by offering technical assistance through NACCHO’s Web sites, by hosting networking opportunities, providing literature, and identifying potential mentors for LHDs.

Membership

In order for your department to join the coalition please complete this form and return it to Richard Hofrichter, Senior Director for Health Equity and Social Justice, by e-mail or fax.

Although any staff member may join the online learning community, the coalition is comprised of local health departments not individuals.

Online Learning Community and Social Networking

Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity's Online Learning Community and Social Networking Site

Designed specifically for local health departments, this site includes personal profiles of coalition members, in order to encourage peer-to-peer contact; forums and message boards to conduct discussions and share ideas; and the ability to upload documents and access resources shared by fellow coalition members. More »