Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity

The Local Health Department National Coalition for Health Equity, open to all local health departments (LHDs), is an online network 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.

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.

Public health cannot do this work in isolation. Achieving health equity will require the cooperation and coordination of organizations working across a broad spectrum of disciplines and fields, including urban planning, environmental justice, transportation, sociology, labor, community organizing, and the lay public. We believe public health is uniquely well suited to unite those with a commitment to eliminating health inequities.

Become part of the coalition by going to http://healthequity.naccho.org. LHD staff are encouraged to join to exchange ideas, share knowledge, broaden the health equity dialogue, and work with other public health practitioners to become a powerful force for change.

Objectives

Identify and meet the need for support, dialogue, guidance, and information among 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 media campaigns.
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.