Equity Champions

A first step in nearly every new health improvement plan is to recognize the need to reduce and eliminate health disparities and to increase diversity at the leadership and governance levels of health care and other local organizations. The second step to improving health equity is to collect and use data about race, ethnicity and language preference to develop a shared understanding of the challenges in the community. Education about cultural competency is also required. The CFC took a unique approach to working on all these steps simultaneously by creating a team of Equity Champions – ten individuals or organizations who represented multiracial or other minority communities. They assisted the CFC with the following objectives:

• Reviewing research instruments for cultural appropriateness • Participating in stakeholder interviews • Participating in the prioritization process and strategy development discussions • Providing guidance regarding the most effective ways to engage unique community members (e.g., via interviews, surveys or other methods)

Recruitment included outreach to individuals in the following categories:

Racial/Ethnic

• Black/African American • Hispanic/Latino/Spanish language speakers

Gender and Sexual Self-Identification

• LGBTQ+

Other Community Strength and Diversity

• Members of the community of people living with disabilities (including HIV/AIDS) • Members of the community of people experiencing homelessness or housing instability • New Americans/immigrants/migrant workers • Members of faith-based communities • Inmates; others in the criminal justice system • Members of the veteran community