Advancing Health Equity
A reflection tool for organizations, programs, and individuals committed to equity
In the next section, you will consider using the health equity lens when developing an action plan—taking the priorities selected and determining how to implement (or put into action) the different priorities based on your agency, team, organization, or partnership goals, objectives, timing, and responsibility.
The next module is Action Planning for Health Equity.
Agencies, teams, organizations and partnerships are faced with an unlimited number of competing health issues to address. When faced with these tough decisions, using prioritization can provide a structured approach for ranking issues and making decisions, while also allowing groups to include community input and taking into consideration all facets of the competing health issues. Including health equity in the prioritization process offers a comprehensive view of the health issues being compared, including carefully considering the impact (urgency and severity) on different populations as well as feasible solutions. The key questions in this module address prioritization, including the development of the prioritization process, understanding outcomes, and communicating results to improve health equity efforts.
Understanding the Context
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How is prioritization different in the context of a health equity effort? 7
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In what context are priorities being organized (e.g. short-term, long-term population health, health equity, health disparity, social determinants of health, close gaps in outcomes, expand opportunities)?
Determining the Criteria
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How are priorities determined? 7
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Who is developing the criteria? Who is determining priorities? Who will be affected? 7
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What criteria will be used to prioritize among your options? (e.g. framework or composite from various approaches, team or advisory group, data, stakeholder engagement, funder) 7
Considering the Outcome of Prioritizing
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How does the selected strategy or intervention build community capacity and power in communities most affected by inequities (community capacity focus areas include active participation, leadership, rich support networks, skills and resources, critical reflection, sense of community, understanding of history, articulation of values, and access to power)? 1
Communicating and Using Priorities
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How do we plan for communicating our priorities broadly? What are costs associated with implementing or with not doing anything? 7
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What mechanisms exist for communities facing inequities to hold the agency accountable for taking action on the issues of highest priority?
Core Questions
Prioritizing Program and Policy Options for Health Equity
– California Endowment
“The current day differences in health outcomes between different neighborhoods did not evolve by chance or by the choice of the residents. Rather, the differences can be traced to intentional processes and policies designed to exclude some people based on race, sexual orientation, immigration status, age, disability status, and religion from the benefits of full membership in our society.”