Embedding Health and Equity into California Programs, Policies and Decision-Making

In 2017, PHI’s State of Equity (formerly HiAP) staff partnered with the Strategic Growth Council and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to convene the California Health in All Policies Task Force and embed health and equity into programs, policies, and decision-making processes at the state level. The State of Equity team engaged local and regional agencies, along with other diverse community stakeholders across California, to ensure that Task Force activities were responsive to community needs.

In addition to convening the Task Force, staff built the capacity of CDPH, Office of Health Equity, and the California Health and Human Services Agency to promote a system of prevention and a culture of health and equity through collaborative work related to the social determinants of health. These governmental multi-agency group meetings covered topics such as: Land Use, Schools, and Health workgroup, Childhood Trauma Prevention workgroup, Housing Siting and Air Quality workroup, and Violence Prevention workgroup. And to support the Health in All Policies approach broadly, staff provide educational tools, trainings, and technical assistance to local entities throughout California, including a “Health Equity 101” workshop for over 200 CDPH staff, as part of a new initiative to build health equity capacity within CDPH.

This work also led to the development of two new Task Force workplans (Equity in government practices and Parks, greening, and places to be active), as well as an ongoing collaboration with the Air Resources Board and CDPH Climate Change and Health Equity Program to provide input on the Caltrans Benefits/Costs Tool, including a new Active Transportation section.