Vehicle Electrification for Health and Equity
The community of Durham aims to address the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promoting environmental justice for historically disinvested communities. By partnering with FUSE, Durham plans to develop and execute a strategic plan to equitably electrify the city's fleet and personal vehicles, focusing on expanding access to... Read more
Expanding Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Care
Approximately one in four people will experience a substance use disorder (SUD) in their lifetime, including 2.5 million Los Angeles County residents. Unfortunately, 95% of those who need specialty SUD treatment do not receive it, and Black and Hispanic individuals seeking SUD treatment are less likely to receive it than... Read more
Engaging the Community in Building Resilience
San Leandro is a small city in the San Francisco Bay Area with a population that is predominantly people of color and foreign-born. The city is vulnerable to climate change impacts, and to address this, it has implemented a Tree Master Plan and is developing a resilience hub network. The... Read more
Supporting LA County’s Transformation into an Actively Anti-Racist Institution
The pandemic highlighted systemic racism in Los Angeles County, particularly in communities of color. The government has committed to not just recovering from COVID-19 but also transforming the system entirely. The Board of Supervisors has declared racism a public health emergency and established an Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Equity (ARDI) Initiative... Read more
Public Health Approaches to Eliminating Financial Harm
Medical debt affects 100 million Americans and contributes to personal financial strain and poor health outcomes, while overuse of healthcare services leads to wasteful spending and harm to patients. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is adopting a public health approach to address these issues and is partnering... Read more
Expanding Access to Equitable Healthcare Career Education and Opportunities
Los Angeles County’s College of Nursing & Allied Health (CONAH) has prepared students for employment, professional development, and/or advancement for 125 years. Completing their clinical rotations in the system and often hailing from the area, graduates are particularly well placed to understand and address LA County’s healthcare needs. In the... Read more
Catalyzing Innovative Programs and Policy to Restore Food Sovereignty to Birmingham’s Residents
From James Beard award-winning restaurants to the vast Pepper Place Market, where people from across central Alabama convene on weekends to shop for locally grown fruits and vegetables, Birmingham is among the small cities favorited by food lovers and culinary experts across the nation. Unfortunately, not everyone in the city... Read more
Rejuvenating Healthcare Workers by Creating an Organizational Culture of Wellness
Covid-19 disrupted the healthcare system and put healthcare workers across the country on the frontlines of the global pandemic that infected over 33 million Americans and took the lives of over 600 thousand Americans. Even before the pandemic, under usual working conditions, severe burnout syndrome affects as many as 33%... Read more
Building Healthier Communities by Establishing an Enterprise-Wide System of Care
The Los Angeles Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second-largest municipal health system in the nation, acting as a sprawling safety-net system, primarily serving Black and Hispanic and low-income populations – residents who are uninsured or covered by Medi-Cal. Despite continuous improvements DHS has undertaken to respond to changes... Read more
Ensuring an Equitable and Effective Long-Term COVID-19 Response in Harris County
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris County has managed over 381,000 cases and nearly 6,000 deaths. Under the direction of the County Judge’s Office, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) and other partners have worked tirelessly to slow the spread of infection and combat health inequities through free and accurate testing, case... Read more