-- Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director, Department of Public Health
Center for Health Equity
The Center for Health Equity’s mission is to ensure that everyone in LA County has the resources and opportunities needed for optimal health and well-being throughout their lives. The Center strives to advance racial, social, economic and environmental justice in partnership with committed County partners, local organizations and community members.
The Center will augment existing health equity efforts in communities and seeks to:
- Identify, adopt and disseminate best health equity practices;
- Connect, coordinate and collaborate on health equity-related work; and
- Increase collective capacity and commitment to create an inclusive, just and respectful county.
Learn more about health equity here
Our Values and Principles
- Institutional transformation - build and support the capacity of internal programs and staff to integrate a health equity lens in their everyday work and operations.
- Truth-telling - call out inequities and use data and storytelling to dispel false narratives, uplift resident voices, and support change.
- Equity & Justice - work to undo and prevent unfair systems, policies, and forms of racism that drive gaps in health outcomes and lead to poor health.
- Shared power - value lived experience and provide authentic opportunities for people most affected by inequities to name underlying causes, identify solutions, and determine (lead) actions.
- Collaboration - join with local organizations, healthcare providers, government agencies, funders, and decision-makers to build a movement for health equity.
- Transparency - communicate openly about priorities, resources, hurdles, and decision-making processes with community partners.
- Commitment - Continually reflect and be responsive to community voices and ensure adequate resources are available to accomplish goals.
Read the Center’s Principles of Equity developed by the Community Prevention and Population Health Taskforce and adopted by the Center.
Our Organization
To accomplish our work, the Center is organized into three main teams:
Data & Policy
The Data & Policy team uses data and storytelling to raise consciousness about inequities, drive decision-making and motivate actions to change policies and systems.
Partner Engagement & Collaboration
The Partner Engagement & Collaboration team leads efforts to support community partnerships that advance racial, social, economic and environmental justice, and amplify community voices to drive decision-making and ensure accountability.
Operations Support & Workforce Development
The Internal Operations & Workforce Development team strengthens organizational readiness and capacity to plan, develop, implement and evaluate programs, practices, policies and budget decisions with a health equity lens.
