The Health Agency’s Center for Health Equity will initially invest in five key focus areas with support from County and community partners. Our goal is to reduce the identified heath inequities we see based on where a person lives, their race or ethnicity, or other social status that unfairly influences health outcomes. To accomplish this goal, we will need to improve service quality, provision and coordination, while also addressing the conditions and policies that drive and maintain health inequities.
The gaps in health outcomes seen within the Center's focus areas are not caused by personal health behaviors or characteristics. They are mostly the result of past and present policies and practices influenced by racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and other prejudices. These policies and practices lead to inequitable conditions that limit our ability to grow healthy and thrive.