Priorities
Health Equity
Striving for equity in both our society at large and in health care is a critical part of creating a trauma-informed society. The CA-OSG is actively working to address both the disparate impacts of COVID-19 and the broader structural inequities that exist in our society.
Equity is Vital to Creating a
Trauma-Informed Society
The pandemic laid bare the many structural inequities in our society that drive health disparities. The CA-OSG provided executive sponsorship and additional staffing to California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) as they led a collaborative effort to determine five actionable recommendations to ensure California’s vaccine allocation strategy was equitable and proportional to disease burden. These efforts and more ensured that California had the lowest cumulative mortality rate of any large state from COVID-19.
The CA-OSG also participated in a cross-departmental team that assessed, analyzed and recommended a new framework to further CalHHS’ equity goals on behalf of all Californians. All of the recommendations are currently in process of implementation.
They include:
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- A data dashboard to advance equity
- Dedicated funding to expand equity training within CalHHS
- Establishment of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion subcommittee of the CalHHS Inter-Departmental Advisory Council
- Naming Department Chief Equity Officers
- Establishing a CalHHS Chief Equity Officer position
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Learn more about California’s commitment to health equity during the pandemic.
Cross-Agency Equity Efforts
CDPH Office of Health Equity
California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) and the OHE Advisory Committee (OHE AC) provides a key leadership role to reduce health and mental health disparities experienced by vulnerable communities in California.
CalHHS Guiding Principals
As outlined in The California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) guiding principals, “we must be a leader in the fight for equity and strive to create programs that address persistent and systemic inequities.”
The Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) subcommittee
The California Health and Human Services Agency established the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) subcommittee of the Inter-departmental Advisory Council. The JEDI provides a space for Chief Equity Officers from each department to convene, share best practices, and coordinate the various equity workstreams to support the state in addressing various forms of individual and systemic discrimination.