May 2024 Impact Brief

In April, NACDD welcomed leaders from 11 state and territorial health departments, as well as national partners including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), American Public Health Association (APHA), RAND, StreetWyze, and others, to our headquarters in Decatur, Georgia for the Social Justice Framework Thought Leader Roundtable. The two days of intensive discussions centered around how to integrate NACDD’s Social Justice Framework into the work of public health practitioners to more purposefully address social determinants of health, promote health equity, and achieve social justice.

Developed in collaboration with partners, the framework features five pillars: Ethical & Social Responsibility, Personal & Communal Intentionality, Centering Intersectionality, Prioritizing Multi and Interdisciplinary Partnerships, and Reflexivity & Data Processes. A goal of the roundtable is to develop strategies to operationalize the Framework’s five pillars moving forward. A list of potential action steps was developed collaboratively, and a final report will be shared in coming months.

• Learn more: Watch our General Member Webinar on Leveraging NACDD’s Social Justice Framework to Advance Public Health Practice.

As we reflect on several national observances this month, we see the thread of how social injustice plays a role in many health disparities, and I’d like to highlight some of NACDD’s work in these areas.

NACDD welcomed leaders from 11 state and territorial health departments, as well as national partners including ASTHO, APHA, RAND, StreetWyze, to our headquarters in Decatur, Georgia for the Social Justice Framework Thought Leader Roundtable.

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s World No Tobacco Day is on May 31. Social determinants of health play a large role in tobacco use, which is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. Due to factors like discrimination, stress, anxiety, and mental health issues stemming from living with a disability, people with disabilities experience a disproportionately higher burden of tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities. People with disabilities are more likely to smoke than adults without disabilities—18.5% compared to 10.9%.

NACDD is partnering with Lakeshore Foundation to advance the prevention of commercial tobacco use and cancer in populations experiencing tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities with a focus on people with disabilities (PWD), including veterans. The National Disability Inclusion Network for Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention is supported by a five-year, CDC-funded cooperative agreement that brings together a consortium of nine national organizations to increase equitable delivery of tobacco prevention and cancer-related strategies and related interventions. In addition to the National Network, NACDD will establish regional Communities of Practice, provide training and technical assistance, and implement mass reach health communication strategies. (Learn more)

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, and the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors are increasing for nearly all groups of youth. A staggering 42% of high school students are grappling with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In 2022, NACDD was awarded a five-year cooperative agreement through the CDC’s National Initiative to Advance Health Equity in K-12 Education by Preventing Chronic Disease and Promoting Healthy Behaviors. This month, NACDD and partners Child Trends and Mental Health America invite states to apply to participate in a two-year learning collaborative to advance health equity in schools through supports for developing evidence-based policies, practices, and programs focused on the emotional well-being of students and staff. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of Friday, July 5. Learn more about school health in an NACDD webinar about CDC’s new resource for promoting mental health and wellbeing in schools.

In addition, our recent General Member Webinar, “Social Connectedness From Why to How,” talks about policy, systems or environmental change approaches that can improve social connectedness, which has a strong correlation to mental wellbeing.

I’d like to also recognize Lupus Awareness Month. Lupus is yet another health condition in which Black/African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Native American/Alaska Native and Asian American/Pacific Islanders are disproportionately impacted. NACDD is proud to be in partnership with the Lupus Foundation of America to support its mission to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus through research, education, support and advocacy. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook as we share more information throughout the month.

As we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the significant contributions of these communities to our nation, I invite you to watch our General Member Webinar from last July, “One Acronym, Many Communities of AANHPI.” It highlights the diversity of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and how data disaggregation (splitting large, general categories into more specific groups) plays a key role in understanding the complexities and varied needs of the AANHPI communities. 

Finally, I’d like to thank Patrick Luces, Chronic Disease Director of the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services, and the Pacific Chronic Disease Council (PCDC) for the beautiful plaque presented to NACDD during the May Board of Directors meeting “in recognition and appreciation for exemplary service and valuable support in building a healthy Pacific Community.” We appreciate this honor as well as the invaluable work of the PCDC.

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More Social Justice Information Recommendations

Read NACDD’s Center for Justice in Public Health’s new newsletter. Each issue will explore the intersection of public health and social justice, spotlight innovative projects, and offer resources to support your work in creating healthier, more equitable communities. 

• Read: Social Justice and Public Health – Why Should We Care?
• Read: Health Disparities and Health Equity: The Issue Is Justice
• Watch: The differences between Equality, Equity, and Justice
• Watch: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story