NACDD and its Health Equity Council (HEC) have launched ‘Race Toward Health’ a new podcast series that examines a broad range of topics on achieving health equity, including discussions on the impact of racism on our nation’s health.

This podcast covers the basics and provides concrete suggestions to advance equity in your organizations and communities.

Why is this important?

The HEC realizes despite tremendous advances in healthcare, data shows us that people of color experience greater incidence of (chronic) disease, poorer outcomes, and greater mortality.

Why does this happen?

Institutions, systems, even laws, have embedded racism into the fabric of this country.

Often communities of color have been historically and systematically deprived of resources critical for optimal health due to systemic and institutional racism. Such as, lower quality healthcare, lack of access to care, and inequitable distribution of other resources, commonly referred to as social determinants of health.

What can we do?

Racism hurts the health of our nation by preventing some people the opportunity to attain their highest social, economic, educational, and political potential. In order to achieve health for all, public health must understand and address the injustices by centering equity in all practices.

We must continue to evolve from focusing, primarily, on downstream strategies that target the individual, to moving upstream – addressing those policy and structural changes needed to fight the root causes of health inequities for all.

With this is mind, the Council invited three nationally recognized leaders to talk with us.

About the Speakers

In this series, the HEC speaks with Dr. Thomas LaVeist, Dr. Kristine Andrews, and Daniel Dawes.

Dr. LaVeist’s research and writing has focused on the identifying the social and behavioral factors that explain race differences in health outcomes.

Dr. Kristine Andrews is Co-Chair of Child Trends’ Equity in Research committee, Dr. Andrews guides the application of a racial equity lens to research.

Daniel Dawes is a nationally respected healthcare and public health leader, policy expert, administrator and author who has been at the forefront of recent major federal health policy negotiations in the United States.

Calls to Action

We hope this series will generate discussion and action within your organizations. Sit back and listen as our speakers discuss racism as a public health crisis. The Council plans to continue to put forward new opportunities to dismantle racism through education, development of resources and tools, webinars, and projects.

Please take a look at NACDD’s strategic map to see how your efforts reflect the Association’s overall goals. If you are interested in becoming a part of the HEC, contact Robyn Taylor.

We want to continue sharing stories about our collective journey to becoming anti-racist organizations. Please email Zunera Mirza to share your ideas/stories.

And finally, what are your thoughts about the role of public health in eradicating racism? Is it possible? Do you have hesitancy or concerns? Please share with us. Let’s talk!