Throughout April, we have been using our social media platform to raise awareness about work focused on reducing health inequities and social, economic, environmental, and structural disparities among different populations – concentrating mainly on groups that comprise the global majority. Below is some of the work highlighted. Be sure to follow NACDD on LinkedIn and Facebook.

NACDD’s Health Equity Council recently released the Health Equity Primer, which provides action steps to begin or advance work in organizational health equity. This primer lays out a foundation of health equity through well-defined terminology, evidence-based theory, and historical context. Through case studies, the primer offers examples of how to begin or advance health equity work. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of health equity and the processes by which to achieve it, thereby increasing the reader’s confidence in pursuing health equity within an organization.

Looking to learn more about reducing health disparities with workplace wellness and cardiac rehabilitation strategies? Listen and share “The Heart of the Matter,” a new podcast series by NACDD to highlight best practices and innovation in cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion.

The Health and Lifestyle Training (HALT) platform was designed to promote equitable access to life-saving health education and promotion programs. NACDD’s sister organization ProVention Health Foundation offers HALT Diabetes, an affordable and equitable National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program delivery tool. The HALT platform was designed to promote access to life-saving health education and promotion programs. Check out this videoto hear about the HALT user experience.

Since 2009, the Pacific Chronic Disease Council (PCDC) has provided leadership in promoting health literacy in the region by developing an integrated primary healthcare-level response to address high chronic disease rates. The PCDC covers the U.S. Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI) health issues and systems. Watch and share Chapter 5 of our Living Well with Diabetes Video series, “Making Good Food Choices,” to see how USAPI community leaders/members promote healthy eating.

The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) Learning Series is an ongoing opportunity for MDPP suppliers to learn from each other and subject matter experts (SMEs) on relevant MDPP-related topics. NACDD implements the planning and facilitation of this series. During the series, participants hear from peers and SMEs to gain practical strategies for solving MDPP challenges. Each call allows presenters to share best practices and resources as well as offer relevant experiences and perspectives. In 2022, the MDPP Supplier Learning Series launched a mini-series to explore strategies that enable scaling the MDPP to specific populations of focus. Browse our summaries and webinar recordings on the MDPP Implementation Page and learn more about the National DPP Coverage Toolkit. 

Additionally, the National DPP Coverage Toolkit houses a breadth of evolving resources on making a case for Medicaid coverage, the roadmap for achieving coverage, delivering the National DPP to Medicaid beneficiaries, and State stories about their Medicaid coverage journeys. So, through support from the CDC, NACDD has provided technical assistance and support to 40 States since 2016 to help them 1) achieve Medicaid coverage for the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) and/or 2) operationalize the benefit in their State. Furthering coverage of chronic disease prevention and management programs in Medicaid marks progress toward health equity and promotes sound fiscal policy. Find information about the cost effectiveness of the National DPP at coveragetoolkit.org/cost-value-elements.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mississippi State Department of Health has recognized the need for interpreters on demand to facilitate service to the limited English proficiency (LEP) and deaf and hard of hearing/American Sign Language (ASL) communities. The Latinx and the Vietnamese communities in Mississippi especially lack language access when seeking healthcare in the state. Mississippi recently participated in NACDD’s Generate, Educate, Activate, Respond (GEAR) Groupto discuss their need to become more inclusive by advocating and promoting better access to healthcare to community members that are hard of hearing or that speak limited English by providing them access to qualified Interpreters.

In 2022, NACDD reviewed more than 100 applications from organizations who submitted proposals in response to the Million Hearts^® Health Equity Implementation RFP. Learn more about each of the organization’s projects here. 

In 2022, NACDD partnered with CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (the Center) to elevate ways that State and local health departments, public health systems, and community organizations can work together to build healthier communities. We used a video-based storytelling approach to highlight CDC-funded community partnerships that aim to dismantle systemic and structural barriers preventing people from living their healthiest lives. Covering health issues like access to healthy nutrition, safe places for physical activity, access to cancer screenings, maternal/child health, heart-healthy cooking, and telemedicine in rural areas. Watch the videos.

In 2021, NACDD captured real-life stories for CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Programto share how vital screening and diagnostic services are provided, like in Wisconsin. Watch a video to see how this takes place. 

Since 2017, NACDD has partnered with the Lakeshore Foundation to ensure that the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) Lifestyle Change Program is inclusive for people with disabilities. Funded by CDC, “Scaling the National DPP in Underserved Areas” supports this disability inclusion work in many forms, including but not limited to, curriculum and online module development, Braille conversion, education through webinars, and an inclusive toolkit and resource creation and dissemination. Learn more and explore project findings: “Keys to Success: How to Enroll and Retain People With Disabilities for Your Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Change Program Tip Sheet.”

NACDD’s State Partnerships Improving Nutrition & Equity (SPINE) program addresses food and nutrition security through equitable and sustainable actions that tackle economic and social conditions limiting food and nutrition security across the lifespan. Understanding and embodying cultural competence is a tool for SPINE states to create tailored, robust, equitable, and effective food and nutrition security programs. Learn more about SPINE and find resources here at chronicdisease.org/spine-program.

In collaboration with the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) and the Division of Population Health (DPH), and a team of nationally recognized experts, NACDD is working with 20 State Health Departments and other organizations to implement the Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC) program. As part of the BRIC program, states are engaging more than 60 communities to address food and nutrition security, improve safe physical activity access, and reduce social isolation and loneliness through a policy, systems, and environmental change lens. Learn more about the BRIC program.

In its inaugural year, NACDD’s Public Health AmeriCorps (PHA) program is recruiting 20 Service Members across ten states implementing the Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC) program. To address disparities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and advance health equity outcomes, Service Members will support state- and local-level activities to impact food and nutrition security, safe physical activity access, and social connectedness. These activities are in direct response to the needs of local communities. Learn more about the PHA program. 

The National Hypertension Control Roundtable (NHCR) is a group of public, private, and volunteer organizations unified to eliminate disparities in hypertension control and improve control rates in the U.S. The NHCR is supported by the CDC Foundation in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. Join the roundtable to learn about relevant policies, tools, resources.