Apply a Health Equity Lens - Revision history

Tracy: /* Key Information */

2025-03-18T19:06:05Z

Key Information

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Introductory Paragraph

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	This is the first in a pair of related articles on health equity and disparities as it pertains to the field of substance use. This particular article focuses on defining health equity and introduces general resources associated with building health equity. The second article, “Addressing SUD Disparities,” focuses on various populations who more frequently encounter health inequity and avenues to increase health outcomes across these disparate populations. <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Intersectionality_and_Addressing_Disparities</ref>		This is the first in a pair of related articles on health equity and disparities as it pertains to the field of substance use. This particular article focuses on defining health equity and introduces general resources associated with building health equity. The second article, “Addressing SUD Disparities,” focuses on various populations who more frequently encounter health inequity and avenues to increase health outcomes across these disparate populations. <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Intersectionality_and_Addressing_Disparities</ref>

	Health equity is a broad term that describes the ability of everyone to have a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. The first step in understanding health equity is to recognize that the opportunity to be healthy is not equally available everywhere or for everyone in the community. This leads to a more personal understanding of the importance of increasing health equity and paves the way to addressing the root causes of health inequity. Many factors impact our ability to achieve health equity, such as our race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability/disease type, language, religious, socioeconomic status, health care coverage, access to healthy food, transportation, and geographic location among others. Since all of these factors are different for each of us as individuals, we all have a different opportunity to obtain health. When we are impacted by health inequity, it contributes to our quality of life, disease type, disability status, and even death.		Health equity is a broad term that describes the ability of everyone to have a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health and well-being. The first step in understanding health equity is to recognize that the opportunity to be healthy is not equally available everywhere or for everyone in the community. This leads to a more personal understanding of the importance of increasing health equity and paves the way to addressing the root causes of health inequity. Many factors impact our ability to achieve health equity, such as our race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability/disease type, language, religious, socioeconomic status, health care coverage, access to healthy food, transportation, and geographic location among others. Since all of these factors are different for each of us as individuals, we all have a different opportunity to obtain health. When we are impacted by health inequity, it contributes to our quality of life, disease type, disability status, and even death.

	It has been well-documented that there are differences in health outcomes for different groups of people. Populations that are more likely to experience health inequity include people of color, Native Americans, LGBTQI+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and those with low socio-economic status. The lack of health equity and inequity has become amplified in social issues involving substance use disorder. Recently, the term has become more highly politicized; however, there is exhaustive historical research and data demonstrating clear disparities in health. It is typical for this work to become politicized because policy and funding decisions are usually intermixed with issues that impact health equity, like access to housing, environment, education for example.		The focus on health equity is about the equal opportunity for all people to define and achieve health. While health equity is about everyone, it has been well-documented that there are differences in health outcomes for different groups of people. Populations that are more likely to experience health inequity include people of color, Native Americans, LGBTQI+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and those with low socio-economic status. The lack of health equity and inequity has become amplified in social issues involving substance use disorder. Recently, the term has become more highly politicized; however, there is exhaustive historical research and data demonstrating clear disparities in health. It is typical for this work to become politicized because policy and funding decisions are usually intermixed with issues that impact health equity, like access to housing, environment, education for example.

	= Key Information =		= Key Information =

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2025-02-20T22:32:02Z

Key Information

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	Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.		Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.

	*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” “Build Capacity,” and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <~~Add links~~> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.		*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Collect_and_Share_Data</ref> “Build Capacity,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Build_Capacity</ref> and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Plan,_Implement,_and_Evaluate</ref> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.

	*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:		*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:

BasilSavitsky: /* Key Information */

2025-02-20T22:15:50Z

Key Information

Tracy: /* Key Information */

2025-02-20T18:28:15Z

Key Information

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	Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.		Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.

	There are two strategies embedded within health equity work. One approach is to increase access to substance use services and to increase positive health outcomes. The complementary approach is to remove barriers that cause health disparities. This requires going deeper into the root causes of intergenerational patterns and understanding the differences in values that underlie cultural behaviors~~. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills~~. Likewise, reversing disparities that exist as a result of policy decisions that systematically disadvantage some populations over others will create new avenues for advocacy. It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives.		There are two strategies embedded within health equity work. One approach is to increase access to substance use services and to increase positive health outcomes. The complementary approach is to remove barriers that cause health disparities. This requires going deeper into the root causes of intergenerational patterns and understanding the differences in values that underlie cultural behaviors. Likewise, reversing disparities that exist as a result of policy decisions that systematically disadvantage some populations over others will create new avenues for advocacy.

	'''Key Terms'''		'''Key Terms'''
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	'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''		'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''

	Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.		It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills because it requires coalitions to build meaningful partnerships, establish trust with each other and within the community, and allow for the time and space to identify shared priorities and evaluate outcomes for continuous improvement. Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.

	A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:		A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:

Tracy: /* Available Tools and Resources */

2025-02-19T19:58:03Z

Available Tools and Resources

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	*'''Hawai’i Department of Health.''' This is an example of a training which promotes cultural humility by focusing on the connections made through cultural wisdom. <ref>https://aanhpi-ohana.org/event/anchoring-our-health-through-cultural-wisdom-renewal-requires-internal-connection-through-exposure/</ref>		*'''Hawai’i Department of Health.''' This is an example of a training which promotes cultural humility by focusing on the connections made through cultural wisdom. <ref>https://aanhpi-ohana.org/event/anchoring-our-health-through-cultural-wisdom-renewal-requires-internal-connection-through-exposure/</ref>

	*'''The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)''' offers a free online course titled “The Roots of Health ~~inequity~~.” This is not an “101” on health equity, but rather a useful tool for agencies ready to take an “intermediate” course requiring approximately 10 hours over a few weeks, with regular office hour support provided. The 10 modules in the course unpack the root causes of health inequity, weave the histories of public health and social justice efforts, and examine power dynamics, such as structural racism. <ref>https://www.naccho.org/programs/public-health-infrastructure/health-equity/</ref>		*'''The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)''' offers a free online course titled “The Roots of Health Inequity.” This is not an “101” on health equity, but rather a useful tool for agencies ready to take an “intermediate” course requiring approximately 10 hours over a few weeks, with regular office hour support provided. The 10 modules in the course unpack the root causes of health inequity, weave the histories of public health and social justice efforts, and examine power dynamics, such as structural racism. <ref>https://www.naccho.org/programs/public-health-infrastructure/health-equity/</ref>

	*'''Recovery Village''' provides a guide on how to participate in World Drug Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness about SUDs and the importance of treatment and equitable access. <ref>https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/drug-addiction/news/world-drug-day/</ref>		*'''Recovery Village''' provides a guide on how to participate in World Drug Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness about SUDs and the importance of treatment and equitable access. <ref>https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/drug-addiction/news/world-drug-day/</ref>

Tracy: /* Key Information */

2025-02-19T19:57:00Z

Key Information

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	**economic stability, and		**economic stability, and
	**neighborhood and built environment		**neighborhood and built environment

			'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''

	Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.		Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.

Tracy at 19:55, 19 February 2025

2025-02-19T19:55:20Z

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	*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” “Build Capacity,” and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <Add links> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.		*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” “Build Capacity,” and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <Add links> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.

	~~A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:~~
	**Collecting demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,
	**Identifying and reporting on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,
	**Working in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,
	**Offering culturally and linguistically competent care (i.e. interpretation services, respecting and offering diverse dietary options),
	**Situating services in geographical areas that are easily accessible to people across the entire community,
	**Developing culturally competent management programs,
	**Increasing diversity and minority participation including those with lived experienced,
	**Involving the community in the decision-making process,
	**Training staff on sociocultural factors and recognition of personal biases, and
	**Making cultural competency a priority and educating others, including policymakers.

	*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:		*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:
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	**neighborhood and built environment		**neighborhood and built environment

	~~'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''~~		Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.

	~~It is likely that inequitable representation exists within the coalition membership list, as in a lack of participation by all of the specific communities within the broader~~ community~~. This will require a focused intention~~ to ~~cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds.~~		A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:
			**Collecting demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,
	~~A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members~~ to ~~recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the~~ substance use ~~crisis~~ and ~~increasing the ability of the coalition~~ to ~~generate the level~~ of ~~systemic community change that is required~~ to ~~address the social determinants of health~~. ~~There is usually a readiness~~ to ~~close disparity gaps~~, ~~but the ability may not be there yet~~.		**Identifying and reporting on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,
	~~Coalitions should work towards building a plan~~ that ~~focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their~~ community ~~as it relates to behavioral health. A~~ culturally competent ~~organization seeks to understand~~ the ~~culture of~~ the ~~population served~~, ~~recognizes the impact~~ of ~~cultural differences~~, ~~fosters internal learning opportunities to improve~~ cultural ~~knowledge among care teams~~, ~~and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs~~.		**Working in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,
			**Offering culturally and linguistically competent care (i.e. interpretation services, respecting and offering diverse dietary options),
			**Situating services in geographical areas that are easily accessible to people across the entire community,
			**Developing culturally competent management programs,
			**Increasing diversity and minority participation including those with lived experienced,
			**Involving the community in the decision-making process,
			**Training staff on sociocultural factors and recognition of personal biases, and
			**Making cultural competency a priority and educating others, including policymakers.

	= Relevant Research =		= Relevant Research =

Tracy: /* Key Information */

2025-02-19T17:18:10Z

Key Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 19 February 2025
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	Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.		Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.
	There are two strategies embedded within health equity work. One approach is to increase access to substance use services and to increase positive health outcomes. The complementary approach is to remove barriers that cause health disparities. This requires going deeper into the root causes of intergenerational patterns and understanding the differences in values that underlie cultural behaviors. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills. Likewise, reversing disparities that exist as a result of policy decisions that systematically disadvantage some populations over others will create new avenues for advocacy. It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives.

	There are two strategies embedded within health equity work. One approach is to increase access to substance use services and to increase positive health outcomes. The complementary approach is to remove barriers that cause health disparities. This requires going deeper into the root causes of intergenerational patterns and understanding the differences in values that underlie cultural behaviors. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills. Likewise, reversing disparities that exist as a result of policy decisions that systematically disadvantage some populations over others will create new avenues for advocacy. It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives.		There are two strategies embedded within health equity work. One approach is to increase access to substance use services and to increase positive health outcomes. The complementary approach is to remove barriers that cause health disparities. This requires going deeper into the root causes of intergenerational patterns and understanding the differences in values that underlie cultural behaviors. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills. Likewise, reversing disparities that exist as a result of policy decisions that systematically disadvantage some populations over others will create new avenues for advocacy. It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives.
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	Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.		Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.

	*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” “Build Capacity,” and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <Add links> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial. A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:		*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” “Build Capacity,” and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <Add links> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use disorder epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.

			A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make basic cultural competency a priority:
	**Collecting demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,		**Collecting demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,
	**Identifying and reporting on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,		**Identifying and reporting on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,
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	**economic stability, and		**economic stability, and
	**neighborhood and built environment		**neighborhood and built environment

			'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''

			It is likely that inequitable representation exists within the coalition membership list, as in a lack of participation by all of the specific communities within the broader community. This will require a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds.

			A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet.
			Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.

	= Relevant Research =		= Relevant Research =

Tracy: /* Key Information */

2025-02-19T17:03:23Z

Key Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:03, 19 February 2025
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	= Key Information =		= Key Information =

	Health equity is a broad term that describes the ability of everyone to have a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. The first step in understanding health equity is to recognize that the opportunity to be healthy is not equally available everywhere or for everyone in the community. This leads to a more personal understanding of the importance of increasing health equity and paves the way to addressing the root causes of health inequity. Many factors impact our ability to achieve health equity, such as our race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability/disease type, language, religious, socioeconomic status, health care coverage, access to healthy food, transportation, and geographic location among others. Since all of these factors are different for each of us as individuals, we all have a different opportunity to obtain health. When we are impacted by health inequity, it contributes to our quality of life, disease type, disability status, and even death.

	It has been well-documented that there are differences in health outcomes for different groups of people. Populations that are more likely to experience health inequity include people of color, Native Americans, LGBTQI+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and those with low socio-economic status. The lack of health equity and inequity has become amplified in social issues involving substance use disorder. Recently, the term has become more highly politicized; however, there is exhaustive historical research and data demonstrating clear disparities in health. It is typical for this work to become politicized because policy and funding decisions are usually intermixed with issues that impact health equity, like access to housing, environment, education for example.

	Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.		Health equity requires an active commitment to identify groups in your community that are more negatively impacted by substance use and remove obstacles that keep them from being able to achieve their greatest potential for health. This includes increasing opportunities to access care, reducing active, problematic substance use, and increasing outcomes across disparate populations.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:06, 18 March 2025
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	Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.		Working across the continuum of care takes a systems approach. This positions our communities to take on more complex systems work, such as that associated with social determinants of health. It is difficult to work for long in the behavioral health field without bumping into multiple interrelated systems, creating a foundation to advance in the territory of social determinants of health. It is useful to realize the potential difficulties and to adjust expectations of outcome accordingly. This creates the foundation for advancing cultural competency and cultural humility in the territory of social determinants of health.

	*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Collect_and_Share_Data</ref> “Build Capacity,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Build_Capacity</ref> and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Plan,_Implement,_and_Evaluate</ref> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use ~~disorder~~ epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.		*'''Cultural Competence''' is central to each of the five phases of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). See three SAFE Solutions articles titled “Collect and Share Data,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Collect_and_Share_Data</ref> “Build Capacity,” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Build_Capacity</ref> and “Plan, Implement, and Evaluate.” <ref>https://www.yoursafesolutions.us/wiki/Plan,_Implement,_and_Evaluate</ref> Cultural Competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent healthcare organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs. There continues to be an increase in training in cultural competency. However, since addressing the substance use epidemic is a complex problem requiring a complex and coordinated set of solutions, much of the implementation of learned skills remains superficial.

	*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:		*'''Cultural Humility.''' Health equity requires more than being culturally competent. It requires an examination of our personal biases. While cultural competence can be seen as operational at the community scale, cultural humility is grounded in personal relationships. It transcends one-way communication by moving into a two-way communication, which involves suspension of judgment and active listening. For example, the commonly used term, “target population,” carries a subtle message that leads to talking at people, rather than working with them. Cultural humility shifts the focus of communication from content to engagement. An example from youth engagement can be drawn from the work of Roger Hart (1992). <ref>Hart, R. A. (1992). Children’s participation: From tokenism to citizenship. Florence, Italy: United Nations Children’s Fund International Child Development Centre. </ref> His “youth participation ladder” has five phases which move beyond the non-participation of tokenism:
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	*'''Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).''' The CDC defines SDOH as “the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes — the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, worship, and age.” Five key areas in which this work is advanced include:		*'''Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).''' The CDC defines SDOH as “the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes — the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, worship, and age.” Five key areas in which this work is advanced include:
	**healthcare access and quality		**healthcare access and quality,
	**education access and quality		**education access and quality,
	**social and community context,		**social and community context,
	**economic stability, and		**economic stability, and
	**neighborhood and built environment		**neighborhood and built environment.

	'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''		'''Building Capacity for Health Equity'''
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	A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make health equity a priority:		A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make health equity a priority:
	*Collect demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,		*Collect demographic data, including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,
	*Identify and report on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,		*Identify and report on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,
	*Work in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,		*Work in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,

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	It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills because it requires coalitions to build meaningful partnerships, establish trust with each other and within the community, and allow for the time and space to identify shared priorities and evaluate outcomes for continuous improvement. Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.		It is useful to keep in mind a common phrase in the recovery community: “Nothing about us, without us.” This speaks to the fact that there are unique needs for various populations and that the people being served should have a central voice in the planning and delivery of your coalition’s initiatives. Such a systems-change intention taps our leadership and communication skills because it requires coalitions to build meaningful partnerships, establish trust with each other and within the community, and allow for the time and space to identify shared priorities and evaluate outcomes for continuous improvement. Overall, health equity requires a focused intention to cultivate new partnerships with people from different backgrounds. A challenging task within the health equity domain is understanding the readiness of the coalition members to recognize the systemic nature of health inequity within the substance use crisis and increasing the ability of the coalition to generate the level of systemic community change that is required to address the social determinants of health. There is usually a readiness to close disparity gaps, but the ability may not be there yet. Coalitions should work towards building a plan that focuses specifically on achieving greater health equity in their community as it relates to behavioral health. A culturally competent organization seeks to understand the culture of the population served, recognizes the impact of cultural differences, fosters internal learning opportunities to improve cultural knowledge among care teams, and modifies patient care to meet the patient’s unique needs.

	A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make ~~basic cultural competency~~ a priority:		A few guideposts follow for community groups looking to improve their response to substance use and to make health equity a priority:
	**Collecting demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,		*Collect demographic data including race, ethnicity, language preference, and other indicators that track trends over a period of time and allow for comparison across different populations,
	**Identifying and ~~reporting~~ on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,		*Identify and report on disparities regularly in order to maintain accountability,
	**Working in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,		*Work in partnership with other sectors (like housing, criminal justice, education, etc.) to incorporate unique perspectives and allowing for better integration of services,
	**Offering culturally and linguistically competent care (i.e. interpretation services, respecting and offering diverse dietary options),		*Offer culturally and linguistically competent care (i.e. interpretation services, respecting and offering diverse dietary options),
	**Situating services in geographical areas that are easily accessible to people across the entire community,		*Situate services in geographical areas that are easily accessible to people across the entire community,
	**Developing culturally competent management programs,		*Develop culturally competent management programs,
	**Increasing diversity and minority participation including those with lived experienced,		*Increase diversity and minority participation including those with lived experienced,
	**Involving the community in the decision-making process,		*Involve the community in the decision-making process,
	**Training staff on sociocultural factors and recognition of personal biases, and		*Train staff on sociocultural factors and recognition of personal biases, and
	**Making cultural competency a priority and ~~educating~~ others, including policymakers.		*Make health equity a priority and educate others, including policymakers.

	= Relevant Research =		= Relevant Research =