Overview
Advancing health equity is central to the Network’s mission, and supporting the leaders driving this work is essential to improving community health. The Network recently launched the Equity Officer Peer Group for those working in equity to come together to learn and discuss successes, opportunities, and challenges in this work. Even if equity is just one aspect of your work, we invite you to join us in creating a supportive community for those working to advance health equity.
The Network recently launched the Equity Officer Peer Group (EOPG) for those working in equity to come together to learn and discuss successes, opportunities, and challenges in this work. Advancing health equity is central to the Network’s mission, and supporting the leaders driving this work is essential to improving community health.
EOPG is designed to support peer learning through the sharing of information and resources. To effectively support health equity work on the ground, EOPG aims to be responsive to the needs and interests of its members. Accordingly, members will play a key role in shaping all aspects of EOPG, including quarterly Peer Learning Sessions, discussion groups, and other events and initiatives. Members interested in leadership can serve as EOPG Co-Chairs, helping to guide programming, facilitate group discussions, and shape the group’s direction.
Members will have opportunities to connect on EOPG’s password-protected online platform, groups.io (a platform trusted by leading organizations like the United Nations and the World Health Organization). Groups.io hosts a listserv for EOPG-wide communications and a directory so that members can reach out to one another directly. The platform also hosts a shared resource library where members can post tools, guidance, and other resources to support one another’s work advancing equity. Members will have additional opportunities for connection and peer learning in small discussion groups in each Peer Learning Session. Discussion group topics are informed by members’ interests and will span a wide range of equity-related concepts, such as data and equity and effective strategies in the current climate.
EOPG members gathered for the first Peer Learning Session on November 17th, where Giridhar Mallya, MD, MSHP, a public health physician, health policy expert, and Senior Policy Officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, presented on “Defending and Advancing Racial Equity in Challenging Times.” Dr. Mallya provided members with insights, facts, and strategies for equity officers during a time when many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have come under attack.
EOPG was inspired by the Network’s Overview of State and Local Equity Offices: 2024 Edition. For that resource, we surveyed states, cities, and counties across the country to try to find every office of equity, or its equivalent, to list in the directory. In creating this resource, we recognized that increased community in this space would be welcome, so we used the directory as an invitation list to build EOPG. However, as we set out to invite equity officers to the group, we noticed that several of the offices listed in the resource no longer existed or had changed names. There may be many reasons for this, but it is also clear that actions by the federal government have influenced some of these changes – heightening the need for spaces like EOPG.
Membership in EOPG is not limited to public health practitioners. The group is open to those doing equity work in state, Tribal, local, and territorial governments, even if equity is only one part of their work. Though EOPG membership is open to all government equity workers, the space will be anchored in public health law. At the Network, we believe in the power of law to improve lives and make our communities safer, healthier, stronger, and more equitable. When possible, we find ways to leverage laws and policies to advance health equity in our communities. And when laws and policies are constricting, harmful and driven by structural racism, bigotry, and other forms discrimination, we advocate to change those laws and policies. As public health practitioners, we believe that public health is, or should be, social justice.
Public health, at its heart, is about improving the lives of people to create better health outcomes and advancing the social determinants of health (SDOH). All those doing equity work in government are welcome because, as the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach acknowledges, most policies that impact the social determinants of health are implemented outside of health departments. The public health consequences of all laws and policies must be considered by policymakers to advance health equity.
During that first Peer Learning Session, Dr. Mallya reminded EOPG Members of the following quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:“To be honest is to realize that the ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and moments of comfort, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy.”
The Network aims to do our best to meet this moment and to stand by those doing equity work during these challenging times, and we ask that you join us in building a supportive community for equity officers.
Please visit the Equity Officer Peer Group webpage for more information and to join EOPG.
This post was written by Phyllis Jeden, J.D., Deputy Director and Emma Kaeser, J.D., Staff Attorney, Network for Public Health Law – Mid-States Region.
The Network promotes public health and health equity through non-partisan educational resources and technical assistance. These materials provided are provided solely for educational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. The Network’s provision of these materials does not create an attorney-client relationship with you or any other person and is subject to the Network’s Disclaimer. Support for the Network is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The views expressed in this post do not represent the views of (and should not be attributed to) RWJF.
