Strategic Practices

To advance health equity, local health departments must systematically address power imbalances, racism, and other forms of oppression. To do so, they must transform how they work internally, with communities, and alongside other government agencies. To support this challenging work, we developed this set of strategic practices (read more about our process).

Tips to Apply the Strategic Practices in Your Work
  • There isn’t a step-by-step set of instructions to advance health equity.
  • You will have to mold these strategic practices to fit your local context, and then refine and adapt as the context shifts.
  • Use these strategic practices together, strategically, through an intentional and adaptive process to achieve your goals.
Build Internal
Infrastructure
Mobilize Data, Research, & Evaluation
Mobilize Data, Research, & Evaluation

Mobilize data, research, and evaluation to make the case for, assess, and inform interventions for health equity

Build Organizational Capacity
Build Organizational Capacity

Build understanding and capacity to advance equity across the department and workforce

Change Internal Practices and Processes
Change Internal Practices and Processes

Change internal practices and align internal processes to advance equity

Prioritize Upstream Policy Change
Prioritize Upstream Policy Change

Prioritize improving the social determinants of health through upstream policy change

Allocate Resources
Allocate Resources

Allocate resources to advance equity

Work Across
Government
Build Government Alliances
Build Government Alliances

Build alliances with other government agencies to advance equity

Develop a Shared Analysis
Develop a Shared Analysis

Develop a shared analysis with other agencies about government’s role in creating health equity

Broaden Regulatory Scope
Broaden Regulatory Scope

Broaden the administrative and regulatory scope of public health and other agency practices to advance health equity

Foster Community
Partnerships
Share Power with Communities
Share Power with Communities

Build strategic community relationships, share power and decision making, and spark meaningful participation

Build Community Alliances
Build Community Alliances

Build alliances with community partners to protect against risk and build community power

Engage in Movements
Engage in Movements

Engage strategically in social justice campaigns and movements to advance equity

Champion Transformative
Change
Confront the Root Causes
Confront the Root Causes

Confront power imbalances and the racial and other forms of oppression used to maintain those imbalances

Develop Leadership and Support Innovation
Develop Leadership and Support Innovation

Develop leadership, support innovation, and reward strategic risk taking to advance equity

Change the Conversation
Change the Conversation

Change the conversation about what creates health equity within public health, across government, and in communities

Build a Health Equity Movement
Build a Health Equity Movement

Join with others in public health to build a health equity movement

Last Updated: July 6, 2017