The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #64789

Derek M. Griffith, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 319C Rosenau Hall, CB #7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, 919/966.8650, derek_griffith@unc.edu, Vanessa Jeffries, Chatham County Health Department, PO Box 130, Pittsboro, NC 27312, and Eugenia Eng, DrPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Rosenau Hall - Campus Box 7400, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400.

The Institute of Medicine report, Unequal Treatment, shocked many health systems and providers as it noted the pervasive racial disparities in quality of health care and service provision. This study provided a tool for many service systems and health care providers to assess the accuracy of these findings for their institutions. This presentation describes one health department's efforts to understand and address racism in their organization. The health department has hired consultants to guide them through a Dismantling Racism Process designed to develop a common language and a common analysis for understanding racism and the ways in which it manifests in the health care delivery system. Taking a participatory action research approach, this organization has engaged community members and staff in an effort to explore racism in the county health department, and evaluate the impact of their efforts. Measurement and evaluation have been a particular challenge in this process, as collecting data on the institutional, interpersonal and intrapersonal manifestations of racism has direct implications for co-workers, personal relationships, organizational climate, and job security. Further, convincing staff that building an anti-racist organization is central to the health department's goal of serving all county residents and eliminating health disparities in this community can prove challenging.

Learning Objectives:

People who attend this session will be able to: (
• describe the dismantling racism process utilized in this organization, and (
• recognize the unique challenges faced when addressing racism within a health department.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Health Departments

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.