Transforming public health practice to address health inequities: Building local health department capacity to influence built environment decision-making

In 2005, the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII) a collaboration of the eleven local public health departments in the San Francisco Bay Area, was formed to transform public health practice within local health departments to achieve health equity and to build healthier communities. BARHII focuses on the underlying social conditions that contribute to disproportionate rates of preventable disease and death in certain communities and on the institutional policies and practices that shape those conditions. BARHII provides a forum in which public health departments can learn from one other as they attempt to change their practice, develop and disseminate best practices, and engage more effectively in regional activities, including policy advocacy and interaction with regulatory and planning agencies. BARHII has developed working partnerships with various planning professionals involved in local and regional land-use planning, transportation planning, and most recently, redevelopment. Lessons learned from this work have led to the development of two publications designed to assist public health and planning professionals to work more effectively together to build healthier communities. The Healthy Planning Guide helps public health staff become more involved in planning processes and engage with planners. Partners for Public Health synthesizes information about the many public agencies that make policy decisions, enforce regulations, and implement projects related to the physical environment. The publications, lessons learned during the development of this area of work, and recommendations for adaptation will be shared.