Advances in health equity through workforce development - outcomes reported by local public health departments

The Health Equity Alliance (HEA) is a pioneering effort designed to support local public health departments in Connecticut by providing specific localized data. The purpose is to improve health equity by targeting the community conditions that impact health. The Connecticut Association of Directors of Health (CADH) developed a Health Equity Index that provides data ranking community conditions and health outcomes for every city and town in the state. Ten local health departments were provided training on use of the Index. Three health departments engaged their workforce in intensive training sessions focused on the social determinants of health and use of the Index. Ninety-two percent of trained employees reported having a clear understanding of health inequity, compared to 57% of untrained employees. Eighty-nine percent of trained employees reported being familiar with health inequities within their community, compared to 48% of untrained. Evaluation findings demonstrated that employees that participated in training sessions had increased confidence in their ability to communicate with community members and policy makers. Project leadership found this approach and use of the Index significantly useful in demonstrating the connection between community conditions and health outcomes for local health staff, the general public, and policy makers. This approach can be applied in conducting community health assessments and developing community health improvement plans to meet local public health accreditation requirements.