Oral

The Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program is supporting 50 communities to tackle obesity and tobacco use through policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change initiatives at the local level. Integrating health equity in community health planning, policy initiatives implementation, and evaluation is critical for ensuring sustainable community change. The panel will focus on the work CPPW communities are doing to advance health equity and reduce health disparities by implementing targeted efforts for populations experiencing health disparities; working with and in organizations and settings to reach underserved populations; and by adapting jurisdiction–wide strategies to address barriers for populations experiencing disparities to ensure equitable impact. The presentations will also describe processes by which jurisdiction-wide policy changes can occur in multiple contexts and impact diverse populations, and challenges and lessons learned in ensuring health equity is integrated in their planning, implementation and evaluation. This panel will present newly collected evaluation data from three CPPW communities. Presentations will include results of PSE changes resulting from CPPW strategies implemented with a health equity focus: New York City provides reach data for multiple PSE strategies implemented at various socio-ecologic levels with health equity integration; the City of Chicago addresses health equity using the model communities strategy targeting high-need areas and demonstrates how capacity for PSE changes have been enhanced in these communities; and, Mid-Ohio Valley, West Virginia presents data on the policy change process and describes policy changes resulting from CPPW initiatives in a rural community. These presentations discuss and demonstrate the impact of PSE changes through reach, capacity and both community and policymaker support. Participants will learn how integrating health equity into PSE strategies can improve and sustain desired changes.

Session Objectives: Discuss lessons learned from the evaluation of policy, systems, and environmental strategies designed to advance health equity Identify strategies for integrating a health equity focus into community health planning and policy

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)