Abstract

Pathways to Population Health Equity (P2PHE): A guide for state, tribal, local, and territorial public health change agents

Somava Saha, MD, MS¹, Caroline Brazeel, MPH², Judy Lipshutz, MPH³, Kristen Rego, MS¹ (1)Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World, (2)Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, (3)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo

Introduction to problem being addressed: To advance population health and achieve equity, we need to go beyond controlling or preventing disease to creating the conditions for everyone to thrive. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fault lines of structural racism in already marginalized communities. Many public health agencies have made statements about addressing racism and health equity. Yet words are not enough.

Description of evidence and theory used to inform program development and/or implementation: Despite a clear alignment of will and direction, we know that our public health community was not prepared to adequately address systemic racism and other root causes of structural inequities in the context of the pandemic. We are now suffering from the consequences of a fracturing of relationship and lack of trust with the public.

Description of program activities and outcomes or plan to evaluate outcomes: Pathways to Population Health Equity (P2PHE) is a health equity and population health framework developed by and with public health change agents to strategically advance equitable health and well-being for groups experiencing racism and other inequities, as well as address underlying community conditions and root causes. The framework is adaptable and can be used in a wide variety of public health environments. Above all, it comes with a set of implementation tools to support public health practitioners to take meaningful action together with community residents experiencing inequities.

Conclusions: P2PHE offers practical steps to operationalize and drive measurable improvements in how public health is structured, its relationship with communities and residents experiencing inequities, and how it strategizes to advance health equity. This framework is supported by the CDC and comes with practical tools to take action. Thousands of public health practitioners are already using these tools to take action.

Recommendations for practice: The P2PHE framework can be applied to develop a project, portfolio, or agency-wide strategy. The tactical tools and resources are appropriate for all levels of staff, from program managers to agency leadership, from all sizes of public health departments to 1) establish a common language, purpose and political will to address population health and 2) work effectively with partners to build community-centered interventions that create thriving people and places.