Advancing Health Equity

Health equity is a central tenet of CPPW and addressing it is critical for maximizing the program's impact. Effectively reaching those populations with a disproportionate burden of chronic disease will help to bring about significant changes in the rates of chronic diseases in the CPPW communities and collectively across the nation. CPPW communities have worked to advance health equity by integrating this concept in their planning, implementation, and evaluation activities.

Policy, systems, and environmental change approaches are promising and essential to addressing health inequities. However, to be optimally effective, such changes also require strategic actions to reduce or eliminate any barriers faced by populations that experience health disparities, and to avoid any negative unintended consequences of such changes. Such barriers and negative unintended consequences could be related to implementation challenges or differential enforcement and these issues must be accounted for and addressed in this approach.

CPPW grantees are working 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 and any negative unintended consequences for populations experiencing disparities to ensure equitable impact. CPPW is continuing to provide training and technical assistance related to health equity to ensure community strategies are being implemented in ways to improve the health of all people in the community and reduce health disparities.

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