Rhode Island Department of Health: Building social justice and health equity communications capacity
Through funding from The Kresge Foundation, The Praxis Project and Berkeley Media Studies Group supported the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) to identify opportunities to achieve health justice and racial equity throughout the state by being more intentional about integrating a deep social justice lens into the department’s internal and external work. In 2018-2019, Praxis and BMSG provided in-person trainings and long-term technical assistance focused on: building authentic community partnerships; grounding narrative change in a framework for racial and health equity; advancing media advocacy and strategic communications capacity; conducting a health equity inventory of RIDOH’s ongoing health equity work and infrastructure; and developing concrete, actionable next steps to build on this foundation and advance their health equity work through communicating effectively internally with staff as well as externally with partners, the media, and residents.