Strengthening racial and health equity communications and organizational capacity in California

Strengthening racial and health equity communications and organizational capacity in California

We all want to live in healthy, thriving communities where everyone can reach their full potential. Across the country, local health departments play a special and critical role in making this a reality. While many are making progress, there are opportunities for local health departments to expand their work to have a deeper impact on racial and health equity. Through funding from The California Endowment and the Blue Shield Foundation of California, Berkeley Media Studies Group is working with the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, and the San Joaquin Valley Public Health Consortium to support local health departments and their partners communicate more effectively about racial and health inequities and build their organizational capacity to advance equity in communities throughout the state.

Related resources

Preventing an eviction epidemic: Delivering effective COVID-19 emergency rental assistance in California
BMSG helped support the development of this report, created by partners at Housing NOW! California, PolicyLink, and the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative. The report reveals staggering flaws in California’s multibillion-dollar rent-relief program and urges officials to extend eviction protections.

Talking about health, housing, and COVID-19: Keeping equity at the forefront
We developed this working document to support public health practitioners, community organizers, and others who are striving, amid COVID-19, to elevate equity-focused solutions in housing and health news and before policymakers. The guide is focused on shifting the narrative from safety during the pandemic to the importance of treating housing as essential to public health.

COVID-19: Addressing racism and discrimination: Local health department support guidance
These rapid response guidelines, developed by an equity-focused subcommittee of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California(Alliance) with input from BMSG, can help local health departments use language and images that fight discrimination and stigma while remaining consistent with science.

Want to advance health equity for all Californians? Look to local health departments
BMSG is proud to support California’s local health departments and their partners as they create a state where health abounds no matter where you live.

How can we connect racial and health equity with housing in news coverage?
This news analysis from BMSG offers insights into how Bay Area housing justice and public health organizations are leveraging the media to support their policy agendas and elevate the connection to health. Based on those findings, we present seven recommendations for practitioners and advocates working to make safe, affordable homes a reality in their communities.

Equity and health in housing coverage: A preliminary news analysis from Northern California
Housing impacts health in widespread, well-documented ways. But does media coverage reflect this? To find out, BMSG analyzed news from the San Francisco Bay Area — the epicenter of the crisis — and paid special attention to how equity and health appear in coverage. While the analysis focused on local news, our report provides insights for housing advocates across the country.

Giving effective public testimony to support health equity: 9 tips for advocates
When advocates reach out to Berkeley Media Studies Group for help shaping the public narrative and advancing policy change on a particular public health or social justice issue, they often are eager to improve their ability to write op-eds or speak with reporters. But public testimony is another powerful way to deliver compelling messages that reach decision-makers. In this blog, BMSG’s health equity coordinator offers tips for doing so, based on her recent experience providing public comment at San Francisco City Hall.

Local health departments addressing the social determinants of health: A national survey on the foreclosure crisis
The foreclosure crisis has had more than just financial consequences for families throughout the United States; it has also been linked to negative mental and physical health outcomes and has disproportionately harmed communities of color. What role, then, should local health departments (LHDs) play in addressing social determinants of health, such as housing? In this article for the journal Health Equity, BMSG’s Katherine Schaff and Lori Dorfman report that more than a quarter of LHDs engaged in work related to the foreclosure crisis, and 30% of those surveyed said that LHDs should work on this issue.

Stay on point: How to infuse your communications with an agenda to advance racial and health equity
This webinar for the National Collaborative for Health Equity includes an introduction to framing and message development and offers insights from narrative research on race.

8 ways to communicate strategically about proposed federal immigration rule changes
Use these tips to strengthen your op-eds, comments to the Federal Register, and other messages opposing the administration’s proposed public charge expansion — and to frame the issue in ways that further public health and social justice goals.

5 steps public health can take to tell the health equity story of opioid use
It’s being described as a public health crisis, but is news coverage of the opioid epidemic advancing public health goals?

7 things advocates should know when communicating about health equity
Making the case for a society that supports health for everyone is easier said than done, even for the most seasoned public health advocates. Here are some tips to help ensure that the messages we use strengthen, rather than stymie, our social change efforts.

Webinar recording: Immigration: A dialogue with Alameda County Public Health Department
Immigration policy can have profound impacts on the health of our communities. In this webinar, part of a “Communicating About Health Equity” series supported by The California Endowment, Berkeley Media Studies Group engages the Alameda County Public Health Department in a conversation about how they are working to bring public health to the forefront of public discourse on immigration.