Addressing Health Inequities
The work of creating opportunities for discussion and learning about the root causes of health inequities, as well as increasing the diversity and equity capacity of the health care and social service workforce is carried out in three main ways:
- Deepening health equity and inclusion work within MetroWest organizations by supporting the work of the Racial and Ethnic Disparities Workgroup, as well as identifying greater opportunity for diverse community stakeholder participation and engagement in the work of the foundation.
- Increasing capacity of the health care and social service workforce to approach their work through an equity lens, as well as to promote a culture of equity within their organizations.
- Increasing the diversity of the pipeline of future leaders in health care and social service sectors by promoting policies within organizations that help to retain and promote a diverse workforce, as well as initiating strategies to bring more diversity to the workforce.
Download a copy of our Health Equity Plan 2024 and our Health Equity Guidebook.
Join our Racial & Health Equity Workgroup: 2023 2024 Meeting Schedule
Sign-Up for our Health Equity Workshops
Health Equity Resources
Download the latest PDFs:
- Race Forward: Racial Equity Impact Toolkit
- Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE): Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity
- Annie E. Casey Foundation: Racial, Equity and Inclusion Action Guide: 7 Steps to Advance and Embed Race, Equity and Inclusion within your Organization
MetroWest Health Equity Timeline
To provide context for health disparities and inequities we observe today, foundation staff developed a Health Equity Timeline detailing events in MetroWest and Massachusetts that helped shape how different populations experience health and health care. The Timeline is intended to be a working document and community resource. Please direct ideas for additional events and questions about the timeline to Kate Baker at kbaker@mwhealth.org.
The foundation hosted a webinar in November about how the timeline was created. A recording of the webinar, as well as the slides, are accessible for review. Whether you attended the webinar "live" or are accessing the materials afterwards, please share your feedback on the timeline in this brief survey.
Many thanks are owed to the volunteers and staff at the Framingham History Center, especially Kathy Hursen and Ruthann Tomassini; Rebecca Gallo; Dennis Giombetti; Paula Kaminow; State Representative Jack Patrick Lewis; Reverend Dr. J. Anthony Lloyd; Natick Historical Society; Lily Pearl; Robert Shure; and Martin Cohen for their expertise and guidance on this project. Thank you also to the team at Communities Count, whose Health Equity Timeline in Seattle, WA inspired this project. Special gratitude is extended to intern Sirad Hassan, who played a critical role in the research and presentation of the timeline.
To view the timeline and links to our sources in spreadsheet format, click here. For background on why these events and access to social determinants of health are related to health equity, please review the sources linked above and consider our suggested reading.