Ensuring Health Equity
In 1970, the Black Panther Party directed all chapters to open healthcare clinics where volunteers dispensed basic medical care as well as housing assistance and legal aid. This action and other key efforts by early leaders in the health center movement helped to empower people to take ownership and control of their own healthcare while bringing health care services to low income and marginalized communities. CHCs have, from their inception, been partners in fighting for health equity, expanding health care access, and helping to address social determinants of health (SDOH).
Given our history, if we wish to create a truly equitable health system, we must first address the institutional racism, environmental racism and implicit bias that exists in American culture. As CPCA’s equity work has progressed, our knowledge and understanding of institutional racism and implicit bias has also grown. Our equity work has provided us the opportunity to truly reflect on how institutional racism and implicit bias are interwoven into our full health care system and the impact it has had on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) patients.
Health centers were formed in response to racism and inequity and have made tremendous strides in providing access and reducing disparities. Yet health centers are embedded in a health care system with deep roots of inequity. While these realities have been present, this year has brought them into stark focus and we can no longer ignore or be overwhelmed at how intractable these inequities are, we must address them head on. Without doing so we pay a disservice to the roots of the health center movement and most importantly the patients who have come to rely on this incredibly powerful delivery system.
In partnership with the Supporting Black Communities (SBC) Workgroup, CPCA aims to deepen and refine the Association’s health equity agenda and is committed to this work for the foreseeable future.
CPCA’s Internal Health Equity Work
CPCA has been making strides to achieve diversity for a few years. This year we have taken it further by hiring a consultant to lead us on the path to become anti-racist. This work includes strategic planning, deep and intentional staff conversations, readings, videos, and homework to help on the personal process that is becoming anti-racist. We firmly believe that in order to reach true equity and change we must begin with conducting self-reflection within the organization to ensure we are removing internal biases and institutional racism. This will allow us to be true to ourselves while continuing to advocate for polices that create a more equitable health care system.
Supporting Black Communities Workgroup
The Supporting Black Communities (SBC) Workgroup has about 45 members and has met 4 times since its inception. In their short time together, they have built out an agenda with goals, advocacy priorities and communications. Over the course of the fall and winter, CPCA and the SBC aim to create trainings and a how-to guide to help bring implicit bias trainings to CHCs and their staff. The goal would be to facilitate the process of obtaining c-suit support for establishing these trainings in the hopes of encouraging all CHCs to provide implicit bias trainings.
Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
CPCA is engaged in the Administration’s discussions around vaccine distribution. A central element CPCA is advocating for in these conversations is the need for a plan to address concerns from BIPOC communities about a vaccine. The state is aware of these challenges and is already planning to have a state review of any vaccines approved by the federal government to provide an additional level of assurance to Californian’s about the efficacy and safety of the drug. CPCA also weighed in on one of the first opportunities provided by the federal government to inform the equitable distribution of the vaccine and will continue to be involved in these conversations.