HES August Newsletter 2021

February | 2022

An "opportunity gap" describes the circumstances that people are born into, shaping their life opportunities. In relation to racial inequities in health, this phrase clarifies that differences in outcomes are not driven by race but by the structural racism in our institutions, policies, and practices. It is an antiracist reframing of the term "achievement gap."

"The racial problem is the opportunity gap" - Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of How To Be An Anti-Racist.

To advocate for equitable opportunities for all Connecticut residents HES applies a health equity lens to all legislation we support to ensure that proposed policies benefit communities of color. For more information on our priorities, see here.

The regular legislative session began on February 9, 2022. We are advocating in support of stronger community benefit legislation & affordable healthcare!
- Check out our testimony here.
Health Equity Solutions and the Connecticut Citizen Action Group invite you to join a virtual discussion about community benefit on Wednesday, February 23 at 2:30 PM!
- Have a question? Please reach out.

Check out the refreshed Path to Equity, which defines an anti-racist agenda for our state’s future. Join the conversation on social media by tagging HES (Facebook: @healthequityct; Instagram: @healthequitysolutions; Twitter: @HealthEquityCT).

The Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health will meet next in March! Details from the last meeting can be found here.
This year we are celebrating the 4th annual Health Equity Week! Last year’s info is here. Have an event in mind or want to collaborate? Connect with us!

Are you a CHW? Join us to discuss and co-design sustainable funding pathways for CHWs in CT.  CHWs and CHW allies are welcome. If you are interested in attending the next meeting, please reach out.
The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity (CWCSEO) is conducting a landscape analysis of civic deserts across the Hartford Region, ages 18 through 67. For more information, please click here.

If you are having an event and would like HES to partner, please email us at info@hesct.org.

"What is Advocacy Anyway?" Join Health Equity Solutions (HES) for a 75-minute interactive workshop to explore what advocacy is, how it can be used as a tool for change, who is an advocate (hint: you!) and when to advocate.
- We will also discuss how to find your state and U.S. representatives, discuss different ways our elected officials can help us resolve issues, and briefly demonstrate key areas of the CT General Assembly website. For more details https://nhfpl.libnet.info/event/6196457
If you missed the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative annual meeting on Wednesday, you could catch the recording here. We are so grateful for the Oral Health Champion Award and our partners at COHI!

Enrollment in Covered Connecticut—no-cost health insurance for eligible residents—now runs thru June 30, 2022. To see if you are eligible, get questions answered & enroll, call 860-241-8478 or visit http://bit.ly/3jsEwuA.
Missed the “COVID Real Talk” roundtable discussion? Check it out here! This series was held with teen Community Health Workers and special guest Dr. Laine Taylor moderated by Dr. Reinaldo Rojas, Ph.D. CCSU Assistant Professor of Social Work and Community Organizer.

HES is a non-profit organization located in Connecticut. Our mission is to promote policies, programs, and practices that result in equitable access to health care, increased quality in the delivery of health care, and improved health outcomes for Connecticut residents.