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June 2025

A newsletter for Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) brought to you by the Equity Technical Assistance (TA) Team, Office of Health Equity, CDPH, every first Friday of the month.

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Want to offer us a recommendation or be an LHJ spotlight? Please submit an inquiry via the Equity Portal.

Building Trust and Collaboration with Tribal Communities

May 2025 Equity Learning Collaborative Recap

In May, the Equity Learning Collaborative turned its focus toward building stronger partnerships with California’s Tribal Nations and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The session aligned with the Partners Across Sectors competency from the Organizational Assessment for Equity Infrastructure which emphasizes the importance of collaborating with other organizations and agencies to amplify equity and address the social determinants of health.

Co-hosted by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Tribal Health Equity Advisory Group (THEAG), the learning collaborative provided Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) with foundational knowledge and practical strategies to support respectful, long-term engagement with tribal communities.

Session highlights included:

Stephanie Weldon, Deputy Directory of CDPH’s Office of Health Equity (OHE), opened the session by sharing her background and OHE’s commitments to supporting tribal engagement through intentional relationship-building.

Dr. Jackie Kaslow, Program Director at the Native Star Foundation and Assistant Professor at UCSF School of Nursing, offered a grounding overview of the Tribal Public Health System, emphasizing the importance of recognizing tribal sovereignty and tribal jurisdiction.

Nanette Star, Director of Policy and Planning at the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), introduced the Indian Health Care Delivery System, which provides services in three ways known as I/T/U:

Indian Health Services (IHS) Facilities / Hospitals
Tribally Operated Clinics
Urban Indian Organizations

Priscilla Santos, Tule River Tribal member, shared local insights on the Tule River Indian Reservation’s health priorities, highlighting community-led strategies and the value of cross-sector partnerships.

A panel discussion with all presenters and Nicholas Corcovelos, Community Navigator, True North Organizing Network, that reflected on challenges, lessons learned, and practical strategies for building trust and sustaining collaboration between LHJs and Tribal or Urban Indian partners. Panelists shared examples of successful partnerships, lessons learned, and actionable strategies for engagement.

This session encouraged attendees to engage in active listening, practice cultural humility and reflect on ideas and actions that guide us to improve health outcomes.

To view the recording of the Equity Learning Collaborative: click here

Zoom recording password: C%Dt7Q4j

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month

Pride month is celebrated each year in June to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. The first pride marches were held on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The rainbow flag is a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride, representing the diversity and unity of the LGBTQ community with each color having a different significance. It has changed six time since its origin in 1978 including the addition of black and brown stripes to recognize the marginalization faced by queer people of color. In 2025, with increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ people, it’s more important than ever to acknowledge the achievements and progress of the community and commit to being better allies.

To learn more about major milestones in the LGBTQ+ movement, please visit the Gladstone Institute's LGBTQ+ History Timeline.
For a list of LGBTQ+ themed books and resources, please visit the LA County Library's LGBTQ+ Pride Month site.
To find a Pride celebration near you, please visit the Gay Pride Calendar.
To learn more about the various pride flags and their meanings, please visit the Center for Cultural Connections and Community's Pride Flag Guide.
To learn more about LGBTQ+ advocacy, please visit the Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign, Center for Black Equity, and It Gets Better.
To view CDPH’s 2025 Pride Toolkit, please visit the LGBTQ+ Health webpage.

Latest News & Program Reminders

June 6th, 2025

Organizational Assessment for Equity Infrastructure

2025 Cycle Release

The Equity Technical Assistance (TA) Team is pleased to announce the beginning of the 2025 Organizational Assessment for Equity Infrastructure cycle!

The purpose of the Organizational Assessment for Equity Infrastructure is to provide a streamlined tool whereby Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) can collect data on current equity infrastructure, monitor and track progress, continue dialogue within their department, and use it to inform and modify strategic planning for equity. This is the fourth year of the assessment, and we hope your LHJ continues to participate!

Participation for the 2025 assessment is optional, and the TA Team will not publish a results report for this cycle. No changes to the assessment have been made this year. LHJs who complete the assessment will receive a copy of their submission and will be offered consultations with their TA Specialist at a later date, similar to previous years’ offerings.

Submissions for the 2025 Assessment cycle will be collected via MS Forms starting Friday, June 6th, 2025. LHJs will have two months to complete the assessment, and responses will need to be submitted by Friday, August 8th, 2025.

If you have any questions or concerns, please submit an inquiry in the Equity Portal.

June 17th, 2025, at 10 AM PST

Climate Health Communications to Advance Public Health:

Creating Talking Points for Internal and External Decisionmakers

Prepared for California Local Health Jurisdictions. Developed by Berkeley Media Studies Group in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health.

Workshop: Tues, June 17: 10am – 12pm (PST) Register at: https://tinyurl.com/z5hfdj4h

Effective messaging is essential for driving informed decision-making and public engagement on climate and health issues. Local leaders, including elected officials and agency staff, often rely on public health expertise to translate complex scientific data into clear, actionable information for their communities. By equipping leaders with evidence-based messages, public health officials can help ensure that policies and programs address health equity, climate resilience, and community well-being.

During this workshop, participants will:

● Identify the myriad decision-makers/decision-making bodies that have power over the solutions we seek

● Identify the questions that public health and interagency staff are most likely to receive when talking about climate change and health.

● Practice drafting answers to hard questions around health effects of climate change

● Learn how to use a tool (provided during the workshop) that helps users craft evidence-based messages targeted at local public health leaders, elected leaders, jurisdiction staff, and local agency partners.

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/z5hfdj4h

Berkeley Media Studies Group: Technical Assistance Calls for CDPH Local Health Jurisdictions

Through a series of one-hour technical assistance calls, Berkeley Media Studies Group will be available to answer questions related to the strategic communications workshops developed for public health department professionals across California. The link will be available for an hour, beginning at the designated start time. Participants are welcome to join and leave the call at their convenience.

Technical Assistance calls will be held during the following times:

TA Session: Thurs, June 19: 1 – 2 pm (PST) Register at: https://tinyurl.com/5n8cf6br

Save the Date!

July 15, 2025

Equity Learning Collaborative

The Equity Technical Assistance (TA) Team will be hosting the next Equity Learning Collaborative (formerly known as TA Office Hours) on Tuesday, July 15th from 1:00-2:00pm.

Brought to you by the Equity TA Team within the Office of Health Equity (OHE) at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Equity Learning Collaborative is a statewide technical assistance service for all 61 California Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs). Occurring on a bi-monthly basis, each learning collaborative provides a space for LHJs to deepen their understanding of equity-related topics through presentations, peer networking and resource sharing.

Learning Objectives:

Apply Equity Concepts: LHJs will increase their knowledge of equity topics to help them apply equity principles to their programs.

Foster Peer Collaboration: LHJs will share insights, best practices, and experiences related to equity.

Access and Share Resources: LHJs will gain and share resources that support their work in advancing equity within their communities.

Registration information for the upcoming learning collaborative will be made available soon.

The Hearst Foundations: Funding Priorities in Health

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service. The Foundations also support public health, medical research and the development of young investigators to help create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Minimum grant size is $100,000.

Preference will be given to:

Professional development
Programs improving access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations, rural populations and/or veterans
Programs developing and providing specialized care for the complex needs of elderly populations
Programs providing behavioral and mental health care
Programs scaling innovative healthcare delivery systems to provide efficient, coordinated care
Research, particularly support for early career investigators and/or efforts related to finding new cures and treatments for prevalent diseases, such as cancer

To learn more about the application process, please visit the Hearst Foundations webpage.

Training of the Month

Best Practices for Engaging Community Partners Using a Health in All Policies Approach

Courtesy of the Region V Public Health Training Center (RVPHTC).

This recorded training session discusses the importance of engaging community partners in Health in All Policies (HiAP) work. Participants will learn about key strategies and tools for engaging partners and how to create an inclusive space for these discussions. This training involves a mix of didactic content, case studies, and reflective activities.

After completing this training, you will be able to

- Discuss the importance of engaging community partners in Health in All Policies (HiAP) work
- Explain best practices for effective engagement with community partners
- Identify actionable tools and strategies for creating an inclusive environment
- Describe strategies for overcoming common barriers to community partner engagement in HiAP work

To view the recorded training, please visit the Region V Public Health Training Center course webpage.

Resources

Collaboration Multiplier

Brought to you by Prevention Institute, the Collaboration Multiplier is an interactive framework and tool for analyzing collaborative efforts across fields. It is designed to guide an organization to a better understanding of which partners it needs and how to engage them. It is also designed for organizations that already work together, so they may identify activities to achieve a common goal, identify missing sectors that can contribute to a solution, delineate partner perspectives and contributions, and leverage expertise and resources. Using Collaboration Multiplier can help lay the foundation for shared understanding and common ground across all partners.

Based on the understanding that sectors often have different understandings of issues and divergent reasons for engaging in the same effort, Collaboration Multiplier helps partners navigate differences to find approaches that advance their objectives simultaneously. Collaboration Multiplier can be used at different stages of collaboration, and is designed to complement and inform Prevention Institute's Spectrum of Prevention, which promotes multi-level strategic action as a best practice for primary prevention.

Visit the Prevention Institute’s Tools webpage to use the Collaboration Multiplier.

Technical Assistance (TA) Services Available:

For general inquiries or to schedule a 1:1 consultation, submit an inquiry to your Equity TA Specialist (below) via the Equity Technical Assistance Portal:

Rural North | Haley Ni

Greater Sierra-Sacramento | Claudia Medina

Central California | TBD

Bay Area | Salina Ramachhita

Southern California/ Los Angeles | Jessica Medina

1616 Capitol Avenue, MS 0022, Sacramento, CA

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