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September 2023

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

Want to offer us a recommendation to improve our services? Please share with us here.

Modoc County Spotlight: The Promotores of Northern California

The Promotores of Northern California was founded in August 2018 in collaboration with Modoc County Health Services and other local entities (Tulelake Early Head Start and Tulelake Newell Family Resource Center) along with numerous volunteers. Starting with only 18 members in 2018, the Promotores of Northern California group now consists of over 50 members from Newell, CA, and surrounding areas. They have expanded the Promotores Program by crossing county and state lines to provide access and service to community members. In the past two years, they introduced new events, in which they continue to serve, by honoring different cultures. Along with their annual health fair, they’ve now included El Dia del Niño celebration (Day of the Child) and El Día de los Muertos Celebration (Day of the Dead). Both holidays are honored in Latin American countries and integrating them in their work helps the Latino community feel more included, which helps raise awareness of needs and connects community members with resources available to them.

The Promotores of Northern California, also hosts book clubs and support groups for Latinas, helping them identify their roles as women in their household, and providing support in understanding how they can better themselves and how it reflects and impacts the health and wellbeing of their communities. This year, Modoc County began adolescent support groups similar to the women’s groups. In collaboration with schools and the local resource center, they were able to introduce the Junior Promotores Leadership program for teens.

The Promotores of Northern California is now expanding to the eastern region in Modoc County. There has been a positive response from local women, who would like to provide similar services to that area and address rural community needs. With the support of Vision y Compromiso, they plan on providing the Promotora certification, and move forward with serving residents in those areas!

For more information, please contact: Myra Chavoya-Perez

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15 to October 15. It is a time to appreciate and celebrate the colorful cultures, rich histories, and diversity of the Hispanic/Latinx communities. September 15^th marks the anniversary of independence for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16^th while Chile’s Independence Day is September 18^th. The month is celebrated in many ways such as concerts, parades, and food fairs, as well as educational events like art exhibitions that highlight important Latino heroes in history.

For more information, please visit National Hispanic American Heritage Month

National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month —a time to raise awareness of this stigmatized topic. While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to shift public perception, spread hope, and share vital information to people affected by suicide. We can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life. It's important that individuals, friends, and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and seek help.

Here is a helpful resource on What You Can Do to Prevent Suicide: Warning Signs, Risk Factors, Support in a Crisis.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

It is important to note that the 988 Lifeline is only available in English and Spanish, and there is a section for Deaf and Hard of Hearing on their website.

There are many important causes we can learn about and advocate for, this month we highlighted Hispanic/Latinx Heritage month and National Suicide Prevention Month. Please take a look at the other major movements celebrated this month like Ethiopian New Year, California Native American Day, Yom Kippur, and many more.

Champions for Equity Recognition

The California Department of Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities is proud to recognize the following Local Health Jurisdictions on being a Champion for Equity. The nine LHJ’s were recently recognized at the Statewide Champions for Equity event. The TA team will also be spotlighting these LHJs in our monthly newsletters. Click here to learn more about the Champions for Equity.

Contra Costa Health

County of Monterey Public Health Department

San Mateo County Health

Madera County Department of Public Health

San Joaquin County Public Health Services

Shasta County Health and Human Services, Public Health Branch

Mariposa County Public Health Branch

County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department

Tulare County Public Health

Latest News & Program Reminders

September 12, 2023:

TA Office Hours: Portal Updates (Virtual Equity Toolkit 2.0 & Forums Launch)

September’s Office Hour will be on focused on new updates to the Equity Portal, including the launch of the Virtual Equity Toolkit 2.0; a webpage update of the previous toolkit, and an overview of the new forums that can be used to connect with LHJ staff around California. Office Hours will be held from 12:30-1:30pm. Join the meeting on Zoom.

September 14, 2023

Regional Healthy Places Index (HPI) Training-San Joaquin Valley/Central CA

Are you interested in building healthier and more resilient communities in San Joaquin Valley/Central CA? Join us for an exploration of the Healthy Places Index® (HPI), an innovative data and policy platform used across California to track neighborhood conditions that support health. In this 90-minute training, we will provide a deep dive into the HPI, share how HPI can be used in San Joaquin Valley/Central CA local health departments to inform strategic interventions that address health disparities, and demonstrate how you can use the free, interactive map tool to leverage HPI data and analyses for your work. Training will be from 11:30am-1:00pm Register here.

September 19, 2023

Regional Healthy Places Index (HPI) Training- Bay Area

Are you interested in building healthier and more resilient communities in the Bay Area? Join us for an exploration of the Healthy Places Index® (HPI), an innovative data and policy platform used across California to track neighborhood conditions that support health. In this 90-minute training, we will provide a deep dive into the HPI, share how HPI can be used in Bay Area local health departments to inform strategic interventions that address health disparities, and demonstrate how you can use the free, interactive map tool to leverage HPI data and analyses for your work. Training will be from 2:30pm-4:00pm Register here.

September 20, 2023

A Whole-of-Government Approach: Leveraging Public Health Partnerships Across Government to Scale Equity Impacts Webinar

Join us for the third virtual convening of the BARHII Action Lab’s California Equity All-Stars Series. For this event, BARHII highlight three local health departments' efforts to move health equity through partnerships that extend beyond the public health sector. Webinar will be from 1:00pm–3:00pm Register here.

September 26, 2023

BARHII’s Data Visualization for Equity Series| Session 3: Better Presentations

Join us for the third session from BARHII’s Data Visualization for Equity Series on Better Presentations. Participants will learn the tools and techniques for translating data reports to visually appealing presentations. Training will be from 11:00am-12:00pm. Register here.

Training of the Month

The Mental Health First Aid course aims to prepare communities with the knowledge and skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Learn more about Mental Health First Aid by clicking on the FREE training below! Mental Health First Aid Enter your text here

Resources

Frameworks Institute: Talking about Health Equity

Among the general public, the term equity isn’t widely understood. FrameWorks researchers have found that most people associate the term with financial topics, as in home equity or equity in a business. For communicators, this means that if you’re using the term, it’s vital to pair it with a clear explanation. Talking about Health Equity resource provides examples on ways we can replace the word equity to have a shared understanding.

CDPH Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions and Community Service Providers for Extreme Heat This resource provides local health jurisdictions and other community-based service providers recommendations and resources to protect communities from heat-related health impacts, with particular focus on supporting population groups most at risk.

Technical Assistance (TA) Services Available:

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

Rural North (RANCHO) | Haley Ni

Greater Sierra-Sacramento | Claudia Medina

San Joaquin Valley/ Central California | Chantelle Comeau

Bay Area | Salina Ramachhita

Southern California/ Los Angeles | Jessica Medina

To share an event, resource, job opportunity, or highlight a success story from your LHJ, please email us at the Equity Portal by the 20^th of the month.

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