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About IDPH

General Strategies

The following are strategies from the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity.

Increase awareness about health disparities

  • Blog or tweet about health disparities in your community or share information via Facebook
  • Contact the media with stories about health disparities in your community
  • Write a letter to the editor or an opinion-article for your local newspaper
  • Speak at health fairs, PTA and school board meetings, civic meetings, faith-based events, and other community gatherings

Become a leader for addressing health disparities

  • Educate others about disparities and share stories about model programs with local organizations or community leaders, and the National Partnership for Action (NPA)
  • Start a petition to get local citizens to support policy recommendations and submit the petition to the appropriate elected officials
  • Organize a meeting of local organizations representing diverse sectors and work together to ensure health disparities is on the local and state health agenda
  • Form coalitions with local organizations representing diverse sectors and leaders from different racial, ethnic, and other groups affected by health disparities to address common barriers and to join the NPA
  • Serve as a mentor to a young person in your family, neighborhood, or community
    • Educate him/her on the issues, encourage him/her to make healthy lifestyle choices, and guide him/ her to resources

Support healthy and safe behaviors in your community

  • Be a role model and serve nutritious foods at work or social functions
  • Involve your employees in a group physical activity or challenge
    • Participate in National Health Observances — such as AIDS Awareness Days — by sponsoring local health events or encouraging loved ones and colleagues to take action to address their health
  • Host seminars in your local library, school, workplace, or other venue to discuss health disparities in your community
    • Topics could include reducing asthma triggers in the home, managing obesity and chronic illnesses, or how to enroll in public health insurance programs

Improve access to health care

  • Partner with a local health care provider or employer to offer free health screenings in your workplace or place of worship
  • Ask local health care providers to translate health and health care information or connect them to an individual or organization who can provide translation services
  • Establish a Community Health Worker or Promotoras de Salud program in your community

Create healthy neighborhoods

  • Advocate for more sidewalks, bike lanes, and recreation facilities in your neighborhood
  • Encourage local schools, workplaces, and assisted living facilities to provide healthier lunch and snack options
  • Ask your neighborhood supermarket to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to the local foodbank, ask local restaurants to provide healthy menu options, or organize a farmers’ market that accepts food stamps
  • Work with your local government and organizations in your community to collect and to track data about health disparities and monitor changes over time