Racial Equity and Health
Racism deprives our nation and the scientific and medical community of the full breadth of talent, expertise, and perspectives  needed to best address racial and ethnic health disparities. To build a healthier America for all, we must confront the systems and policies that have resulted in the generational injustice that has given rise to racial and ethnic health inequities. We at CDC want to lead in this effort—both in the work we do on behalf of the nation’s health and the work we do internally as an organization.

Hope for Change
Last year, the nation's largest professional association of doctors created a comprehensive strategy for embedding racial and social justice within their organization for 2021-2023
The AMA reports the Strategic Plan "recognizes the harmful effect's of the AMA's past and targets the systemic inequities in the health care system and other social institutions"
"Our bold and necessary path forward seeks to pivot from ambivalence to urgent action; from euphemisms to explicit conversations about power, racism, gender and class oppression, forms of discrimination and exclusion; from passive to specific action supported by resource redistribution and infrastructure change; from rationalization and good intentions to a comprehensive analysis of structures, systems, policies and practices leading to real improvement and impact; and from lack of accountability to an active embrace of equity as a core mission and strategy."
Right Here in Sonoma County
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Sonoma County Strategic Plan for Racial Equity and Social Justice:
Goal 1: Foster a County organizational culture that supports the commitment to achieving racial equity

  • Objective 1: Establish an Equity Core Team by mid-2021 to advance equity initiatives across all departments in collaboration with the Office of Equity.
  • Objective 2: Invest in an ongoing and continually developing racial equity learning program, including understanding the distinction between institutional, structural, interpersonal, and individual racism, for County leadership and staff by end of 2021.
  • Objective 3: Conduct a baseline assessment by mid-2022 of racial equity awareness and understanding among County staff and develop a process to assess progress annually.
  • Objective 4: Develop a shared understanding of key racial equity concepts across the County and its leadership.
Sonoma County Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Website