City M at CH /NACCHO E-MCH Audio Conference January 20, 2005 MCH and Social Justice

1. CityMatCH/NACCHO E-MCH Audio ConferenceJanuary 20, 2005MCH and Social Justice Wendell BrunnerDirector of Public Health Contra Costa Health Services Contra Costa, CA

2. Definitions of Public Health • The application of science to the promotion of community health. • The intersection of science, health, and politics.

3. Definitions of Public Health The application of science to the promotion of social justice.

4. Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative • “It is our mission to transform public health practice for the purpose of eliminating health inequities using a broad spectrum of approaches that create healthy communities.” • The Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII) is an association of public health directors, health officers, senior managers, and staff from six Bay Area public health departments – Alameda, Berkeley, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. The goals of the group are to: • Place health inequities, including chronic disease prevention, on the agenda of local health departments in California; • Develop a regional alliance of public health departments to support activities around health inequities; and, • Use the issue of health inequities to illuminate the environmental and social determinants of health and to expand public debate about disparities, and the policies and programs required to eliminate them.

6. • Community member investigation Community members Community Power act without • Community member development and implementation of programs communicating with • Community organizes and advocates for government government response • Funding of community groups to implement projects; Community members Power-Sharing • Partnerships and collaborations and government solve • Community oversight and monitoring; problems together • Meetings called jointly by government and citizen groups • Education and general skill building • Established mechanisms such as advisory committees Government asks Consult 2 • Community informal meetings; community members • On - going dialogue; for meaningful regular • Some public hearings input • Education and training on health issues • Town hall or other meetings Consult 1 Government asks • Most public hearings; community members • Focus groups for occasional or • Some advisory and task forces limited input • Surveys, questionnaires, suggestion box Inform • Some public meetings; Government talks; • Press releases listens to the • Informational strategies:such as newsletters, community brochures, etc. • Educational campaigns Government Power • Investigations; such as health surveillance Government acts without community • Legal and enforcement actions input • Emergency response THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY RUTGERS Adapted From: Environmental Communication Research Program A program of the Agricultural Experiment Station Cook College - 122 Ryders lane - New Brunswick - NewJersey 08903 – 201/932 - 8795 LADDER OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Adapted from the State University of New Jersey Rutgers

7. For more information and articles about the Spectrum of Prevention and community based public health visit our web site at www.ccpublichealth.org