National Public Health Week - Day 3
National Public Health Week - Day 3
Today, the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) celebrates health equity.
What is Health Equity?
Health equity is about fairness and justice in health, meaning everyone should have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible, regardless of their social determinants of health (like income, education, housing, and access to healthcare).
Why is it important?
Health equity is a core building block of resilient, healthy communities, providing everyone with the opportunity to obtain the care they need. It also has far-reaching implications for economic efficiency.
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- Raise Awareness: Promote understanding of health disparities and the importance of addressing them.
- Advocate for Change: Support policies and initiatives that promote health equity.
- National Minority Health Month: The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) announces the 2025 theme for National Minority Health Month: “Health Unlocked: Access, Alignment, Action”.
- Health in All Policies (HiAP): The four core pillars of HiAP—Governance and Accountability, Leadership at All Levels, Ways of Working and Work Methods, and Resources, Financing, and Capabilities—offer practical steps to help organizations and governments embed health in policy processes, foster cross-sector partnerships, and address complex public health issues. Learn about the Illinois Health in All Policies workgroup here.
- Work in Health or Health Care: Commit to helping low-income and non-English-speaking patients get the care they need, guard against bias in medical care, and ensure adequate representation of diverse populations in clinical trials.
Health equity is crucial to a vibrant nation. Unfortunately, many areas have experienced generations of isolation from opportunity. Policies and practices at every level have created deep-rooted barriers to good health. Because of this, far too many start behind and stay behind.
We can all do our part to promote health equity by advocating for policies, addressing social determinants of health, providing and ensuring access to culturally competent care, and engaging in community outreach to imporve access to health care and resources for underserved populations.