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PARTNERS FOR HEALTH EQUITY
Our vision is for all people within our region to have access to what they need to lead healthy lives.
What We Do
Spotlight on Coalition Building Initiatives.
413Cares.org is an online community resource database for western Massachusetts. It's empowering people to find and connect to local services to get the help they need. It's free and easy to use.
News
Keleigh Waldner is the Senior Manager of Communications and Research at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. She writes, "When someone asks me how to explain structural racism or social determinants of health, I often direct them to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 'Bridge to Health' model . The bridge metaphor illustrates structural racism in an accessible way. One bridge is built to safely carry people to their destination of good health, while the other is intentionally constructed with barriers. I appreciate this metaphor because it highlights the human role in creating systems and practices that value some lives more than others. This isn’t a natural occurrence; it’s the result of intentional decisions over time. Given the rise in rhetoric suggesting that our genes are responsible for our intelligence or criminality, it feels important to emphasize this point. Inequality isn’t genetic, rather, it is deeply steeped into our policies, systems, and environments. It is easy to become immobilized by injustice. At times it all feels like too much. The 'Bridge to Health' model offers some hope that we have the agency to replace these old bridges with new ones that enable everyone to thrive."
Putting Resources into Practice
Keleigh Waldner is the Senior Manager of Communications and Research at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. She writes, "When someone asks me how to explain structural racism or social determinants of health, I often direct them to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 'Bridge to Health' model . The bridge metaphor illustrates structural racism in an accessible way. One bridge is built to safely carry people to their destination of good health, while the other is intentionally constructed with barriers. I appreciate this metaphor because it highlights the human role in creating systems and practices that value some lives more than others. This isn’t a natural occurrence; it’s the result of intentional decisions over time. Given the rise in rhetoric suggesting that our genes are responsible for our intelligence or criminality, it feels important to emphasize this point. Inequality isn’t genetic, rather, it is deeply steeped into our policies, systems, and environments. It is easy to become immobilized by injustice. At times it all feels like too much. The 'Bridge to Health' model offers some hope that we have the agency to replace these old bridges with new ones that enable everyone to thrive."
Debbie DiStefano, PhD, is the Chief People and Equity Officer at Hilltown Community Health Centers, Inc. She writes, "I find that helping folks connect to the human story can guide an understanding of racism, what it is, how it developed, and how it is directly impacting the whole health of people of color. Being antiracist is essential to our mission. I turn to the Race and Health Equity Resource Guide for podcasts such as Code Switch, videos such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story, and Beverly Daniel Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? We also partner with organizations such as the Women of Color Health Equity Collective as a way to learn, confront, and grow."
Dr. Gregory Todd is the executive director of Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA). He writes, " If you are a self-proclaimed agent of social change like me, you have on more than one occasion made plans to take over the world, wanted to transform your organization, or even aspired to mentor a staff member. Whenever I have had such maniacal thoughts, I have asked myself two important questions. The first question is always: What tools do I have in my toolbox to accomplish these tasks? I then try to be specific regarding which tools I will need. Do I need more leadership skills? Am I transformative enough? How do I inspire others? If my passion is my WHY…my toolbox is my HOW. And, as passionate as I am about being transformative and impactful, I am honest enough with myself to know that the bravery, confidence, and deliberateness to engage can only be supported and justified by what I feel is in my toolbox. The second and equally important question is: If I don’t have these tools where can I get them? One answer that I discovered is the Race and Health Equity Resource Guide . With a bevy of useful information ranging from informative articles to transformative podcasts and books, filling and refilling my professional toolbox has been something that I look forward to doing on a regular basis. And with a toolbox that is responsive to my environment, I feel more confident in my ability to be transformative in my community in a way that is uplifting and empowering."
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Public Health Institute
of Western Massachusetts