About Foundational Practices for Health Equity

This learning and action tool was developed to assist state public health organizations to:

• Introduce a set of foundational practices to advance health equity within an organization and with partners
• Identify and document the organization’s current capabilities and practices against seven practices that provide a solid foundation for public health to advance health equity
• Track improvements and changes in capabilities and practices

The learning and action tool begins with an overview of a framework developed by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health and the World Health Organization. This framework shows the connections between structural determinants of health and health outcomes.

There are distinct sections in the document that describe and define each foundational practice and guide the reader in assessing their organization’s engagement within it.