ASTHO is committed to helping state and territorial health agencies advance health equity. To achieve this, public health agencies and their partners must advocate for changes that maximize health and address inequities—inequities that exist among groups based on geographic location, income, education, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.

ASTHO helps health agencies reduce these inequities by focusing on structural racism and discrimination as a public health issue and highlighting governmental efforts to better allocate resources that influence well-being.

Our core priorities, illustrated in the resources below, include supporting community-led strategies, building a diverse public health workforce that can advocate for needed change, and advancing policies that foster optimal health for all.

Featured

The Health Equity Divide: The Health Equity Divide: Chronic Disease and COVID-19

This podcast features chronic disease and health equity experts discussing the impact of COVID-19 on people with chronic disease.

Listen to the Podcast

Advancing Health Equity Through Immunization

A report detailing the role immunization plays in reducing health disparities, informed directly by conversations ASTHO held with state equity and immunization leaders.

Get the Report

COVID-19 and Health Equity: Response and Recovery Tele-Townhall

ASTHO convened national equity partners to discuss their COVID-19 response strategies and challenges.

Watch the Video

Latest Health Equity Resources

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Tobacco Use in King County Washington: A Medicaid Data Analysis Report

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A suburban house in the 1940s (donated by Ninah Sasy)
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Roots of Equity: Addressing Health Disparities and Advancing Inclusive Solutions in Michigan

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Mid-section shot of three pregnant individuals with hands on their bellies sitting in a waiting room.
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Reducing Maternal Mortality, a Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicator

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Health Equity Science

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Advancing Health Equity Science Implementation in Health Departments

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A picturesque view of a coastal scene in Puerto Rico, featuring multicolored houses along the shore, waves crashing against the rocky coast, and a distant lighthouse under an overcast sky.
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Developing a Data Dashboard to Address Health Equity Concerns: Insights from Puerto Rico

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Cross-Sector Collaboration to End Homelessness in Wisconsin

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DELPH Reflections: A Journey Towards Creating a More Equitable and Just Democracy

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Collaborations

The health equity team leads a learning community comprised of state and territorial health equity and office of minority health directors to foster information sharing and peer learning on promising practices, challenges, and resources that support advancing equity at their agencies.

ASTHO, the American Public Human Services Association, and Casey Family Programs launched a learning community for child and family human services leaders and public health officials to provide them the opportunity to strengthen cross-agency partnerships and implement prevention strategies for children ages 0-3.

ASTHO is a member of Racism as a Public Health Crisis Research Collaborative, a network of public health professionals including attorneys, researchers, and communications and policy specialists designed to connect partners working to address racism as a public health crisis.

ASTHO collaborates with a diverse group of stakeholders ranging from philanthropy, non-profit, academia and health care, including:

  • National Association of State Offices of Minority Health
  • CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
  • The National Collaborative for Health Equity
  • Human Impact Partners
  • Michigan Public Health Institute