Advanced the Houston Health Department’s Continuous Equity Improvement Cycle.

Alongside the Houston Health Department (HHD), we developed and advanced nine interlocking recommendations including a Continuous Equity Improvement Cycle. Initially, in response to COVID-19 recovery, the HHD wanted to strategically embed and strengthen health equity and racial justice in existing practices, policies, and programs. Refining HHD’s understanding of a public health ecosystem to include the department, its partners, and communities, representatives from each are included in training and work groups. These training and coaching sessions began with senior leadership, managers, and front-line staff to build an internal equity training team and identify areas for continuous improvement. This will improve coordination in prioritized areas of the city and expand diverse input from staff, community members, and residents.

Funder: Houston Health Department and Houston Health Foundation.