North Carolina Re: National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk…

Description

North Carolina Re: National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities - NC Dhhs Has Been Working with Urgency & Purpose to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, Address Inequities Exacerbated by the Pandemic and Work Towards Recovery. Health Equity Is a Foundational Value of NC Dhhs. These Funds Allow Dhhs to Amplify Efforts to Address Health Disparities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic for Historically Marginalized Populations, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities.strategy 1 Expanding Health Equity Resources & Services Will Focus on: Capacity Building for Local Health Departments to Create a Health Equity Infrastructure for Their COVID-19 Response Strategies; Increasing Ability of Health Programs to Connect to Needs Like Transportation, Housing and Food; Addressing Major Public Health Issues That Either Exacerbate the Risks of COVID-19, Such as Smoking, or That Have Been Accentuated as a Result of COVID-19, Such as Mental Health with a Focus on Historically Marginalized Populations; Targeting Particularly High-Risk Groups, Such as Incarcerated Women & People with Substance Use Disorders with COVID-19-RELATED Public Health Resources.strategy 2 Improving Health Equity Data and Reporting Will Focus on: Investing in Foundational Data Infrastructure & Skills to Measure Health Disparities and Share Aggregated Data Publicly to Inform Public Health Action; Building a Centralized Health Equity Data Program for the Gathering, Analyzing, and Sharing Public Health Data to Protect the Health of All Citizens with an Emphasis on Historically Marginalized Populations. Strategy 3 Augmenting Critical Health Equity Infrastructure Will Focus on: Engaging a Coalition of Multi-Sector Stakeholders That Include Members of Underserved Rural Communities & Organizations to Increase Access to Critical COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Other Supportive Services; Augmenting Health Equity Staffing to Coordinate Efforts Across DPH and with Local Health Departments and Create Performance Man Agement Systems with Health Equity Lens.strategy 4: Partner Mobilization Will Focus on: Supporting Community Based Organizations and Rural Health Providers? Use of NCCARE360, Nc?s Closed Loop Resource Referral Platform; Supporting Communities in Each of 8 NC Prosperity Zones to Create Community Changes That Support Healthy Living; Funding 20 Community-Based and Faith-Based Organizations Across NC to Provide Culturally & Linguistically Appropriate COVID-19 Services and Information to Build Trust and Capacity in Communities; and Expanding Communications Resources to Reach People Where They Are Through People and Channels That They Trust with a Focus on American Indian, People with Disabilities, Spanish-Speaking Populations. These Funded Activities Will Achieve Reduced COVID-19-RELATED Health Disparities and Improved State and Local Capacity and Services to Prevent and Control COVID-19 Among Populations at Higher Risk and That Are Underserved, Including Racial & Ethnic Minorities and Rural Communities.