Convened by the County Board of Supervisors, Health Action in Sonoma County, California, brings together community leaders from diverse disciplines to identify priority health and health care issues and develop specific recommendations for local health promotion. Over the past year, Health Action assessed data, developed a shared vision for health improvement based on multiple determinants of health, established criteria for focusing its efforts, developed an initial set of strategies, received community input on these strategies, and began planning implementation of specific health promotion projects to begin in spring 2009.

 

 

Kaiser Permanente's Disparities Working Group 

 

In addition to undertaking a nationwide internal communications campaign, Kaiser created a Health Disparities Awareness Workshop, presented last fall in Richmond, CA, to doctors and care providers at medical centers as part of "Grand Rounds," continuing education programs for practitioners. The event's popularity generated requests to organize workshops at medical centers throughout California. Organizers report that the series particularly helps doctors connect abstract statistics with the real conditions of the communities in which they live and work.

 

 

 

During the annual meeting of health department personnel last October, the Louisville Center for Health Equity trained 120 health department staff using the Place Matters episode. Including group discussions facilitated by Center staff and Metro United Way partners, this meeting was the first step to launching a Health Equity Dialogues program, aimed at addressing issues of health equity and related work within city government. The Center is also developing a community discussion guide and facilitators training program for using the series in the community.